The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1921-03-25
Our Taxes.


finds it troublesome to draft a bill
that does not conflict with the con-
stitution So the question of con-
stitutional convention has again
been proposed with view of offer
ing a bill to that effect. We pre-
sumo the plan will be as heretofore
to leave it to a referendum of the
voters.
Now, the thing-the important
thing-it seems to US, is for the peo-
pie to take hold of this movement. II
is all right, if the people of Tonnes
see could be stirred up to realiza-
tion of the state of public affairs and
take them over entirely-all right to
vote for this convention and then go
or send delegates pledged to their in
terests. The people of this or any
other State can do this, but if they
stay at home and suffer themselves
20 be duped by lot of professional
politicians better thousand times
have no convention.
This may be revolutionary talk,
but the people of Tennessee need TO
take their government bodily out of
the hands of her representatives.
There are some there, like our Sam
Bratton, who want to do the square
thing, but there are others who are
in the Legislature for the sole pur-
pose of graft. People are elected to
the Legislature for nothing else in the
world but to secure for some partic-
uiar portion of the State big appro-
priation. They are now, instead of
representing the taxpayers and vot-
ers of the State, offering all sorts of
taxing plans and schemes, which are
designed more than anything else to
benefit commercially and financially
the big towns of the State. These
things go in as a tax for schools and
fairs, etc.
This is true and there is not
metropolitan paper in the State with
quits enough to condemn it. They
either don't want to be honest or
they must be afraid of the adver-
tisers.
If the people of Tennessee are CIV
en- a chance to hold d constitutional
convention they should organize the
State in the interest of the masses
and not the classes.
If chance is given to adopt new
constitution the taxpayers and the
voters of the State should see to it
that they have trusted representa-
tives there to do their work.
A new constitution should provide
more than anything else that the
taxing power should be limited and |
specifications should be made to this
end
One of the first things would be to
make it forever impossible to tax the
people for State and county fairs.
Another thing would be 10 place a
limit on the school tax. We are talk
ing to your heads now-calling a
spade spade. The perennial dema-
gogue who has new bill for increas-
ed pensions at every meeting of the
General Assembly should be choked
off, Remember this is going on in
Congress as we'll as the General AS
semblies, but this article refers to
Tennessee. Remember there is never
a word for the benefit of the tax
are no bills to lift the
tax burden. But every Assembly has
it's hopper for new tax levies, and the
and Hobbies are there
to exploit these things. They come
there for no other purpose under the
SUM-
The judicial system may need at
tention, but that should be a matter
FOR the lawyers. The road system
does need something and every man
in the State almost will agree to this.
rhe thing that affects the people of
The State more vitality than anything
slse is the tax question. The system
should be made to strip the State of
political grafters.
Every State should be held respon-
,ible for the education of the masses, !
)ut no nation or State under the sun s
ian afford to establish and maintain
colleges. The university training
should be private affair. This
lgain is radical talk, of course, but
rou see where we are drifting. Ten
lessee's children should have an ell l
.mentary or even a high school edu- {
alton, and this education should be S
made compulsory, but the colleges &
hould be left for the philanthropy 1
{ wealthy citizens. The college that {