The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1922-08-02
MORGAN
TALKS ON THE
TAX QUESTION

Former Chief Justice Morgan, Dem
ocratic candidate for nomination for
governor, passed through town last
Friday evening on his way to Salmon
The Judge did not hold any meeting
in Challis, but to The Messenger man
he gave quite lengthy interview.
His talk was constructive and along
lines which cause people to think, not
OF the personal or abusive type of
speech, though the former justice pos
sesses a sharp tongue which he per
mits TO speak out at times. and his
sarcasm while bitingly critical at
L. 5. was tempered with a streak Of
human feeling. Judge Morgan is d
mans n1an-one of those who draw
men close to him by his wholehearted,
honest talk and appearance.
No, the Judge did not make the
claim that all of the virtue rests with
the Democratic party nor ali of the
faults with the Republican party, and
was rather inclined TO share the bur
den of responsibility on a ffty-ffty ba-
sis.
He did make the claim, however
that the remedy lies in electing Dem
ocratic governor and Democratic
Legislature in order to clean out the
state house.
Judge Morgan stated that he enter
ed the State of Idaho 32 years ago as
an itinerant laborer or hobo" with c
roll of blankets on his back looking
for job on farm. THAT Idaho has
been good to me is proven by the fact
that l have the proud honor of being
the chief justice of the supreme court
and it is to the credit of the people
of Idaho that at no time has my hum
BILE beginning been mentioned in
way to seek to injure me or hurt my
feelings
Judge Morgan took up the matter OF
the tax question and how to get rid
of it, giving as his idea the return to
a more simple form of government,
government as outlined by our Con
stitution which I'VE have so far stray
ed away from that il Is no longer rec
ognizable." The way to get rid OF
the tax situation, he stated, is not to
seek to shift the burden of blame, but
to remove the cause which in the state
of Idaho is the high cost of being
governed"
THE constitution" he stated, pro
vides for six officers, the governor
and the lieutenant governor who acts
in his absence, secretary of state, aud
itor, treasurer, attorney general and
superintendent of instruction. We
h2ye departed from the teaching OF
our fathers and today we have to pay
so many people to govern that there
| is little left for anything else"
The governor traced the history Of
| the cost of government from the firs,
administration, that OF Gov. McCon-
| nell, when Idaho first became q state
| in 1SS3-S4 when the cost was ss52, 2,SSS.
| to the present time when the cost
| for two years is ST. 900. 600: with thc
Eeturns not all in yet" The per cap
| ita take of government in Idaho when
! the state v-as admitted into the Union
was s4S5 and now it is s31.70, the
| judge stated.
'Tris money has not been stolen
| the Republicans are not more &c
blame than the Democrats only that
| they have been in office oftener," tn
| judge stated What we need is less
government, we are plain, home-lov-
| ing and peaceful people. and certain
| ly we can live for less than we are
paying now"
| The Judge - nos the. cabinet form
of government for most of the pres
ent cost. duplication of offices. too
| much running around on the part o.
state officials and too many assistants
to do the work which should be done
by the officers provided by the state
constitution.
| He stated that our highway system
is too expensive, our educational sys
tenn is one of duplication and all too
costly, and the legislature made all
| OF this possible and a6voca:ed the e.
| lection of Democratic legislature
that would cut exnenses, "fire the tax
eaters" for we have 3 lor- ---'-- % hoe
before we can come hsc'< to normal
The Judge traced the history of the
nation from the Civil War. the peak