The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1869-09-24
RADICAL ExTRAVAGANCE.
THE PEOPLE GROUND DOWN WITH
TAXES.
HONEST MEM TOLL AND
BARMAoLUs EMJoY.
Where the Money Goes.

/
were wont 10 point with frantic gesture and
scornful yissge, at tho "efIete and tax ridden
of the old world" We were
taught to look with holy horror on the god
hess pomp and .pageantry of royalty, as but
a ylittering show of ,insel paid for by "the
sweat aud toll of grooming millions" All
our ideas Of foreign lands were connected |
with lords rolling in wealth, and serfs whose
only object in living was to furnish their
masters with the "siuews Of war and reve!'
nv. But that blissful day ID thing OF the
past. Our Imagination need not not trav-
erse the wastes of the Atlantic to see office
holders rioting in plenty, and the masses
taxed to death to pay for their rulers in1u'
ries. We have only to open our eyes to are
pulsive reality to'ascertain that ~e pay more
tazes than any civilized people on tie globe.
Right here in Rock Island County, we pay
more taxes than the same number of people
in any portion Of France. And yet we are
continually wasting any amount OF maudlIn
sympathy on the unhappy people who caH'
not enjoy the peculiar blessings Of our form
Of government, and who cannot enjoy the te'
lic,y of paying as enormous taxes as we do.
Take look at the statement of the Coun
ty Treasurer, published elsewhere IN our col
umns. Gut it ont and paste it up for cam
paign document. Read it to your neighbors
that they may note the extravaganza OF the
radical party and thereby explain why ev'
cry thing lanquishss as though under
crushing incubus.
The statement covers the past year. We
find that the simple commission allowed q
County Treasurer under republican manage
ment for the receipt Of the taxes collected,
amounts TO ttco thousand Seren hundred ana
sirty.sir dollars and ninety t,oo cents. Thai
IS, the County treasurer receives nearly three
thousand dollars for sitting in comfortable
office portion of the year. and
doing not half the business tina
plenty of book keepers in this city Of
for less than a thoussnd dollars year
Many a farmer, with his sons and daughters
tolls from the beginning Of the year to tbs
end for not more than third o
that amount. And note the thousands o
dollars required to collect the taxes OF tn
county, to say nothing about the pay OF as
SCISSORS, &c. 1t costs US about ten per cent
TO get our taxes collected, That is, ohc
holders absorb one-tenth Of our taxes befor
they get ready to gobble the rest. Canno
some better system than the present radlca
one be devised whereby such intolerab
burdens as are imposed upon us, can be dis
pensed with 2 The people cry out agains
such unbearable taxation, which become
enormous when we count in state and ne
tonal taxes.
We also notice, among the bills allowed
ths, Sheriff Drury hauls in nearly strtee
hundred dollars, in one lump, with sewers
additional ones to follow. This, we hav
! ascertained from the records, is for the tim
4 intervening between the 9Th Of June az
the 3lst Of August, lS69-not quite hr'
months.
Whereas, fifty cents day for each pri
oner was formerly considered an amply 81
, ticient remuneration for the coarse chea
fare furnished there, the Sheriff now ge
eiqltty cents day for each prisoneF-a SUI
sufficient 10 board them at any first ella
t boarding house in the city. In fact we pr
T. sumo any of our hotel keepers would be gIf
I TO furnish the prisoners just as good fare
} .hey do their best regular boarders, for II
same price received by Sheriff Drury. Al
a notwithstanding this outrageous haul at Il
public purse, Hno,hor iniquity IS p
. petrated. While the law requires t
-, Sheriff to furnish and pay his own tur
kev wa find that the Board OF )
nervisors has actually gone to work and
is lowed the sum of one hundred and htrt
e tour dollars to pay for Sheriff Drury's tur
ID kew and assistants. What do our An1'or
is nervous, hard working people, striving
,e. make both ends meet, think Of that? ID
on do they like to see the greenbacks htera
robbed from their pockets in that kind
style?
80. But this is not all. We find still oil
bills allowed the sheriff, for purposes
ny e.
W s54.8O; another for $2li.65, and anot
~ still for Sll2. By recspitulating, we f
-D'' that Sheriff Drury, for not quite til
va months, gets in exact figures, t,co thousd
Nv and one hundred and .fortynine dolld
and ninety cents. Surely taxpayers {
'O hope for no relief from their burdens "
'" they hoist the whole radical party ff
so;. power.
hor A few DAYS ago we made the staten
that in the past four years an officer Of
county had received about $4,000 for
AID. services. We might just as we'll be expll
ON We referred to the county clerk, and h
rd not particle of doubt but that the sun
The vastly under estimated To place it
to $40 600 would not very much overrun
ago actual amount. Talk about Republic
the simplicity. Here We are paying the cl
the of this county almost es much as the +
for ish government pays to any four Major G
rass erals in its service. And he is only
Oh ont of the horde of office holders for VII
,ors the people are toiling' Instead of be
ish. our servants they have become our mast
,.u. and instead of our employing them,