The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1876-10-06

county amounting to over ) 900,
for which taxes had been levied and
collected last spring, but which the
County Treasurer for months had
refused to pay, claiming that the
money had not been collected, were
paid, while over six thousand dollars
of orders were cancelled-a consid-
cradle portion of the latter having
been represented III the county
Treasury tor months simply by due
bills Of several real estate agents OF
this place who pay taxes for non
residents, meanwhile the orders be-
ing afoat on the market. Is it any
wonder that the price of orders did
not advance at the last payment OF
taxes and that there was not much
demand for orders? But because
the County Treasurer was allowed
to settle, thus avoiding prosecution
for criminal offenses, and because
the other parties were let off, the
accused and their friends are already
asserting that the charges made
against them are false, that no
frauds and irregularities have exist
/ ed and that the whole prosecution
was a mere electioneering dodge to
influence the coming fall election.
Their assertions are false, as they
well know, and as the investiga-
tons of the committee appointed to
examine into the accounts of the
County Treasurer proved. We
have not the space to 90 into de-
tail of all the developments made,
but TO prove that our assertions are
not groundless, and as a sample of
the manner IN which the business OF
the county has been conducted by
some of its honestly officials, W
will relate an instance of one 'Iittle
irregularity" which was unearthed
by the recent investigation. At
the time Of the payment Of taxes
last spring, Mr.. James Bardon,
County Treasurer, was in Texas.
Mr.. Thompson Richie at the time
was Deputy County Clerk, had ac
cess to the County TreaSurer's
books, and also made out the delin-
quent tax list At The time the de-
linquent tax list was published Mr..
James 5. Richie and Mr. James
Bardon had not paid their taxes,
but Notwithstanding this fact, Mr..
Thompson R,tchie failed to adyer-
tise their lands, and worse than that,
mGrke0 their tdreS paid on the
books, putting into the Treasury
Mr.. James S. Ritchie'S due-bill for
over $4,000, SLIP of which was
due in cash, and which due-b,ll was
not paid until last Wednesday, six
or seven months after the taxes
should have been paid and then
was only paid because the County
Treasurer was forced to a settle
ment, and had 10 make a showing
of so much cash and so many or
ders. And Mr.. Ritchie's due bill
was not the only one there-there
were others, representing hundre ds
of dollars. With this state of af-
fairs existing, is it any wonder that
there is never any money in the
treasury to pay orders with, and
that county orders, all sum
mer long and even during tax-pay-
ing time, have only been worth 81
cts. on the dollar?
There is no need for this state of
affairs. The Board of Supervisors
should have a settlement with the
County Treasurer every month, as
the law provides, and not let it run
along for six, eight and twelve
months, as has been done here for
the past few years. And every tax
payer should be made to pay his
taxes at the time they are due, or
else his lands should be advertised
and sold, according to law There
is no excuse for taking these due
bills. They are given only by these
real estate or tax agents, who COM
pose a sort of 'ring' consisting of
some half dozen members, every
one of whom, with one or two ex-
ceptions, are now holding town or
county offices, and who are con
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