Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1922-02-16
THE TRUTH ABOUT TAXATION

The movement is on for reduced taxation from national gov
eminent right down to school district. - Commenting on the fight
of industries In the state of Washington to secure a general tax
reduction. a deputy assessor thoroughly familiar with the situation
and who is in accord with the idea of reducing expense, says:
In our county it is not taxation any more but is getting to
be conflscation, but what IS a poor assessor gong TO do when we
elect a legislature who think it is their bounden duty to get an APP
preparation for their district in order to get back in office and each
state institution sends SITS lobby TO the legislature TO get all they
can for their pet institution. When the legislature gets through
passing the pie around then the state officers have to make a levy
to meet it and so on down to county affairs. Each district will
paying time comes they blame the assessor for the high taxes,
when, as a matter of fact, it is the voters themselves who are to
blame. If they will elect a legislature giving them to understand
that if they want to go back again to put the soft pedalon all ap-
preparations such as school and roads until we get caught up (and
not try to Guido the older states0 then taxes will be reduced.
eve are busting the taxpayers by trying to make a play
ground of the west for the rest of the country to come and have a
good time In the summer The same thing prevails IN the county,
everyone urges roads to their particular place and the consequence
is that the commission has to levy all the law will allow them IN
order to get back in again
This plain statement of facts applies with equal force to prac-
ticaly every western state. 1t is up to the people to say whether
they will have reduced taxation or further tax expansion, and
the method through which to express their opinions is at hand
tunately not a large enough portion of the voters of the different
communities are taking sufficient interest in these organizations to
make the most of them. Most of us are too inclined to sit back
and see what the league is going to do, and then criticise if they
don't do it our way. Right here in our own county this is true to
the extent that there has grown a strong suspicion that the organ
izaton has gotten into the hands of a few disgrunted politicians
who will use it, not for the purpose for which its title would lead
one to believe it was intended for, but for purposes that will be
Tor individual advantages and not for the best interests of the tax
payers as a whole.
True, some good is certain to come out of the movement, as
there does from all such movements, but if the taxpayers generally
sit back and leave matters in the hands of a few, the best results
cannot be hoped for.
To attain the greatest benefit it would seem that there should
munity, with delegates to the central organization in Great Falls,
but SO far 8 we know, though last fall there was some talk of it,
there has been no effort made along this line by the Cascade
county organization. Which seems queer and. again leaves room
for doubt whether it is the real object of the organization to work
a vehicle to ride the selfish interests of q few disgruntled office
seekers into some sort of standing in the county.