The Idaho recorder., 1922-02-24
ECONOMIZE AND LOWER
g.t TAXES Is URGENT DEMAND
By ]. A. Herndon.

| From all sides we hear the howl for
| economy, reduction of taxes AMI q
| release from the burden that Is crush
ing every farmer and business man
! to earth. So hideous is the monster,
so appalling the handicap to enter
lpriSe, the almost ludricous comparison
between income and investment, and
/ the blood money demanded for the
privilege of owning property, that
/, few men will have the courage to try
and do anything in Lemhi county, II
this condition exists for few years
longer.
Lemhi county has more of a hurlen
to bear than the United States gov
ernment has for the great Word War,
taking the general conditions into con-
sideraticn.
! How can we expect to get an in
crease of population and investors,
with such tax ridden district as we
now have, and without an increase OF
population how can we ever hope to be
on the map7 Stagnate business enter
prise with such a tax as is now on US
and the result is inevitable. Reclama-
tion of land, factory development and
equipment of mines, ALSO the lumber
industry, all call for encouragement
from the people, and no country like
ours can hope to ever amount Ia
anything without the development OF
these resources. Rather we should be
prone to give than to take from any
concern that has the courage to start
something.
Take for an example the Harmony
Mines company, company that has
spent over half million dollars in
our country, and is now paving
enough taxes, county and state, em-
ployers liability insurance to the state,
license fees and many other forms of
taxation, an amount that would make
dividends for the corporation If left in
their hands, and an amount far in
excess of what should be demanded
from financiers that help every man,
woman and child in the county, indi-
rectly, as well as being a big asset
to the state. We are simply driving in
vestment from our country, taxing
every form of business to the limit,
making hard times harder and money
scarcer each year. To the honest, hard
working man, the truth is being forced
home, that it's graft and a steal
from the people.
We bond our state and county for
huge sums, for public improvement,
and then turn this money over 10 off,
cials of the state. The contractors AMI
the officials in charge of the funds
spend the money. Do we ever get our
moneys worth? Never in the history
of our state, since public improve
ment began, have we got a value of
30 cents on the dollar for the money
expended.
High salaried men that do nothing,
excessive engineering, and all the red
tape and graft that goes on before
completion of any work done absorbs
at least one third of the donation.
How are we to reduce taxes in this
county? BY a slashing of salaries Of
all county officials, elimination of
every officer that can possibly be
gotten along without; suspension of
all county Improvement until we get
up to daylight again. Likewise deal
with our schools, cut salaries. and il
possible in the city schools 10 away
with one school building. Both school
houses are badly in need Of repair,
and the east side school is unsanitary.
Desperate conditions require desperate
measures. The county has more ex-
pense than it can handle. No matter
how necessary certain things may be.
the county can't afford to pay, so do
away with it until they can. II is never
good business for a man TO live far in
excess of his income, for sooner or
later he will go on the rocks, and this
rule applies TO county and state
as well as to an individual. The county
commissioners, the school directors
and all others in direct charge of pub
lie affairs, can reduce taxes il they
make up their minds. and appreciate
the deplorable financial condition of
the town and county. The same rule
applies to the city government.
The city school expense can be re-
duced So 900 year, the city govern
mental least $500 a year, and the
county expense at least $1,000 if the
proper economic move is made. When
we get out of debt, then il will be time