The Placer herald., 1855-12-29
Dutch Flat Correspondence.
DrTCH FLAT. Dec. 9th.

| Mr.. Editor: | see in the IoWa Hill NewS.
OF Dec lst a communication advocating the
division of old Placer County. The subject
had been spoken of here, but no one sup
posed that any would seriously " advocate such
a measure, and therefore not until the xxx
correspondence made its appearance did we
here interchange views upon the subject.
Now, Mr.. Editor, without reference to the
views of others | will state how the question
presented itself to my mind referred to
the report of the Supervisors Of the county
at the September term last, find that the
Indebtedness of the county is 800, ,557, and
some cents. next inquire where does the
revenue of the county come from, and find
that it comes from the tax-pavers-uow if
/ the county is in debt near a hundred thou
! sand dollars, how are we to relieve ourselves
! from that debt3 Answer. BY one of three
ways to-wt: BY an increase of the taxes
the increase of the amount of taxable prop
erty and population, or by insolvency and
reputation.
The orders upon the Treasury Of the coun-
ty are now worth from forty-fve to sixty
cents on the dollar Now, for what is this
debt contracted? Ans. For detrayng the
ordinary expenses of county organization.
/ Then if to defrav the expenses of county
organization Placer county has become in
| voved in a debt of near one hundred thou
sand dollars in the space of about four years,
what will he the debt of the ncw county,
starting into existence with one half of this
old debt hanging over them, and all their
public buildings, record books, &c, &c, to
/ build and buy at cost at the onset of say
! from forty to sixty thousand dollars and at
ter the whole machinery Of the county or
ganzation to support!
1t appears to me that to cut off the new,
or most recently settled part Of the county
here in the mountains, comprising the least
of the taxable property of the county, would
be, to say the least of it, a policy ruinous to
this part OF the county.
Now, it strikes me, that the Court House
and JAIL public Offices, record books, DC,
&c, in a small and new county will cost as
much as in large one and in a county eX
clusively mining, as this will be, that the eX
penses will be greater than in a county eX-
clusivelv agricultural, owing to the high rate
ofwages that prevails in the mining districts.
A small county requires the same number
of county oflicers--the same courts--the
same number Of jurors, with all the contin-
gent expenses of large county. Then for
us to start into existence as a new county
with a debt Of near fifty thousand dollars
/ hanging over us, and the necessity of imme-
diately contracting debt of as much more
before we could collect one cent Of revenue,
would be like coming into the world as did
Richard, crippled and deformed, and to be
laughed at even by the mid wives who as
sisted our coming.
also see, by examination Of the reports
Of your county officers, that the taxablep prop
erty of the county is two-thirds situate in
the old part of the county, while majority
of the voters reside in the proposed new
county.
Now, the present debt of the county, will
doubtless, be apportioned according to vote
of the counties after a division is made
hence the new county would have to assume
/ the payment Of the largest proportion Of the
old debt with less than one-half of the re-
sources that the old county will have, to
/ liquidate the same.
These are the views that naturally force
themselves upon my mind, at hasty glance
OF the subject as presented by 3 KS.
Further the political standing Of county
depends upon the aggregate vote given. If
a county gives a comparative large vote and
ours believe now stands third in size in the
State, who that lives in such a county is not
proud Of its Importance: Who would ex-
change the pride Of hailing from Old Placer
for that Of being citizen of a petty new
county with a crushing debt to struggle under
for years, and hopeless insolvency almost in
eyitable?
hope, if this matter is further agitated,
TO investigate more at length the statistics OF
the county as well as its financial afairs.
Yours, ONE X
For the Placer Herald