The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1924-10-29
THEY DARE NOT TELL THE TRUTH
Judge Erickson has come-and gone.

Although he wept over the plight of the poor taxpayer of
Montana-that is, the farmer and the owner of the small business
enterprise, and talked glibly of the millions wasted" by the Dixon
administration, he failed to place his finger upon any one depart
ment or bureau of the state government which he expects to elm
mate or curtail.
And he failed to show where any of these departments are
spending the taxpayers money inefficiently.
True, he cited the fact that the state has spent S51, 900 for
automobiles in the past four years and became quite indignant
about it. However, it would seem that this is not an exorbitant
amount for a corporation doing more than 100000 worth of
business annually and operating over a territory of approximately
100000 square miles. And he seemed quite grieved because the
state prison has a high-powered car at its disposal to use in pur-
suing escaped convicts, while the state college here at Bozeman
has none.
He talked about the millions" in new taxes"
He DID NOT, however, disclose that the shrinkage of valu-
atoms during the past four years made these taxes necessary to
raise even as much money as the Stewart administration had at
its disposal, to say nothing of the total loss of revenue from
saloon licenses and the slump in mining, reflected in an enormous
reduction in the net proceeds of mines tax.
Why didn't he tell ALL the truth?
And although he deplored with trembling voice the "enor-
nous increase" in the state debt, and quoted copious figures to
substantiate his claim, he did not tell how the Stewart deficit was
reduced" at the expense of the general fund so that the incoming
Dixon administration had no money upon which to operate.
He says there was $622,OOO in other funds which were trans
ferred and the way he said it would lead his audience to believe
that this was ample to run the state not one year, but four. And
he failed to mention the fact that the Stewart administration had
a general fund balance of S153,468 in March, 1913.
But a little later on he inferred that it would take at least
100000 to run the state for one year even if he were elected
Why didn't he tell ALL the truth?
And here's the judges promise:
"TF 1T BE TRUE that the state can be run on an
annual budget of 100000 or less, we could apply the
remaining $75OyO0O of our income on the states indebted
ness and thus wipe it out in four years."
Note that IF 1T BE TRUE" reservation.
And he fOuted the idea that any new" taxes should be
levied, saying that the present revenue is ample for all resaon-
able purposes.
In other words, if elected, Judge Erickson will continue tC
levy the present "burdensOme" tribute from the farmer, the
banker and the merchant, while his friends and sponsors the bic
special interests, go free.
In closing the good judge made a fearful and impassioned phf
in behalf of his good name. He declared that he does not Intend
to "sel OUT to the big interests.
Well, mebbe not. But from the amount of money being spen
and the tactics being pursued in the effort to put the Judge over
it looks like the deal has already been made, so in the event O.
his election the good judge will have no great difficulty in picking
out the proper wave length when he wants to hear "his master
voice" from up around Butte.