The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-04-05
WHAT IDAHO NEEDS

This state needs more population
Every state that has been ambition
and has provided its citizens witt
educational and civic, and rural op
portunities and conveniences has ha'
the same experience as Idaho-it
people have found the overhead heav.
and so comparatively few to pay i
that the tax statement has been M
more welcome than the fellow wht
collects installments for furniture.
In every such state there have beer
improvement periods that have beer
more or less unchecked, followed by
periods of economy, some false, some
true. And every such state has. final
ly come through it all right. Popula-
ton did it. The lower taxes in Idaho
are in those counties having the most
population and agriculture divided in
to the smallest profitable tracts and
diversified.
Population will come when oppor-
tunities are offered and safety is as
sured. The question of our taxes will
deter few if any, for the advantages
here outweigh such considerations.
Moreover, they are used to paying
taxes in their present homes and they
realize that taxation provides the
things they want. They also know
that as the state settles up taxes will
be so shared as to be lower per capita
and per property.
There are other things they want
to know about, says Guy Flenner, in
an article sent out from Boise:
Is there an ample water supply?
Are there storage provisions as
against short water seasons? If not,
they know land will have lower and
fluctuating value. They want some
thing stable, and sure water supply
is the stabilizer of value because it
makes crops certain every year
Are we quarrelsome, unprogres-
sive people-we, who are to be their
neighbors?
Do we spend more time tearing
down our industries than in building
them up-our timber, our livestock,
our mining-the things that make
markets at home for agriculture, and |
that make cities.
Is every community fighting every |
other community and are many COM
munities divided against themselves?
They will want to know about these
matters, for the thoughtful can real
ize that progress and growth and
prosperity come from unity and CO.
operation and not from division and
back pulling.
These and other questions they
will ask, and if we cannot answer
them to their satisfaction-not with
dodgers and advertisements but with
deeds and actions-they will go else
where and God knows we need them
nunierously. They will help us make
our state what we hope for it and
what it can become if we do not shat
ter the foundations.
1T SEEMS TO FIZZLE EVERY
WHERE
Belgium is another country which
has had it's fill of government owner
ship and operation of the railroads,
over 80 per cent of which are thus
controlled, or nearly 5000 miles in an
area somewhat less than that of
The 1922 Belgian budget
recently submitted shows for rail-
roads, telegraphs and postal systems,
graphs and postal sys-
TENS, receipts of 1,142, 175,000 francs,
for operation 1,360,S71.-
200 francs, and expenditures for new
works 100000 francs. Not count
ng the last named, this gives a de-
leficit Of nearly 20O,00O,00O francs, Of
which the roads account for the
greater portion. The expenditures
or new works show a decrease of
100000 francs compared with the
revious year, in itself an evidence of
overnment ownership also, and has
gently reported continuous losses
rom government ownership and OPP
ration of railroads, extending back
$ far as 1907. A movement is now
n foot in that country to restore the
ailroads to private control. England
ave up the idea of state owned roads
ng ago, and the United States has
1t yet forgotten her experience With
,vernment control of the railroads.
1vocates of the Plumb plan, or any
her plan to take the roads out of I
e hands of private control will have
I'd shedding, at least for the time s
ing.
"a - -
In at least one particular the pre-
Mt Congress is unique. Never has