Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1862-02-15
"a GIGANTIC swINDLE."

Under the ABOVE caption, the following
paragraph is going the rounds in he
newspapers -
"a gigantic swindle has been perpe-
trated in Iowa upon nonresident land
owners The plan Of operations is stated
to be that companies of six to twelve
sharpers have in many instances gone out
to the unsettled districts of Iowa, organ
ICED counties, elected themselves county
officers, levied exorbitant county taxes on
the lands principally held By non'residents,
collected and dsbursed the money for
their private advantage With county
Judge and county board selected from
among themselves, it is an easy matter to
make appropriations for services never
performed, work never done, material
never needed. In a certain county north
Of Fort Dodge. in which heavy taxes have
for several years been levied, collected
and expended, las. year there were cast
but nine votes, and these all by Office
holders, who, of course, voted for them.
selves, - Chicago Tribune,
The article, Of which the foregoing is
condensation. was originally published in
the Lafayette (Ind.) Journal, and repro.
duced in the Cincinnati Press with com
mandatory comments by one who "speut
three years in North Western Iowa
supposed to be Jiped who formerly re-
sided in this city, and whose penchant Tor
corruption and swindling earned for him
the distinction of being characterized by
the cognoman Of a very filthy and vora.
cious bird The article was written and
published for the benefit Of non -residen,
spectators who own large quantities of
land in Northern Iowa. which they are
holding for specializing purposes to the
great retirement Of the country. The ply
losophy Of their defenders is, that these
non residents should be allowed to hold
their property exempt from taxation, and
the actual settlers, the pioneers who en-
dare the hardships and privations Of from
tier life, should pay the taxes, improve the
country and thereby enhance the value of
the property Of these foreign sharks -
The Dubuque Times, in commenting on
the above extract expresses our sent.
ments exactly We denounce the above
as gross libel upon the people Of Iowa
Not single county in the State has been
organized upon any such system. The
libel is as sweeping as it is false. The
charge is ne, limited to any county, o. to
any particular part Of the Safe, but it
AYERS that " Counties" have q" in many in
Stances been thus organized by sharpers.
There is not more upright people on
earth than the pioneer settlers who have
organized the counties Of Iowa, The
sharpers are from abroad, no, few of
them from Chicago, souless and sordid
spectators, who have monopoIzed and
withheld, in their selfish grasp, the public
lands from the possession Of those desr
ing to become actual settlers or have
compelled them to buy at exorbitant pri.
ces. These have, no doubt been compelled
to pay their equal share of the public
taxes levied for State and local purposes,
and in return have received, in the enhan-
ced value OF the land, their equal share Of
the public benefits aud improvem ents,
which have been the resu. of those taxes
But because the settlers have not made
those improvements and paid a.! those
taxes, without compensation from them,
these 'sharpers' now seek through their
proper organ to traduce and Willy them"