The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1863-03-25
WHOLE NO. 1886.

Well done, Mr.. President, you are the man t
so to Congress instead of me. You are to-
learned and skilltul in the art Of inancicrin!
for me to argue with, and will leave it wit
the people OF the county to say, whether Ia.
has been imposed upon them Or not. Some 0
them, l have no doubt, have found it out b.
. this time.
You next say that according to my version
the board issued warrants to the soldier, hi
wife and children OF over 100000, and cal
upon him to pay it back, and you ask why
said the people had to pay out of chitch bu:
wheat. All this is a mere quibble on YOU par
to evade the truth, for you know well that yo,
imposed that outrageous 5 mill tax, not onl,
upon the property of the people, but upon tn,
property Of the soldier, too, and you feared t,
admit it. least it might expose your boasted
hollow.hearted love for the dear soldier. which
you have talked so much about. Yes, you ha,
boasted so much about his lavishing blood, sac
rifcinS the presence Of his wife and children
battle fields, and patriotism, that you fearee
to have your communication 60 among then
while they are in the swamps and sloughs o
the far soath, admitting that you had in Their
absence encumbered their little all with heavy
tax. To your everlasting disgrace you impos
cd that tax upon his property, whtfe he iy kn
away upon the battle field fighting for YOU,
rights and mine, and what is stll more, and
worse for the dear solder, if he is not here
soon to pay that tax, penalty of As per cent
per annum will be imposed upon his property
in addition to the tax.
In all your communications you study to
avoid, and evade the charge that | make
against you. and your soldier loving board, OF
imposing an mill tax upon the property of the
dear soldier as we'll as the people of the couu.
ty, because you know, if you did admit it, the
admission would ex! ose your hypocrit;caI love
or the dear % der So that your donati IN t. the
dear soldier, and his vile, and children for the
purpose OF enabling them - exchange that
donation with the farmer for IA little pork and a
little -four, in order that the farmer may take
it and ply it back to you again to liquidate his
his own tax and have nothing LOST in the ope-
ration, Is one grand contemptibie farce.
am not \ candidate for the State Senate, as
you suppose. l think l can DO better but
taking into consideration your able financering
qualities, the manner in which you have man.
aged this county warrant business and the plan
you have adopted for furnishing little pork
and little Hour to the wives and children OF
the dear soldier, know Of no man better able
and more fit for that position than Yourself -
True, it may be, that Judge Price may attempt
1
can soon silence him by writing a sander ,as
letter, signing it "Tax Payer" and be sure you
| look out and find an editor who is mean enough
to publish it. Never before. since the first set
tlement of America begun, has there been i'm
posed upon county OF so small population as
clayton county in one year, the SUM OF $780,
UUO, as you and your people loving, soldier
loving board have concluded to impose this
year, and you sir, the President of that board,
have the assurance to tell the people that it is
not enormously high.
| The people of Clayton county might by toll
and hardship discharge this burden alter Il time,
and ieel relieved, were it not Tor the fact that
you are fast laying the foundation to assist and
contribute, as tar as your power goes, to impose
another hundred thousand next year. DO you
propose TO take $45 ,00J out OF these people for
county taxes alone next year, as you have done
this, or when &c you propose to stop! Is it
! when you have driven these people to despera-
tlon, and caused them to organize resistance all
| over the county, in order to free themselves
from your burthens, that you will cease your
demands You Say YOU can have no confidence
III my legal opinion when charge you with
"vioiatnS laws you were sworn to support"
anu you neither admit nor deny the charge, al
| though challenged you to do it. But lest 9TH
ers may think have accused you wrongtully,
:
III my lie gal opinion, will give them another
Instance OF your able iinanciering qualities,
which will place you head and shoulders above
any other man IN the county, as 4 ht candidate
for the state Senate. The code, page 81 sec.
23 provides that it SHALL NOT be competent for
said board OF supervisors to order the erection
OF court house, or other building, or bridge,
where the probable cost will exceed $4,000 un-
til proposition therefor shall have been first
submitted to the legal voters Of the county.
Now, sir, with this law before your eyes, and
one too, that you have sworn to support, YOU
coItrive and study, how, and in what way YOU
can deliberately violate it. At your last June
term, you appropriate two thousand dollars, to
build Jail, two thousand dollars to build a
suitable room for the District Court, two thous-
and dollars tor the purpose OF erecting suita-
bic building for the Treasurer and Recorder
and other Offices, and you sir, the President
was gravely appointed one of the committee
to let the contracts. You were then graveIy
authorized as one Of that committee to use in
the construction ofthis building, any lumber or
m aterial belonging to the county you saw pro.
per. This lumber and material belonging to
the county, another able piece of fnancering,
cost the people of this county in hard cash
nearly six thousand more. making in all the
nce little sum OF twelve thousand dollars ap-
propriated at one time, for what was to be
called when flushed a Court House. Your
Intention was to build basement first, at a
cost Of two thousand dollars, and without any
roof call it il Jail. On the top of this base.
ment or Jail you were to erect the Treasurer
and Recorders and other county offices, ut a
cost of $4,000 more, and without any roof upon
them call them suitable rooms for county Off.
ces. On the top "f these county oEices YOU
were to erect suitable room for the District
nv
that. and tten you had your Jail, your county
offices, and your court room all nicely under
cover, and then il any man presumed to call it
i court house, he was either to be deemed a
traitor. or have slanierous letter written
about him signed ''tax payer" Or was it your
intention as one OF that committee to let the
fat contracts, to have separate buildings for
Jail, county offices, and suitable room, ana put
Il separate roof upon each of them, that would
be economy and would show your love for the
dear people,
Seeing you have refused to let the people
t.L- any r.-. st. .i,;s ~.~.iy ~ls,ooo apt,tv:,i,a
ton, IN violation OF II law you were sworn to
support. Will you not be kind euoush to in
form them when you are going to let the con-
tract Do not be particular in letting the con.
tract, about whether the money will hold out Or
not, nor whether the county will have another
splendid foundation left upon their hands or
not. for your able qualities as tinancier can,
at any time, devise means whereby the board
will make another appropriation to finish the
job.
When criminal is on trial for violating
some law OF his country. it is often hard to tell
whether the violation was the result Of chance,
OF accident, or whether it was the result OF dc.
liberation, study, premeditation and aiore-
thought, and when it is proven to be the latter,
the crime and punishment is, and ought to be,
far more severe SO it is with you, in this case,
for you went to work, with the law before YOU,
and deliberately studied and planned how you
could evade it, and build court house without
a vote of the people.
will venture the assertion, tha. among all
the legislation Of America, You can hardly find