Mountain Democrat., 1857-06-13
To the Hon. the Board OF Supervl.
GOra OF the County Of El Dorado.

According to previous notice given, the time for let
ting the contract for the erection Of Court House
and Jail has arrived, and isnOw under consideration
OF your Hon. Board
would respectfully suggest, that contracts Of this
character should at any time, evoke many consider
aons and can not fall Of being Of great Importance
to the people Of the county.
The present juncture OF affairs and circumstances
under which We labor, render It particularly Obga-
tory upon the Board of Supervisors to watch with
care and prudence the whole subject matter, and to
act cautiously thereon lest consequences prove det
rimentAl to the interest Of the county.
being member Of your Honorable Board, and II
being In your province TO direct the action IN relation
70 said contract, and wish my position fully
derstOod at the present time and not sntiectto mis-
construction misapprehenEOn hereafter therefore
beg 4eave TO submit my protest, to the letting OF said
contract for the following reasons TO- W.T. firstly, s
inpOlittc at this time; secondy, II 10 tlleKAl
ID impolitic to contract for the erection OF county
buildings ut the present time for many reasons,
among which may be found the alarming depreciation
or falling of Of county revenue, and the already
outstanding Indebtedness Of the county and the pre-
carlouE source Of revenue under the existing law.
The outstanding indebtedness Of the present year.
Grand J~rys Report, seems that r. Registered % var. P
amount to @87, ,0S6 81.
The probable amount not registered is 5000 0O;--
showing an Increase Of Indebtedness Of at least &20
900 In the short space Of ve months This large In.
crease In so short period Of time has not 5een as
your Hon. Board 10 well awarel OccAS!Oned by sx.
hAN0BahSe VI EXTRAORDINARY auOWaueeei UuS must
have grown out Of the depreciation falling on Of
the revenue; hence regard such HStxte Of sars ~
eaIly alarming TO the tax payers Of this county
Seven months more, In the same ratio. Will place the
county rixtyeigN thousand dollars h debt, and that
for nothing more than ordinary current expenses.
ills admitted that me Board Os eaPeEviseFS have
not made extrAvagant allowances and believe II 10
generally conceded that the collectors Of revenue
have discharged their duty, then must be apparent
that the ways and means provided to pay said allow.
ances are inadequate and largely deficient; the rS-
suit is not paying out Of debt, but We are plunged
deeper IN deb. and constantly lees able to pay.
This being the case, contracts involving ehcasAnds
Of dollars should not bemade, II q the deulEn ever
to pay ~ All. HeFetofere and t recently the coun.
y received an The revenue derived from nscAIlane-
ou6traders licenses Of the ~ and 10" clAases-these
classes composed nearly en- The deAlers IN merehan.
disc ana liquor From this source the receipts have
ranged At abOut eS ~ 90 per month The last Leg
slataFe chsnFed the law that now one half oftls
revenue s paid into the State treasury which reduces
the countyb revenue about Nl ,2Sa 10 per month. A
portion OF our territory by the last Legislature
cut on In which as am informed hy the eheFH eSO0,
per month has heretofore been collected for county
purposes These two items saying nothing Of the d.
mIniShed revenue derived ironI foreign miners
throughout the county, is equal to el SSs 10 per
month. .lrthclast Legislature made any provision