The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1870-03-10
A GREAT cay AND LITTLE wool.

Some people are cOhSllluttoHai Stu'h-
bers. The editor of the Inquirer is
one of them. It is not in his nature to
be satisfied with anything unless it en-
anates from his own brilliant and COM
prehepsive mind. With the exception
of that wonderful panacea for all polit-
ical ills, the Fifteenth Amendment,
we douts whetherany measure ofeith-
er party, since the close of the war,
has met the entire appreciation Of John
Lutz, Esquire. The Democrats especi-
ally can do nothing to suit the rigid
morality and transcendental political e.
conomyofthiss.rai t-laced editorialphil-
os0pher. From national politics to
the management of the county fnan-
ces, ne finds nothing in the record of
the Democratic party worthy OF his
approval. 1t is his business to decry
his political opponents, right or wrong,
and he sticks close to his trade. We
are, therefore, not surprised to find the
Inquirer of week before last, an article
maliciously intended to bring into sus-
piston the Democratic management of
the county treasury. We quote from
this article, as follows:
"On the first of January, 1868, there
was a cash balance of $I1 ,603 81 in the
hands of the County Treasurer. On
the first of January, 1870, the amount
had increased to S13, $50 90. Who is to
have the benefit of the use of this sum
the present year? We flnd no account
ofinterest for use for the $ll ,603 81 of
last year in the statement recently
published What became of it?'
This is sr,soop tibie VI easy explana-
ton; and the querulous editor who
asks these questions will find that if he
had held his peace, his party would
have Jared all the better. Some years
since a Republican legislature re-
pealed the State tax on real estate, A
great flourish of trumpets has been
made over this achievement and the
Inquirer man blew his horn as loud as
any Of his brethren. Now, one of the
results of this repeal is that the State
Treasurer each and every year dips his
hand into the county treasures and
takes therefrom such amounts as he
sees fit. The county commissioners,
in laying the tax, are, therefore, COM
PEELED to make such levy as will COW
er the probable demands of the State
Treasurer. They can do this only at
random, because they are not inform
ed, when they lay tax, what amount
will be required of them by that offici-
al. For this guess work" the bung-
ling legislation OF the Republican"
party is responsible. Nevertheless,
the commissioners Of this county
''guess" pretty well. Last year, as
will be seen by the report of the coun-
ty auditors, the State Treasurer was
paid $6,371.79. He demanded some
81 100 more which the commissioners
have lhus far refused to pay. When
this sum is deducted from the Sl1 ,603.-
81 in the treasury at the settlement of
Jan. l, 1869, it will be seen that but
little more than five thousand dollars
remained in the hands of the county
treasurer to meet the current expenses
lectable invention ofa Republican"
legislature, the election of an Addi-
ti0nal Law Judge, those expenses are
greatly increased and rendered of an
uncertain and luctuating character
It is impossible for the commissioners
to know in advance how many special
and adjourned courts are to be held
during the year. In order that the
dear people may not be deprived ofthe
great Republican" blessings conferred
on them by these numerous courts, it
is necessary that a sufficient surplus
should be in the treasury to meet the
possible cost of holding them. BY the
time the State Treasurer gets his divi-
dend and the expenses of the extra
courts are paid out of the balance
of Sl3, ,S66.96 il is not very likely that
much of it will remain to be put out at
interest, either by the county treasur-
er or the commissioners.
70 complete the explanation of the |
fact that there is a larger balance in |
the treasury at the beginning of the |
year than formerly, it is only necessary
to state that the taxes are now collect |
ed between the lirst Of June and the |
thirty-first Of December. During the |
first five months of the year, no taxes
at all are collected. Hence it is neees-
sary that there should be about $4,000 |
in the treasury AT the beginning of the
year to meet the current expenses OF |
the county during those first FIVE
months.
If the editor of the Inquirer would /
do the people Of Bedford county ser