The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1923-01-04
LEGISLATIVE MEETING

zens who might wish to offer sug
| gestions for their guidance, an,
there was an interesting session o
about three hours. 1t was attended
| by twenty-five or thirty men, ant
Senator l.. r. Thomas introduced
the subject of high taxes in his open
ing remarks. He said that he hat
taken on some far lands and that i
has been taking all he could make
in his professional work to keep III
the losses on the farms, and hi
realized what it is to be the repre-
sentative of an agricultural com
munity.
He was followed by w. G. Sollen
berger, who said the whole thing
seemed packed against the farmer
now so that if he is in debt very
much he simply cannot make money
to meet the demands upon him anC
pay out. He said it does not matter
whether a man sells his produce OF
feeds it or milks cows, he cannot
make money fast enough to pay the
interest on much of debt. He was
anxious to trim all government ex-
penses that could be trimmed to get
us out Of our predicaments.
Alexander Younie told his expert
ences of forty or fifty years and said
he had seen these things enacted In
Iowa only worse, and said it was a
very serious situation. In that
case, as late as 1882, men could not
make the taxes on their farms in his
section, and he had seen much land
sold for 10 cents for forty acres
not sold for taxes, but sold for a
mere fraction OF the taxes, and the
purchaser then went on farming it
and paying current levies of taxes
and that helped to carry the expense
of the government and to clean up
old debts. If the county had kept
on carrying the property in its own
name and getting no taxes on 1t,
that would have added to the burden
of those who did pay and would
have made it worse for all of them.
The increased population and the in
creased number of taxpayers was
what pulled them out.
In this county there are more and
more lands and town lots being
taken over by the county for taxes
because nobody will buy 1t, and the
county is loading up with some
thing that individuals ought to be
paying taxes on. The method OF
foreclosing on property for failure
to pay taxes is expensive and the
method of redemption Is treacher-
Gus and expensive. 1t ought to be
as on the old plan instead
of merely deciding it away as would
a thief in the night, so that it is
gone before a man knows when or
how he lost it.
C. A. Packham Of Groveland
spoke in favor Of the statewide
tax to even up the burdens as be-
tween the thinly settled and the
thickly settled places.
Phillip Dance of Rockford fav-
pred the statewide school tax and
the probation officer.
He believed that officer was not
worth the cost of 1t and that the
rustees and the sheriff could do
What was necessary. He said the
lew law authorizing the transfer OF
high school funds from one district |
o another when pupil left his dis
riot to attend high school In an
,ther was a mistake. 1t costs $112
year for a pupil to come in from |
country district to Blackfoot. and
lis district received only about $50 |
yer pupil from the appropriations.
Everett Green of Groveland en-
lorsed what had been said and
tated that .Groveland is another ex-
nipple of perplexed trustees trying
ard to keep their school serving all
leeds, and the demands upon them
exceeding the means for doing it.
Nelson Miller, commissioner from
he north end of the county, said he
vas convinced that the probation Of
Ger should be discontinued. 1t was
ot a necessary nor practical office.
When the probation officer goes out
o see about materst it costs more
honey and does not get results. He
ad watched it and found that it did
OF remedy the troubles, and it
ught to be settled by the parents
nd trustees anyway. If the proba-
ion office was cancelled, Shelley
rould get it's children educated just
ne same and they would attend to
ne duties among themselves.
J. R. Williams, county commits
ioner from the second district, said
e thought the authority for paying
idows' pensions ought to rest with
le commissioners rather than with
lie probate judge. All that the
oard has to do with pensions is to (
gn the warrants, and he has found
lat good many unworthy persons '
,ceive pensions. He wanted such ,
ALTERS investigated and wants all
orthy cases to receive their aid, '
1T no others. Mr.. Williams thinks [
lat teachers institutes should be t
cid before school opens instead Of ]
terrupting it. He says that good t
any people having little or no {
'operty are permitted to vote at 6
md elections, and they invariably c
tie for the bonds and then when it q
mes to paying, some Of them move /
way between two days and leave
e others to pay the bonds. A good
any of that element leave without
lying their other obligations, and
ere ought to be more rigid law
keep them from outvoting the I
ople who really do the paying. He q
in favor of a tax on gasoline so 1
e tourists and others who own lit
or no PROPERTY in the county hut s