Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1922-10-19
CONNER EXPLODES
ALEXANDER'S
CAMPAIGN

/ captain a. ii. COnnOrg OF odnu
I point, Idaho, Republican candidate
for attorney general, certainly threw
bomb-shell into Nose Alexander
/ campaign Tuesday evening at the
court house.
! Captain Conner was given the clos
{ est attention by his audience as he
| revealed to them from facts and zig.
ures taken from the records Of the
state, the real cause for the tax in
/ crease in the state of Idaho. He
showed that the big burden or tax in
crease had come from county, city,
| school and other local improvements
and that what increase had been made
in state levies was necessary to take
up the debt left by the Alexander ad-
ministration when the Democratic
candidate saved" the people of Ida
ho "a million dollars
He showed that Alexander did not
leave half a million dollars in the
states general fund, but instead left
an oyerdraft and that crediting the
Alexander administration with all OF
the taxes that would be coming in
during the year following his tenure
of Office there was not even half a
million in the general FUND. He ex-
ploded Alexander's charge that the
cabinet form OF government was res
ponsible for tax increases and read
from Alexander's message to the leg
islature in 1917, in which he recon-
mended the consolidation of state de-
partments in substantially the same
form as is now in effect and was il
reality himself instigator of the cab
met form of government.
Captain Conner illustrates his
truth-dtaling arguments with large
chart showing actual figures and fur
ther carries home his points by TAX
ing tax receipt from local resident
and analyzing it to show exactly
where the tax money goes. So clear
ly does he explain the matter that his
hearers are able to analyze their own
tax receipts and see exactly where
their taxes are going and as result
to formulate their own remedy for
the situation.
Taking up what he called the legacy
OF debt and incompetency ie>c to the
taxpayers of Idaho by the Alexander
administration Captain Connor said |
When the Republicans came into Of |
flee in 1919 it was necessary to in-l
crease the state tax levy mills, !
which meant about s2,40O,OO0 more
In state taxes. There were some %
items that made up this increase, but ,
will take only the larger ones. One
Of the most important of these was
the appropriation for educational in
stitutions. The institutions of our
state had been allowed to run down
oy our Democratic friends and it was
necessary to appropriate more money
han would have been ordinarily ne
,essary to bring them back to stand
ard. In addition to this the schools
we're forced to take care or a large
Increase in attendance. The war was i
over and the boys were going back to
school. The attendance at the Unt>l
Tersity of Idaho alone jumped from
$50 in 1918, to over 100 in 1919.
The Lewiston Normal building had
burned and the insurance money in
stead of being used for the sacred
ask of rebuilding it, was turned into
he General State fund and spent for
salaries, stationery,
tic. To put our educational institu-
ions again upon their feet, take care
,uild the Lewiston Normal required j
100000. i
Taking up next our charitable and
penal institutions. The Soldiers
Home at Boise had burned and the
insurance money had been used to!
,ay stenographers and buy station
Try, etc. The same rundown condi-I
ions had accumulated in our charit-
.ble and penal institutions as in our
institutions. At the state
'enitentiary the Alexander admins
ration had cut down the appropri-
tion so that the men confined there
lid no even have tin cups for drink
ng purposes, they were using tomato ,
ans to drink out of. The roofs were
eaking, the fences were down and
he condition was deplorable. To ,
gain put these institutions upon a ,
human basis and to reouild the :
folders Home, it was necessary for /
he Republicans to ask you for $685. ,
100. =
Highway improvements called for !
mother large appropriation" said :
,aptain Conner. ''You will remerber s
hat in 1919 there was general !
Iemand for the building of roads,
and municipal improve {
nents to give work to the returned !
oldiers. Under the constitutional :
limitations Idaho could not vote any
nore bonds for this work-the Demo- !
rats had issued bonds up to the limit
so at the demand of the people of
he state direct levy OF two mills 1;
vas made amounting to s1,06s, 900.
During the Alexander admins I
ration S165, 900 worth of state bonds
lad become due; these were not paid I
nd 1t was necessary for the Repub-
lean administration to pay them.
Legal liabilities which had not
,een maid In the amount Of S1S7 000