Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-10-11
GOVERNOR DIXON AND
THE LEGISLATURE

1T is perhaps a republican party
L squabble, strictly speaking. Blu,
in its broader aspects it is a mat
ter of economic interest to all the
citizens of the state whether Gov
ernor Dixon receives an indorse-
ment of his two years of office at
the state house or not at the polls
next month. IF the legislature as
elected contains a majority OF
Dixon republicans he will receive
such Endorsement. IF it contains a
majority of anti-Dixon republicans
or a majority of democrats he will
fail of such Endorsement. It is
plain as a pikestaff to any common
sense voter who does not wish to
give his approval to the record OF
Dixon in the last two years that
there is a better chance of the next
legislature containing a demo
cratic majority than there is to get
a legislature with a republican anti
Dixon majority. In other words,
the most available means to give
expression to disapproval of the
present republican administration
is to vote the democratic legis-
lative ticket in the several coun-
ties of the state.
Is disapproval of the present
Dixon administration of the state
warranted by the facts? We think
it is. Let US calmly examine the
facts.
Two years ago Governor Dixon
was elected by a practically non
partisan vote. His whole ticket
went into office with him. 1t re-
ceived the solid republican vote
and a large part of the conserva-
tive democratic vote. We might
say that in addition to the united
republican vote it received the
united democratic conservative
vote. No man we took office
with a larger conservative majority
back of him in this state. What
this conservative majority wanted
and expected was a business ad-
ministration, the lifting of tax bur-
dens by spending less money, more
economical state government, de-
flating of overpadded pay rolls at
the state house and elsewhere, the
discharge of unnecessary deputies
or inefficient ones, less travelling
expenses, less expense of every
kind. Did they get it9 Not at all
We have the official statement
coming from Helena that the state
is nearly a million dollars more in
debt than it was when the state
government was handed over to
Governor Dixon. We have con-
elusive evidence that the pay rolls
of the state have been increased
rather than diminished, and that
public funds have been extrava-
gantly used for political ends. We
have had the spectacle of the gov
ernor and attorney general, IN plain
violation of the statutes of the
state, attending farmers picnics and
fairs and making political speeches
when the statute says they should
be every day in Helena attending
to tax equalization matters. In
consequence we have the county
authorities in all the counties of
the state weeks behind in their
work, because even yet the state
board of equalization has not per-
formed its duty as prescribed by
the statutes. They. have been too
busy attending to politics to do
that. AS a result many of the
counties will have to hire extra
help to get their taxes in shape by
tax-paying time.
The people who voted for Gov
ernor Dixon wanted a business adj
ministration. They asked for
bread, and he gave them a stone.
There is no nutriment in his tax
program which is merely addressed
to popular prejudice. Instead of
reducing expenditures, and so re-
ducing taxes, he tells them he is
going to redistribute thee burden