Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1858-12-25
Grant County Expenditures.
The list Of accounts allowed at

lSupervisors will be found in our paper
this week, it is very fully itemised, and
I'VE hope every Taxpayer will read it with
Icare in order to see what becomes of the
money paid Tor county taxes. The list fools
Iup between nine and ten thousand dol
liars. About $4,000 was appropriated but
not itemised for paying, onts, anling orders,
Jurors and witness certificates and other
Indebtedness making jastaboat $4,000
lof County Tax. Several accounts, rejec-
ted list year, appealed AMI the claims al
lowed by the Court, will be founl ia this
printed list, with the cost added
! Among the heavy expenditures wi. be
found over $4,000 allowed to the Sheriff
and deputies, principally for services in
terminal cases and running after witnesses
summoned before the Grand Juries-also.
for boarding prisoners. Then notice the
Iexpenses for small criminal suits before
Justices, and the services of Constables.-
No have not fooedi the separate,,bills Ii
lclasses, but think that three-fourths of the
county tax goes for these criminal ltlga-
lions, and much Of the remaining fourth
for supporting paupers who are such
Through crime in most .cascs-we might
aid, their pauperism and crime sprang
from ignorance or want of the public
school in childhood. The manifest igno-
rance of nearly every criminal arraigaed
before our circuit and justice court, furnish
es mountain of proof that igno.acs is
the mother Of cri ne, pauperissn, disgrace
and taxation!
The Courts are another chief expense, but
we cannot see that any remedy can be Of
fered. So also the printing, amounting to
rising $4,000. This item, as we remark
ed before, is done ia Grant County at "a
much less expense than in any county in
the State, SO far AS we can judge from the
financial accounts in some sixty state ex
changes We claim credit for this, as
many ofour charges are below the Gus
to.narv and legal rates. One other heavy
bill deserves attention: Some three years
ago, the County Board ordered true list
Of the lands entered at Mineral Point for
this County and what purported to be
such was made out, the expense being
some $500 or 10000; the list proved SO
incorrect AS to be worthless, and a second
had to be ordered by the County Board
of last year, which cost $685. o-lnaking
about $4,000 for copying Ia two record
books done at the Mineral Point L.ni
Office. This shows the high grade Of
charges for small services practice by
otL r offiti lis when in power.
Some Of our readers may ask--'cannot
tho annual expenditures b, re laced in
fdturea' We answer that so long as
crimes continue 50 frequent, surprising that
the police authoites remain as vigilant as
heretofore, which they ought to for the
public welfare, the courty expenses can
not be materially lowered. 1t will bs no
ticcd that the salaries are slow-lhe Co.
Clerk getting but $4,000 and thu Dist.
Attorney $4,000; that the incidental
OUTLAWS have been few, and the bills cut
down to the lowest cash ,ates. anl that
nothing has been bought for tbs use Of
County nor any improvement ma le, ex-
|cept what was indispensable the fees al
lowed to Sheriff and for OFF .iaI service of
Justices, Constables, &C., are all fixed by
Statue. Here and there an item might
have been improperly allowed through
accident, and even bad motive on Che
part OF the Board, bat in the main closer
economy was never observed bv the Grant
County Board than ~ tire Boa1d Of this
year.
Some persons are disposed to find fault
without examining the grounls such are
Expected to censnra The R,ard for extrav-
agance, but those who julg, only upon
the basis Of facts, are referred to the list oe
accounts allowed. Considering the ex-
tent of population aud surface, with the
situation and river boundaries, Grant is
the best managed county in he State, her
finances the soundest, and her people the
least troubled with bal Official con.
duct.
Capital for the West.
Under this head, the New York Iafepen-