The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1859-06-01
County Orders.

The River Falls Jouyna, in abiding to
our article on the subject II county taxes,
published few weeks siace, says;
"Just here we wish to aska question. Why
are county orde.s worth but 81 certs on dol
lar If our finances are in so good state,
why are not county o delses good as any 9TH
er paper currency"
There are several reasons for tlis,
which we viii try and make plain; and
that explanation involves, as we think,
important matters Of policy in the man
agement of our county affairs. 10 the
first lace, We think the Journal is mis-
taken in its statement that county orders
are selling for SO cents on the dollar
We have not Leard of any being sold for
less than so cents, and very reariy for less
than IS ceLts on the dollar. But even
this is too great discount. At so cents
on the dollar, the purchaser can make
twenty-five per cent on his money, and
perfectly safe Investment ct that. This
ought to be profit enough. We learn
from the County Treasurer that there
has been redeemed about three thousand
dollars of county orders since December
last-that il all the taxes were paid, and
the county could obtain tie whole a.
mount righteousiy due, every dollar now
outstanding could be paid; and that all
orders have been redeemed in cash that
were filed previous TO the first of Febu-
airy last. Of course, il is for the interest
OF the purchaser of county orders to get
them as low as possible, aud so long as
persons can be fould to sell them for so
cents on o do lar-wbich they are FREE
quently compelled to do by the stringency
Of the times-so long that will remain
the standing price for them. But from
what we have stated above, it will be
seen that this is an enormous share, and
that at 80scts, an investment in county
orders affords a better profit than can be
obtained from almost any other invest
.ment at this time.
Again, it would materially enhance the
value fcounty orders if the county would
return tothe policy which it pursued un-
til about a year ago-the assignment of
tax certificates for these orders. Under
this policy most Of the coanty orders were
invested in tax certificates, and therefore,
during the hight Of the panic, orders re-
manned as high as so cents on dollar
The departure fronnssuch a policy, we
think, has had much to do with the de-
precation of which the Journal speaks
Then there were two modes of disposing
of them, either by depositing them with
the Treasurer to be redeemed, or by pur-
chasing tax certificates which drew inter-
est-now there is buto one.
All along, as it seems to us, there has
been one great mistake in the manage
ment Of our county affairs. AS matters
now are the county is just one year be-
hind in the matter of finances. The or
ders issued each year are not paid out of
the tax collected for that year, for that is
entirely used up in cancelling preceding
orders, but out of the tax to be raised the
next year. Hence it is that the county
can never pay in anything but orders.
Hence it is that orders are deprecated,
that yea must close, in many instances,
before they can be paid. Hence, wit
nesses and Jurors1qh attendance upon the
courts are competed TO receive those or
ders for their fees-orders which they
can hardly use for the payment Of their ex-
penses in attending upon the Circuit
Court. Hence II is that the county is
constantly obliged to pay more for every
thing than any person who pays cash.
What is needed to place the county on
proper financial basis, is the levying of
larger tax than usual, so as to have a
surplus fund in the treasury. We're this
done, it would be very great saving to
the county. For instance, suppose the
county board had levied q tax of six mills
on the dollar which is twice the amount
now raised and which would then be but
atwo-thirds as much as St. Croix county
raises, we believe, county orders would be
at par. A policy looking to the future as
well as to the present, regarding the in
terest Of the county, not for this year only,
bat for future years, is the wisest and
the best. We hope our new Board will
adopt such policy Transcript.