The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1876-01-13
Thank the Lord!

1t is ample cause for Thanksgiving, that the
late Iamented County Board has gone out Of pow
er. II is not trait of human nature to wish for
time to speed away, that adds so many addition
al years to the weight of growing age; but If the
past two years had been pregnant with Old age
and dotage, then welcome old age and dotage' SO
that those two years only rolled out the term Oh
that County Board Had it remained IIrpo"er
two years, or only one year longer, 1t IS ques-
tion whether the entire County would not nave
been pauper. From scrip at par, the past year
has seen it go down to s. cents, and a noatins
debt of $4,000 to SIS, 600 created.
We do not charge the Board with dishonesty
or corruption, but simply with double-soied III
competence, with the additional Disadvantage
that individual members were firmly heid nhder
individual thumbs. Mr.. Hayton seems TO nave
been the only member who had any business
ideas; but even when he succeeded in preventing
his associates from making wild or'lers, they u.s.
ually seized npon the first moment when he was
absent, to reconsider the matter, and make IL
still wore than had been originally intended, by
way of interest.
The past year has been hard one financially;
but with any sort of management. the County
Here is fair illustration of their style of doing
business: At the July term, large number Of
persons were summoned before the Board, to an
swer why they had not given in n true list of
their personal property-usually money loaned
mortgages. The tax was raised on most of
these men, sggregating many Thousand dollars.
Then, at the September term, the tax was levied,
according to the estimatespfstbe County Clerk,
and based upon the aggregate taxable property, in
cluding The amounts added on mortgages. Then,
at the December term, very near the last day
upon W bich taxes conld be paid without peral-
ty, this mighty Board proceeded to reduce the
assessments and rebate the taxes of many of
those money loaners-thus actually reducing, to
the amount OF hundreds of dollars, the revenues
necessary for carrying the County business,
Bnt this is not The worst. The State of Kansas
demands n Ger tain sum from Doniphan County,
based upon the returns of the County Clerk.
The County Board reduced the assessment of in
'ividnals, after the tax was levied, but this did
not alter the amount due the State and Doni-
phan County is still held to be indebte to the
State for that money, and the other taxpayers
must make it up. Many of those money loaners
shifted their mortgages ont of their hands, to
cape taxation. When the question came mp, Mr..
Hayton demanded that the Clerks of the COun-
ties in other States, where the mortgages were
said TO have been owned, be written to- to ascer-
tain whether the property had been taxed there;
but as his back was turned, the other two
with the back bone of ish-worms re-
dueed the tax. The thumbs that they were un-
der, pressed too heavily. Is it any wonder that
the County was run bchindi
Under that Board, the pauper business became
an intolcrable abuse. Their principal business
seemed to be taking care of paupers-not in the
County Poor House, but scattered promiscuously
over the Comfy. Every house was pOor-hOuse,
and the County Board kept it in fodder. The |
matter of roads and bridges was conducted upon |
The same patent business principles. The aim |
seemed to be, to spend the greatest amount of |
money, and have the least to show for it. And |
we never had such bad roads or poor bridges.
We have said they had no backbone. We are
mistaken. They did show some snap and vim
It their last meeting but one. 1t in the
way of sneakng, spiteful trick to punish the
'hief for having dared to criticise some of their
cts, for the information of taxpayers. That
vas an offence which their ouors could not for
i've, and they made an order which they sup
'osed would damage trerne ndously; but they
nay regret to learn that it failed to hit the mark
1T hit where they did not intend.
The people of the County place high hopes up
II the new Board. If they carry through their
wn term successfully, and in addition, redeem
be County from the effects of the past two years
miserable Incompetence and mismanagement,
hey will accomplish grand thing.