The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-01-02
THOSE GOOD OLD DAYS


much spending money as we had il
the good old days of 1914?
Let's consider it.
In 1914 we led a much simpler life
than we are leading in 1921. We hat
fewer personal Injuries, fewer bust
ness luxuries and fewer government
luxuries. For examples, We did moi
have our automobiles, our elaborate
department stores, our Star highway
our capitol wings, our new high
school buildings. And, of course, we
are paying for all these things.
In 1914 we sold our crops for as
much as they bring today, often Tor
more. But we paid out less for the
things we needed, less for Transports
ton, Eve used a cheaper kind, and
less taxes, because we got along with
fewer pretties) In fact our 1914 taxes
were not half what our taxes are to-
day.
Speaking of transportation, consid-
er our automobiles. Back in 1914
there were only 5000 cars or so in the
state, 3,346 are the actual figures on
the license books. Today we are
maintaining and operating over $1,000
cars. Today we are spending for this
one luxury alone some fifteen mil
lion dollars a year that we did not
spend in 1914 Some ask, is it strange
That fifteen million is tidy little bit
of spending money in itself.
But-would we give up our cars in
order to get back to the good old days
of 1914? Would we give up our new
highways? Our new school build
ings? Our new foods more scientific
ally prepared? Our better stores
where shopping has been made a
pleasure? Our capitol wings? Our i'm
provement projects?
Move prefer to have our cake and
eat it, too.
But if we are to get back to the
days of more spending money for
such things as homes and clothing
and food, we'll have to start sacrifice
ing something or work more efficient
1y. Which shall it Statesman.
"a "a "a
THE TAX QUESTION, AGAIN
The Pend dOreille Review, publish
ed at Standpoint, finds that the re-
sponsibility for high taxes lies pretty |
much at the door of the people, the
demands made by the public being the
logical result of the unusual condi
lions of the past few years. On two
or three occasions recently The Star
Mirror has voiced this same belief and
still believes that it is useless to howl
at the public officials, who are now
simply calling upon the public for
money to defray expenses created
very largely to meet the public de-
mand. 1t is true that the officials,
from now on, must cutail expenses
in so far as possible, just as the bust
ness man must curtail his expenses to
meet a change in his income but the
expenses over which the official has
any power, cover a mighty small per-
centage of the public money expehd-
ed.
The Standpoint paper sums up a
editorial as follows:
at was not so very long ago when
We were encouraging tax-making
70 nn hn lei .
commerce talked good roads, town !
hat did not have at least two coast
o coast" highways finding the trail
east and west through its main street ..
vas subject for commiseration from
more fortunate centers. Parks to- )
PARKS" hump to hump" and peak !
o peak each day saw some new /,
'aper highway built, each descending d
un some new project started. And S
he soldier coming homei' He was b
oing to be the champion little road |
uilder of all time.
Taxes are high. Who is to blame? !
The man who sits back and writes
stters to the newspapers blaming
at the courthouse or some
ody at Boise or somebody in New V
ork only registers bad temper with d
lie situation. S
The fault is the fault of all, or, W
lore truly, the fault of conditions v
hich yesterday made the spending of r
oney easy and today hard ?
"a - - ~
Leading financiers and heads of in II
lstrial concerns in the Inland En- II
re are optimistic over the prospects ri
r the year just beginning. They sc
lieve we covered the worst of the W
cky road back to normally during at
e past year and that the new year N
II see steady improvement in CON e
ions. Also, we are becoming more q,