The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1924-09-10
STATE REPUBLICANS
SOUND KEYNOTE
Excerpts From Platform
Adopted by State Con-
vention September 8

We, Republicans of Montana, u
state convention assembled. endorse
the administrator OF Governor Joseph
NJ. Dixon and his associates in Offlce
-Four years ago the Republican party
assumed charge of the administrators
of the state government. They fOunG
the state treasury virtually bankrupt
with outstanding unpaid warrants and
deficiency claims ~totaling more thar
two million dollars and with a system
of government promising To add an
nually to this deficiency.
In the period since that time the tax
able valuation OF the state has beer
decreasing annually-with 2 fixed con-
! stitutional provision limiting the levy
for state purposes. the revenues Of the
state from the direct property tax have
necessarily decreased I'm proPort'o on
The great problem Of the present ed
uiniStr"tion has been TO adiuSt state
expenditures 20 the state income or
thc oIfr baud and on he other to r.
adjust She .:V burden rlal WAS wej'fN
'-t "..~; t... 81 ur.n II" land owners.
/. t.~l.~. rtI !" autnr Wner of ias
s,lto.
Toca'-. Of trn r..i that Govern0s
, D->oa. as l,a:cr of The Republican,
/, }.riy ~ "oatana and 'he head Of ne
! prescrt Naruh!'oan administration. re-
rc@;odIy called the attention Of the
re"rle Of The state and Of the legis
lo:ure 10 his situation and insisteG
tAat one Of the great problems before
j, tie state government was the readjus5-
scent Of tie tax burden, So that thoss
>, large corporate interests that were de-
: useting the natural ~esourCe Of the
state Of Montana should bear a largeE
. and a fairer share Of this tax burdes,
there has been, during the entire
= course OF the past four years, a mO4
vicious and determined effort made t3
4 discredit the governor and his admins
tration and to deceive the people e
the state as to the real problem COZ
: fronting the state government, and to
= confuse and misinform the people a.
to the real condition Of the stats
finances.
Holds Expenses Within income
Despite the u~nfRvOrable financi&
:. conditions in The state resulting from
;. adverse conditions in agricultural sae-
tons and despite the fact that tha
state was heavily burdenpd with dets
- at the beginning Of the administration
and that the revenues Of the state wers
" decreasing. we call your attention t.
the fact that there has been SubstaH-
- tial achievement. both in The adjust
80 mont IF tho Cfa4n' ipn.r,, =, So -
penditureS and in the reimbursement ~
the tax burden resting on the people a
- the state. We call the attention Of thz
- people to he fact that for the frs.
- time since 1913, IN" income Of the gen
- eral fund tbs year has exceeded the
- expenditures from that fund.
- We commend Governor Dixon for hq
- courageous use Of the veto power u
an effort to curtail public expendL
lures, and commend the Legislative
- action In support Of this direct move
for state economy.
We take pride in the fact that ON,
penses of each department Of dIreo:
state government has been reduced q
oo held without incresse. We particu!ss
- ly call attention to The remarkable 10
40 auctions that have been made In thl
-. costs of administering the state prisor
TO and the state asylum for the insane
The costs of administering the ststi
~ educational Institutions resultant from
,.t the increasing attendance and the ca
nv larged plants Vote6 by the people mus
NJ be met for the welfare OF the entlr
,aI state, and we condemn the insidioul
- propaganda WI ich under the quise o
economy would strike a blow at Their
nd Endorse Metal Mines Tax
NV We heartily endorse and pledge on
ase unqualified support toward the pass
age of the initiative measure know
NOT as the Metal Mines license tax. q
,w. economically Just and sound measur
at that will eQualize the tax burdens q
of the state, reducing the load no
itb borne by the farmers and small bus
ness interests and compelling the grea
ed mining interests to bear a greater pol
ton than is now borne under the III
fair and archaic net proceeds system
Tax Commission Justified
We congratulate the people Of MOI
tana on their vote to establish a stat
90 tax commission, which has proven B
its efforts that its creation was rust
fled. It has saved the state more tina
its cost by the collection of tax
hitherto unpaid and bY its study {
scientific methods Of taxation II b.
laid the foundation for just and eOul
:. able distribution OF the tax burde
upon all classes Of wealth.
The Republican party Is intensel
La interested in the development OF a
public school system Of the state. n
rural schools Of the state have suffer.
IN the past from the lack Of adeoual
financial support, due to the faulty a
A. tustment OF the tax burden In Mo,
Err tana, and n OF the main objects
the fight for tax equalization On "a
part Of the Republican adminfwtrat1,
has been to bring relief to our eOsnme
schools; to that effort we pledge O,