The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1872-10-10


vIsoRs.-We observe that the Demo
liberal Cedar county Adrdnce of last
week, enumerates several transactions
of our county Board Of Supervisors TO
criticise them pretty sharply. We do
not allude to this matter for the pur-
pose Of attempting to make an CT pdrte
defense of the Supervisors, or any kind
Of q defense, as such; but simply be-
cause we think the matter was mis-.
represented-or to be exceedingly
liberal, it received at the hands of the
Aduance q highly partizan and some
what unfair coloring.
We cay we attempt no defense. as
such, not only because we believe our
Board of Supervisors needs none, but
also because we believe in the open
criticism Of official acts of our public
servants and would do nothing merely
for the purpose of preventing or sti-
fling such proper censorship. But to
b. worthy any attention, such criti-
cism should surely be based upon sim
Pile truth fairly told. Let us see how
this is in the case i'm point.
The first fault found by the Advance
is in that the Board allowed SO uron
the petition of one John Walker for
1929 to reimburse him for money paid
for tax title which proved not good.
The simple facts in this case are that
Cedar Co. sold through It's agent, the
Treasurer, piece Of land for tax
which was proven In court to have
been previously paid-it sold for taxes
when it had the taxes, and therefore
sold that which it had no right to
sell, and must, perforce, We should
imagine, refund to the holder of the
impotent tax title the money paid for
it by him.
The Adrmce's second point was
made upon the payment to &. w.
Rollins, Co. Supt., Of Sl2 for Expenses
to Washington and postage stamps"
referring to his really, liberal salary
and asking If such an addition thereto
he right. As we understand the mat
ter, the county superintendent was
called to Washington by the State
Superintendent Of Public Instruction
to attend a meeting of county Super
intendents. He thus was put to an
expense by virtue Of his Office which
certainly could not have been taken
into consideration when the salary
therefor was fixed. About the stamp
business, which was probably small
part OF the bill, we know and say
nothing.
The third and last count In the In
dictment is singular one. The Board
has long been in the habit Of cutting
down the accounts OF township assess
ors and trustees whenever they are
above about certain sum which they
seem to have deemed proportionate to
the population OF the township. The
Advance selects one of these cases
where the person whose bill was thus
reduced sued and obtained judgment
for the full amount states that the
stock at the Poor Farm was about to
be levied on in satisfaction Of The judg-
ment, whereupon special session Of
the Board was called for the sole pur.
pose OF paying 1t Off; then adds up
the costs Of the suit and Of the meeting
of the Board to make stunning total
of waste. Now we must say, we could
never see that the Board had any
earthly right to arbitrarily allow only
part of the amount claimed by town
hip officers who swore In due form to
the number of days OF service rendered
and only charged legal per diem ;
but this Is the first instance. We believe.
In which We ever heard an official
blamed for being over-zealous In saw
ing the public money. AZ to the
session Of the Board for the express
purpose Of attending to the judgment