Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1931-12-10

revenue 1un0 from $5UO 70, SS5U.sf we
also levy $500 for interest on bonds
and $3.50 for the sinking fund. Any
one who knows what the revenue fund
is used for also knows that in a year
of presidential election and assessing
of both real estate and personal prop
erty, it reqires a'revenue fund of $500.
We mustspay the interest and we must
add $3.50 to the sinking fund. Now
then, OF there. is a delinquency of
$50, transfers from the road and
bridge fund will leave about $1,000 for
road work and repairs of machinery,
and if we should. get a 500 delin-
quency there will be about $500 to
pay out for road work. What will the
result be?
WHIT { i'm to bring out is that some
of this reduction in local taxes is not
true economy, but desperate attempt
to bring taxes down at any cost.
No matter how willing the local
boards are to cooperate with the tax
payers in order to lessen the tax bur-
den the result will be Insignificant
when we take everything into consid-
GRAFTON. Some extravaganza can be
cut out, but taken as a whole we must
have legislation to help us if we are
to stem that terrible wave of delin-
quency.
If condition is wrong and we want
to correct it, we must first of all find
out what the cause is. In the town
levy the road and bridge fund is the
dominating item. Years ago we could
get along with narrow roads and the
power we used for transportation was
all produced and taxed right here in
the township. Now we demand wide
roads for the automobiles which are
in some other state and
are tax exempt as far as local taxes
are concerned. The automobiles like
taxed in the township or village,
wherever the owner lives. The Ii
cense fees sent out of a township is
one of the causes for our taxes be-
coming such an unbearable burden.
Our trunk highways should be paid
for through gas tax. 1t will take leg
islation to bring this about, and it
will take quite lot of legislation be-
fore rural Life will be what it can be-
the most attractive living possible.
But how are we going to get legis-
lation that will be of benefit to the
rural population and therefore of
benefit to the nation as a whole?
The constitution of this wonderful
land provides for a government by the
people and for the benefit of the peo-
pie. But too long political parties
have governed the country for the
benefit of political parasites and spe-
cial privileged interests and the re-
suit we are experiencing today. Peo-
pie have started to think. Let us
act while we are able to think. Let
us not wait until hatred and bitterness
blind our vision. But how are we ever
going to be organized? the reader may
ask. We have been thinking of the
narrow class fgaRfzation as the only
The class organization
failure is clearly seen today. To a
certain extent they have done, and
are doing much good, but the mil
lions without work are very little
benefited by the union scale.
We, in the rural counties, have the
easiest way to concentrate our power
to demand beneficial legislation, if we
will only use it.
Let us have meeting for all tax
payers and voters in the county, some
what Like the one we had in Pine City
last year. Discuss legislation that
will be of worthwhile benefit to the
rural population Elect committee
to get other rural counties interested
in the same program. We can then
ask the candidates for political offices
if they will promise to work for such
legislation as we have set forth in
our program. And the committee es-
pecially and every one of us in gen
eral should keep ourselves informed