White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1867-10-31
AFev selia Re.soss.

A Few sesia Reasesss
We have heretofore given what We
thought were important reasons Why sew.
eral Of the candidates for County o6ces
should be elected. But the most import
ant Offices in the County. srs those Of
County Commissioners; for they have
control Of the 6nsncss Of the County.
and BY tbsir good OF bad management.
msy place the County on 6rm and safe
financial footing. or plunge it into debt
and confession. The reason Why ths
friends Of Mr.. Utt have insisted upon his
being candidate for the Office. is that he
has been tried. and the result Of his man.
segment. now on record. YVES so sstisfac-
tory. that be is almost universally pro.
nounced the best Commissioner the
County ever had. We refer the reader
to the condition of the County when be
became member Of the Board. when he
left it. and at the present time. We do
not mean by this to make charges against
the present Board. for sny other three
men might have done no better; but the
marked difference while he wss in Office.
from the condition Of things both before
and since. makes it look - II bis manage.
ment had something to do with it. 1t is
also we'll to recolIsct that the other two
members who sat With him. bad been
members of the previous Board.
All who attended the meetings OF the
Board. while Mr.. Utt was President.
had occasion to remark the close stten-
ton which he gave oil business. and that
be let nothing pass through that was not
fully explained and made clear. Unjust
claims were thrown ont by wholesale /:
and especially was tbs pauper business.
which has since been such heavy burden
to our Taxpayers. reduced down to the
lowest notch. Oar County was not an
asylum for the psupers Of St. Joseph.
black and white. In referring to the
low taxes during his term, we wish to
remind the public that it was at the
height Of the war. when avery large pro-
portion Of our male population was 10
the army. scores Of farms were lying idle.
and large amount of tho tax was ON.
collectsble. Since that time. tho sbssnt
men have returned. every farm has been
under cultivation. a large number OF new
citizens have come in. and every man
has been in condition to pay his taxes.
With all circumstances -unfsvorsble, our
County finances were improving with
every meeting of the Board. Bnt let us
illustrate BY figures from tha record.
The total debt of the County. on the
1t of January. 1868. was 500. .9s5.. On
the 1st Of January, 1864. it had increased
to 3O,2OO. County scrip was worth
but so cents on the dollar. At that date
Mr.. UT became member of the Board.
On the 1st Of January. 1865. the debt
had been reduced to e28. .531 and on the
lat of January. 1866. it was down to
e22 ,564. or less than it had been three
years before /; and County scrip had come
up to 80 and 95 cents. Then Mr.. UT
left the Board. One year later. on the
LIST Of January. 1867. the debt had run
up to $50. .994. or more than it had ever
been before. At the present time. inclu.
ding allowances for which warrants have
not yet been issued, on account of the
exhaustion Of the tax levy. the debt is
S55, ,445. This does not include interest,
which runs it up still higher. Thus it
will be seeD, that within less than two
years from the time MIR. Utt retired from
the Board. the County debt has increased
to very nearly three times the amount at
which he left it. While be decreased the
debt $4,000 in two years, his Successors
have increased it about S34. 900 in
less than two years! IL there not
snfhcient reason why heavy taxpayers
should be anxious for him to become
candidate for the Office again?
As to the matter OF tax levies The
last levy made by the Board of which
Mr.. Utt vas o member. was 7 mills on
the dollar for County purposes. The
levy recently made BY the present Board.
is 13 mills on the dollar for County pur-
posss-or but one mill less than double
what it was two years before. The
Board, last year, tried the experiment Of
lower tax. but ran short some s1l 900
or more. II taxpayers wish to get at
the figures of their taxes for this year. let
them hunt up last years receipts. and
add about two thirds to the amount. For
instance. our tax, last year. was about
S75. This year it will be about S125-
and We are by no means one of ths hesv-
lest taxpayers in ths County. The man
who paid $50 tax last year, will have
$50 to pay this year. and so on in the
came proportion for oil smouuts. Every