The Price of Progress: Taxpayers' Union Challenges County Spending

Word has come to this paper that the Taxpayers’ Union is sending out, or contemplates sending out, cards to a selected list of taxpayers for the purpose of getting an expression as to the advisability of continuing the agricultural work in the county. It is understood that in its communication, the Union sets forth that the county agriculturalist is to receive a salary of $2,900 a year. In the event that some of these cards find their way to the readers of this paper, it is well that they should know the real facts. Instead of receiving a salary of $2,900 a year, the contract which the county agriculturalist will be asked to sign calls for a salary of $1,800 a year, and $900 of this amount is paid by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This leaves $900 to be paid by the county. The annual expense budget made up by the county commissioners last week carries an appropriation of $2,000 for the county agricultural work. Out of this the county’s half of the agriculturalist’s salary is to be paid and the remaining $1,100 is to provide additional office equipment, library, and to meet transportation and other expenses. This paper has, upon numerous occasions, gone on record as heartily in favor of continuing Lee M. Lampson in his present capacity, and yet we have no desire to criticize the Taxpayers’ Union for its efforts to ascertain the views of a representative number of taxpayers, provided it places the facts fairly before the people. This, it is most certainly not doing, if it is representing that the agriculturalist is to receive a fat salary of $240 a month, when in reality he is to receive but $150 a month, half of which is to be paid by the government.