The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-05-26
Equalizing the Tax Burden;
Five Million a Year

statement In the letter that Snyder
had his county warrant new? Snyder
says no warrant has been issued. IL
Snyder has done less donation work
than others in the community, why
did Mr.. Shelman make out a voucher
at all and for more than his work
was worth? Was it because he had
heard that Snyder was peeved or was
1t because he wanted grounds for
saying to the public that Snyder had
taken pay for donation work.
The editor of The Republican is
awfully puzzled over these things
and is anxious to get it all cleared
up in his own mind and in the minds
of the readers Of this little sheet.
Shelman Comes In
!. L: Shelman came into The Repub-
lican office after the foregoing mat
ter was set in type and said he felt
hurt at the way we had been ripping
into him about road work. He said
he had donated as much road work
as anybody, not only this year but
in former years, and thought and
believed that he had done his part
well in the community. He had been
asked by the commissioner to get
out and drag roads for pay and had
done It. He said 1t was true he had
taken the road grader that Mr..
Snyder was using to drag the road
between his gate and the Springfield
store, and had assured Snyder at
the time, that he, Snyder, would re-
ceive payment the same as he did,
for what dragging he had done that
day. Snyder had never called at the
house for his voucher, Warrant, he
called it, but had known that it
would be made out for him. Mr..
Shelman said he had made out
Snyder's voucher a couple of days
before he saw the paper containing
the article about Pingree and Spring
field men receiving pay for road
dragging. When he wrote the let
ter he felt annoyed and believed we
had not had full and fair Informal
tion about it. He said he did not
like being held up to criticism in the
paper, and, of course, had not par
ticularly enjoyed having the neigh
bors kid him about 1t. He said there
are good many fine fellows down
there who have donated road work
not only this season but last year
and other years, and now since we
have aired this matter they don't feel
like doing it any more. He said he
felt like letting the mud holes stay
muddy and the culverts stay broken
and let the travel stick in them,
rather than 60 out and fix them up
for love or money, tho he had always
taken pride in keeping pretty de-
cent road in front of his farm, and
knew that some Of his neighbors
did too. He admired our courage
in digging into these disagreeable
things and airing them, but he didn't
know but we were doing more harm
than good because all the fellows
seem mad about something now. If
they are not mad at the newspaper
they are mad at the officers, and it
is too much of a stirring up to be
good for the roads. He didn't come
In to get any more publicity, he just
wanted the publisher to know that
there are some good square fellows
down the road and that the editor
does not always get things straight,
and especially when he takes hear
say for 1t. Mr.. Shelman says he paid
500 taxes on forty acres last year
and it is too much. If the forty or
fifty business and professional men
In Blackfoot who were not assessed |
1t all could just be called on by the
assessor and give them chance to
pay their share it would tighten up
The burden. He could not account |
Tor the assessor overlooking so many |
people unless it was just pure lazi-
ness
|