The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1872-04-18
Written for the A " ertiser.
High Taxes Again.

Writtan for the A " ertiser.
High Taxes Again.
THE following article should have appear.
- Two weeks earlier, but II published thus
.ass e. the request O. shose mo dss,as no 20
c0uuty.-ED. ADvERrlskR.I
Nh. DEMONSTRATING seen SO ma
ny communscsti0ns IN your paper on
the subject Of taxation, have con-
claded to reply in brief way to some
Of them.
In the first place, it was right for
Dayton township TO send committee
to the county seat to investigate the
cause Of high taxation because every
citisen ef the county has right to
know where his taxes are going.-
That committee came, and upon inves
tigstion found that Dayton township
had not for wears borne its proportion
OF taxation. and that the equalization
by the Board was just and proper;
and in addition to that they sought
TO give 10 the citizens Of Dayton
few items Of expenditures-and will
say that the committee made, perhaps
us good report rs any committee
can make by sitting down and in few
moments gathering up disconnected
ideas upon the subject
Second, now let us examine and see
why the taxes are highe than they
were ten or twelve years ago. / re-
member very well when Dayton aud
MAssilou townships were together,
and called Polk and in that township
there vas, | think, but two school
houses, and the teachcrs probably did
not get over twelve or fifteen d ,llars
per mouth, for that was fair average
price for teaching ut that time, and
wood was only II or 2.dollars per
cord. Now there are, in the same
territory, nineteen school houses, built
Mt IN average cost ot from four to Ave
thousand dollars, and the people are
petitioniug f,r more districts; wood
is now six to eight dollars cord, aud
teachers wages from $35 to 40 per
month, and yet why are the taxes SO
high! Township Trustees used TO
get from two to four d lass per year,
and now from ten to fifteen; Town
ship Clerks, from five to ten. and now
from ten to twenty; Township Asses
sors, from tweuty TO thirty aud now
from Fifty to one hundred-and yet
taxes are higher than they used to be.
There used to be no poor in the Co,
at least none supported by the Co.,
and now 1t costs over three thousand
dollars year to keep its poor. There
used to be no expense on account of
insanity while it now costs the county
over three thousand dollars yearly to
care for its insane. The costs in State
cases and witnesses before the Grand
Jury used to be but a trifie, and now
they amount to about two thousand
dollars year. As the county increas-
es in wealth and population, the diff
fcrent avenues OF expenditures will
increase, as shown above, and yet the
levy for county fund stands at 70 n
mills on the dollar, and out Of this all
the expenditures Of the county have
TO be paid
There was great deal Of complaint
from all parts OF the county about
poor bridges, and petitions were com
ing from every quarter commencing
and running as follows: 1--WE, the
undersigned, citizens Of Cedar county
state that the public convenience re.
quircs and necessity demands that
bridge be built, etc. The Board Of
Supervisors wisely came to the con-
lclusion that if bridges had to be built
a levy had to be made to pay for
them, SO the bridge fund levy was
raised from one half mill TO two mills.
Then the question was, how will this
money be most iudiciously expended
for the object in view! The Board
say, we will get some one 10 draw a
plan for these bridges, and we will
then advertise for proposals and let
the contracts for building them to the
lowest responsible bidder the bridg.
specifications adopted by US. The
Board then proceeds to advertise for
bids for the building OF seven bridges.
The lowest bidder proves to be man
out Of the county. In these times Of
high taxation, what must be done?
The Board let The bridges to the low
est bidder. Mr.. az, - (pcrhaps |
have those letters placed wrong) says
that they should be let to some orc
inside of the county line; bu. would .
not that look like forming ring,
which in these suspicious days is the
very thing We want 10 guard against?
| think that from the reading OF TX. I
rs" communication, that he probably
ru. IN bid for the building of the /
bridges, and wasn't rs low as the gen
tleman outside Of the county, and now
complains because he didn't get the
bridges to build. Oh, Mr.. *. IT,
it wont do for the Board Of Supcrvi-
sors Of Cedar county 10 do that. You
must make your bids lower next time.
Now let us look at the amount OF
the county fund for the last seven
years and see how reckless the Board
81 Supervisors is becoming:
In 1865 the Co. fund was Sl3,765 %
1856. .............. 1915 40
1867. ....... 2l.32S 60
1888. ................ 2l,7l3 O6
1889. ............... 24,165 80
1870. ............. 22,2O2 so
1911. xO,l1I ~
Now Mr.. "r. X" il you were ever
! member Of the old Board Of Super.
'isors, can you tell me why you let
he county fund run up from thirteen
o twenty-four thousand dollars, aud
hat in all these years no indebted
less to amount TO anything was paid,
the county fund was
Increased over ten thousand dollars
" the sale of western land, while in
$40 and II, with a small increase on
he county fund, an indebtedness Of
welve thousand dollars was liquida-
ed and now the Auditor has contract
d and paid for eight thousand dollars
a railroad bonds, which with the
interest viii amoup. to very near nine
housand all this too win al
Increase in the county fund Of So ,O0G.- ,,
4: Which are the best, thrcee heads
r seventeen?
Mr.. Editor, when look at the fore ,
l.. L. IL. l. 4