The Delta independent., 1922-10-27
STATE BUDGET COMMISSIONER
GIVES FIGURES AS TO RANGERS

Regarding the matter of rangers
and their purpoted cost to the State
of Colorado, the following article pre-.
pared and published in the Grand
Junction Daily News over the sigma
'ture of c. A. Lemmers, State Budget
Commissioner, is interesting:
The Cost Of the Rangers
Editor Grand Junction Daily News:
I In your contemporary of the 14th
inst. appeared an editorial headed
"What 1t Has Cost" Clipped from the
Steamboat Pilot on the subject of the
Colorado Rangers and their cost.
/ One sentence in that editorial at.
tracts my attention, because it is a
confession that the cost of the Rang
ers and armories is not the cause
of the increase in taxation that has
been the subject of so much discus.
sion the past few months, and be-
| cause it is verification of the con-
tention of the writer hereof ever since
the Democratic newspapers and spell.
binders made the bald apd unsupport.
ed statement that the rangers and
armories were responsible for the in
crease in state taxation.
The writer of that editorial, Mr..
Leckenby, formerly auditor of state,
| has been the leader in making the
charge which he now confesses was
not true, for he says. well, it's true
it hasn't yet been reflected in the tax
receipt, for the entire amount was
raised by selling bonds" But he was
sufficiently candid to tell his readers
how those bonds are being paid.
Now as to facts. Since the Nation.
al Defense bonds act was passed dur
ing the Gunter administration in 1917,
which was all Democratic, these bonds
have been issued to the amount of
81 ,951 900. The decree Of that special
session of a Democratic legislature
was that these bonds should be paid
from the receipts from the flat tax on
corporations. the first payment to be
made in 1922. But with good business
sense the state treasurers have anti
cipated the payments on these bonds,
| so that up to the present time $3.50, 900
Of them have been. paid, with not one
| SCht iCiicttcu lhC ldA IcCclplS VI
the people. If the people use good
business judgment at the November
election and choose a Republican gov
ernor and a Republican legislature.
not one cent of the s1.201 900 of Ma
tional Defense bonds now outstanding
will ever be reflected in the tax re-
ceipts" of the people, but the corpor-
ations will pay them off without the
people realizing that such bonds ever
seven years to do it, for the receipts
from the corporation flat tax total
about 100000 per year.
Take the other side of the question
Should the people elect Democratic
governor and legislature. which does
not now seem probable, and should
the administration repeal the provis
ion of law referred to and make the
bonds payable by direct taxation, the
levy on the people would be about 1.
cents on the 81 900 of valuation, which
in seven years would make the aver.
age taxpayer pay total of SO cent
on the average payment of s26.6s oil
the $1,000 of valuation, which is th'
average payment in the SO countie
of the state this year.
Whichever way you figure it, 1t i
plain to be seen that the Democrati
cry of heavy taxes on account o
Rangers and armories is mere bunk
1t Is plain to be seen that the issu
was raised to work on the prejudice
of the electorate and not as an ar
peal to their sober common sense. NJ
one can dispute that the existence O
the Rangers organization has save
the people of Colorado hundreds O
thousands of dollars, the past tw
years, to say nothing of the preserva
tion Of lives and property and tina
the existence of the armories is bring
ing into the state each year more thai
100000 from the national govern
ment for the support of the militia
The existence Of the Rangers make
! the militia possible, and the cost o
the Rangers Is not REFLECTED in tn,
tax receipts Of the people" while thu
fnational government pays nearly al
the expense OF the militia.
Good business sense will demand
that both organizations be retained
since their cost is not seriously "re
f1ected In the tax receipts" Of the peo
pie and their existence assures ths
preservation of law and order in the
state to comply with the demands O
the nationwide government for
militia as at present constituted is no
service in strike zones in case of inter
nal difficulties.
G. A. LEMMERS,
State Budget Commissioner.