Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 54, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 October 1920 — LOCAL ISSUES ARE DISCUSSED BY SCANLON [ARTICLE]

LOCAL ISSUES ARE DISCUSSED BY SCANLON

Democratic Candidate for State Representative Has Something to Say on Local Conditions. Mr. Emmet Scanlon of Boswell, who has accepted the Democratic nomination for representative for flfenton, Newton and Jasper counties, in the -following interview with this/paper gives his opinions on matters that are of even greater personal Importance to the average tax payer than national or state issues, and tells us that as a civic duty, regardless of the seemingly overwhelmtng Republican majority in the three counties, he will make an active campaign from now on. Mr. Scanlon points out that the most his opponent has been able to assure the voters of the district Is that he is “dry,” which is an Issue that Jimmy Cox says "is as dead as slavery,” and even it it were not in the nation It was settled by the Democrats who forced the prohibition law under the leadership of Thomas Taggart after the

Republican machine had promised immunity to the liquor interests in exchange for votes in 1916. Mr. Scanlon says: “No matter i what he may think Mr. Rich’s hands are tied by the fact that questions of legisaltive policy were decided by the Republican state convention which approved the acts of the last legislature and the Goodrich administration, and in voting for him the individual is only voting to continue all the unfar and disagreeable measures that have been pushed upon the local communities. “Take the question of the upkeep of the gravel roads in Benton county, for example, and see what Mr. Rich is pledged to do to you. In 1919 Benton county was as sav-

ing as it was possible for her to be and maintain a semblance of road repair, but in that year there was a balance of $21,126 brought, over from 1918, $28,371.62 collected as gravel road repair fund, and $16,336.55 returned as automobile license by the auditor of state, making a grand total of $65,190.90, of which $63,521.65 was expended, and I have yet to meet a man who thought there had been enough work done on our roads then. “But the 1919 legislature passed a law assessing us 10 cents on the SIOO for the state highway commission, and took away the automobile license fees of $16,336 or more. “It created the tax board with autocratic powers, which fortunately

refused the highway commission to collect more than 3.8 cents of it, but this same tax board refused to let our county council, who knew what the roads needed, make a levy to make up the deficiency that the automobile tax would leave as the normal expenditure on the old cost of material, and the levy that would have brought in something over $50,000 was reduced by the state tax board to collect but $32,691.99 with which to maintain 510' miles of the county’s free gravel roads.

“On the other hand, the state highway commission gets out of Benton county even on the present levy, which they tried to get the legislature to restore to the full 10 cents, $28,333.04 and the $17,000 or more automobile tax. Leaving us helpless to keep up roads costing millions of dollars, the state high-

way commission carries off $45,333 of our money. , “It would not be so bad if the money that they take away from the county was even spent on good roads somewhere, but the, evidence is that for every $lO6 the state highway commission spends on the roads it spends $44 on itself for “overhead.” r “This commission form of government that the Republican candidate for the legislature has endorsed, or I had the state convention endorse for him, has hit us just as hard a jolt lin the state tax board as in the highway commission. We all know that farmers in the county are paying taxes on corn that sold for less than $1.25 per bushel, and is worth ’less than that now, at the rate of $1.50 per bushel. “What seems to be even worse than the actual injustice they have done us, is the dishonesty of their scheme to carry this election before the taxpayers realize what they have done, by refusing last year to let township and county officials raise enough money to do their business and pay their bills, but compelled them to borrow until after election.

“In private life when we find an employe has falsified his books and has attempted to deceive us, we discharge him. There is not the slightest doubt,- and no denial is being made of It, because too many officers have been told to ‘Borrow the money and keep your mouth shut.’ “Under the misguidance of Jim Watson the Republican party has

sought the concentration of power for political purposes, and the only way that this plan can be broken and the people given a chance to exercise- home rule and know the truth about affairs will be by the election of a Democratic legislature. ‘‘lf I am allowed the honor to sit as a member of the next house I will make every effort that' I can to see that whatever commissions are left will be made to act as servants of the people, charged with the duty of making the tax load, which will be heavy at best, as light as It can be, and to hedge them with rules and laws that will protect the taxpayers to the best of my ability.”