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Show THE CITIZEN 4 death if these two alleged and convicted murderers are executed. If the time has come when the criminals can dictate the manner of law enforcement, then we must all admit that righteous law has become a failure. Governor Dern has absolutely refused to entangle himself in the case, and we commend him for this stand in the matter. NOT RIPE YET. Word has been sent out from the Chamber of Commerce that a secretary may be selected next Tuesday. Just what the drawback has been in naming this official is a mystery to many people in that all members of the Commercial club are business men and the people cannot see the necessity of the drag line, unless some one is loaded with dynamite and the time for getting off the bomb has not yet arrived. There has been a lot of wire pulling, according to street talk. The official ought to be named immediately in order that the other thirty odd applicants may go back to work instead of putting all their energy into a myth or chasing a chimera. -- TAXES WORK. Every income earner in the United States pays, on the average, at least $350 per year in taxes of some sort or another, in other words, about a dollar a day, says William Bennett Munro, professor of municipal government in Harvard University. People who own property and earn large incomes are the ones who actually hand the collector his tax money, to be sure; but they merely give him, for the most part, money which they have collected from others. The owner of the apartment house collects taxes from his tenants in the form of rent; the storekeeper collects taxes in the price of his goods, the lawyer and the doctor collect taxes when they charge fees. Taxes are an element in the cost of everything, an element just as certain interest, wages or profit. Taxes do not usually stay where they are levied. They are shifted from one shoulder to another until they finally reach some one, usually the ultimate consumer, who cannot unload the burden -- upon anyone else. The ultimate consumer, not the big business man, supports the govcrnmeent. Remember this when you vote increased taxes. PROSPECTING. The railroads own 70,000 locomotives, 58,000 passenger and 2.500.000 freight cars. Our railroads have nearly half of all railway tracks of the world, handle every year more than half of freight and almost half of passenger traffic of the world. Our railroads are owned by about 1,500, and operated by about 1.000 separate and independent railway companies. Of these about 190 are known as Class 1 railroads (having annual gross operating revenues of $1,000,000 or more) and represent a single track mile- . age of about 236,000 miles. The foregoing facts give a little idea of the importance of our railroads to the country as a whole and to each individual community. They should be allowed rates sufficient to keep their tracks and rollg ing equipment in condition to efficiently handle the commerce of our country. ever-growin- The young and ambitious candidate who starts his campaign byy thor- promising to clean up the two old parties usually ends by getting oughly cleaned himself. FREE FOR ALL. The heavy thinkers of the metropolitan press are now engaged in an attempt to interpret the statement of President Coolidge: I do not choose to be a candidate for President in 1928. It does not the presirequire much interpretation. The President considers dential nomination. As between being and not being a candidate he makes a choice. That choice is against being a candidate. With the nomination in his grasp, it is not probable that President Coolidge, were he insincere in his determination as has been intimated, would have opened the Pandoras box of numerous rival candidacies. It is possible, of course, that as the result of many such candidacies, the next Republican national convention may fall into such a deadlock that the call of duty may be sounded to President Coolidge but that contingency seems so remote that it is very doubtful if it entered into the Presidents calculations. The announcement of the President at least ensures a lively s are over. More than twenty political season as soon as the men have been mentioned for the Democratic presidential nomination. As many will be mentioned for the Republican nomination. Probably a dozen will start. It will be a lively contest, and may the best man win. dog-day- One of the big pork barrels will be rolled down the Mississippi in the light of relief work. Watch the bills introduced in Congress and the overhead. In all of the Western states, prospecting has disclosed numerous se ore deposits that undoubtedly will be developed in the future and become valuable producing mines. In many instances their developZONING. ment has been held back by reason of inability of the owners to secure necessary capital; in others, by reason of the ability of existing Much time and money has been spent on zoning in this city. mines to supply the demands of the metal markets; and in still others We have imported experts and we have done everything but zoning. e character of the ore requiring enormous by reason of the People have been talked into purchasing or building in cerinvestments to handle it. residences would be. tain districts with promises that only first-clas- s Except in the cases of unusually rich discoveries, it requires allowed, and before you knew it, a gas station or a store would spring many years to develop a mine to its maximum production and earn- up over night. It is said that one real estate firm can easily secure a permit to ing capacity. But a sound proposition, properly and adequately financed, and developed under the guidance of an energetic and able build wherever it desires, even over the unanimous protests of the management, generally returns ample reward to those who have the residents, but the latter are only useful in paying taxes and they apvision to grasp a mines possibilities during the early stages of de- pear to have no other rights in the city. The commission will again consider zoning August 25. It is velopment. Public opinion is favorable toward the mining industry. During to be hoped that we get a zoning law that means something, and which the next few years rich mines will be developed from what are now will mean a protection to the people who purchase within a prescribed considered merely likely prospects. zone. low-grad- RAILROAD SUPREMACY. There are approximately 250,000 miles of single track railway in the United States which, with second, third and fourth main tracks, terminal switching, siding and passing tracks, give the countrys total railway mileage as 406,000 miles. The school board should not have the sole right of fixing the school levy. Ever since the board has been given such czaristic powers, our school taxes have soared out of all proportion to the actual requirements, and a majority of our school houses in this state are also being used for other purposes than for public instruction, and the taxpayers are footing all the bills. |