The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-04-28

<aCASO ~ VAvA018t194 4l38 USoU HltGIl
without compensation ana tho highest
paid offieials often give tho .pDorest
service. have always believed that
county official positions Should be
held " elderly parties, men who have
proven BY many years Of hard work
that they are made Of the stuff that
men should b made 81: in1itiduals
who need = few years 81 physical rest
hefore they sShuffle OF this mortal
COLI Ie: The yos,ng men o. out into
the competitive world and prove that
they are IN asset to the world. II
they want to make big money they
might come out and operate some Of
our farms. Farming right now Is the
very finest school In which y learn
q few OF 1ifes real developing lessons
They talk Of educating the taxpayers
80 the poor books Will know how to
VOTE ct the primary election. It's q
strange thing these self-appointed ed
ucators do not know that the farm
ers and laborers have been taught al
they need to know by this cruel task
master. depression. We ara a. grad
yates from the finest school In the
world. No. no amount Of tutel0ge will
convince Us that reduced puelic sal.
airy will have any influence on the ef-
ficteucy Of public service.
The last one OF the five Initiated
measures, the one providing tor q re-
duction IN the assessed valuation Of
all tangible property. Is denounced as
the most vicious Of them ~. It Is
charged that such q law would break
down our present school system. I
believe in education. I am convinced
that ignorance Is the chief besetting
sin Of humanity and am gr1eved to
confess that, from all outward. ap-
pearances, ignorance Of the inner as
poets Of life Is keeping pace with the
modernization OF cur school system.
A genuine shaking-up Of the whole
system would be q healthful exercise.
Like most modern things. education
has been on q rampage for some years
and costs more than its service war
rants. A curtailment Of funds will
have a tendency to make tutors lit
tie sensitive to their intrinsic value In
our social structure.
Then there Is another feature to
this tax problem that many people
ignore, and yet 1t Is the most vital
problem In the world today. The
American people would not think OF
q political revolution, but 1t Is plain
~ obvious that an economic revolu-
ton is very imminent. The plain peo-
pie are in position where they can
no longer pay the tax rate Of past
years. The signs Of the times point
to either reduction or rebellion. We
prefer the reduction. We farmers
have been compelled to carry on with
a 50 per cent cut In our incomes and
what we can do, governments can do
In the hands Of determined and pub
lic-spirited men. This hue and cry
about impending disaster TO our
schools and governmental functions If
taxes are reduced Is simply . scare
to stop the people In their demand for
justice. Again the political manipu-
lators are telling US poor rubeS to run
back home and slop the hogs and
leave it to them to make our laws for
us as they have done In the past. II
they tried ever so much. the voters
could not initiate any more foolish
laws than politically controlled leg
islatures have placed upon our statute
books. While I had nothing to do
with originating these tax measures,
I believe the mass Of voters are the
proper powers to FORMULATE tax legis-
lation, since they pay the taxes. Agri-
culture is the corner stone on which
the welfare Of our commonwealth
rests. A large per cent Of our popu-
lation Is on the farms. We believe
in majority rule. II we stop our ears
to the honeyed songs Of these political
sirens who have sung us into passive
slavery all these years, and stick to-
gether, we can win. But II we listen
and falter, we lose.
SHERMAN HICKLE.