Owyhee tidal wave. [volume] (Silver City, Owyhee County, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1869-1870, 1869-12-23
SILVER CIrY, Dec. 22d, 1869.

W 90 "oio oUOut soAes
through the columns of your paper,
as that appears to be popular SUBJ
ject for discussion just now.
Taxation is subject that interests
q greater number of citizens than
almost any other which has grown
up under our system OF laws. If
taxes are high, the people who pay
them will seek to know why it is so.
If they find on investigation that
their funds have been used in max
ing roads, building bridges to facil-
itate travel and transportation, or in
the construction of school houses or
other public and necessary buildings
for the accommodation of courts and
county officers, they will, as q gene
raj rule, be contented and satisfied,
but if on inquiry they find that not a
dollar of their money is used in build
ing roads, bridges or school houses,
and they have but a make-shift for
a court house and Jail, they are, as
they have right to be, in doubt
whether their tax money has been
properly and judiciously used. They
can't see what becomes of the large
sums collected and paid into our
county treasury. They see but few
paupers, they see no public improve
ments carried on at county expense,
and the conclusion arrived at is that
the greater proportion of our tax
money goes into the hands and pock-
cts Of our county officers and such
favorites as get patronage from the
county.
| will not be understood as in
timating that our county officers are
dishonest, or that they would take a
dollar of the peoples money not au
thorized by law, but | do say there
has not been the economy used in
the conduction OF county affairs that
individuals do in the management of
their finances. Does anybody be-
lieye an individual would employ
two or more persons to look over
bis accounts at an expense Of thous-
ands of dollars when he could do it
himself in day, or week at most :
Our county officers employ persons
or committees to make reports on
county finances at an expense to
taxpayers of thousands of dollars,
which is q total loss to our county
treasury. Who believes for mo-
ment if our Jail was private proper
ty and the owner paid to take care
of the same number Of prisoners
that ii would cost half the money it
does the county under our present
system. Stationery. fuel, lights,
printing, &C.. would not cost indi-
viduals anything like the sums it
does the county, nor would there be
as much printing done or as much
stationery used. There should be as
much economy used in the manage
ment Of county affairs as individuals
do in theirs.
Persons are sometimes called upon
by county officers to render ques-
tionable service, for which they are
allowed most fabulous prices. In
one instance S733 was allowed one
individual for writing the evidence
in a criminal proceeding IN a JUS
tees court /; the parties charged
with the criminal offence we're sent
to jail to await the sitting of the dis
trict court, and the case coming up
to be heard in said court was tried
(the same Witnesses being examined)
and disposed of in a day. 1t is
leaks such. as we have referred to
that absorb the thirty thousand in
taxes which the taxpayers Of Owy-