The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-11-22
The Independent.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER %, 1877.
House Bill so.

ana vicinity. Iney HAVE hhuoVoio" "P
courage to neutrality-suspicious.?
and roll off a TRADE about sending boys
to the legislature" and about ''the tax
pavers' right to rule" and the consti-
nationality of special legislation" &C.,
DC. Some of them have never been
known to do anything but grumble and
find fault and generally to cast what
little influence they possess against all
efforts to better the social and financial
condition of the community. If any
thing of public character is done, they
srumble because they were not consult
ed When after long series of years,
Clarke County has undertaken through
her representatives in the Legislature
to deal honestly with her creditors
these men set up howl and endeavor
to excite the people against their pub
lie servants. The opinions of such
men are not of sufficient Importance to
entitle them to respect, and with the
above passing notice we leave them to
themselves. There are those In both
town and country who are public spirit
ed citizens, and who honestly dissent
from H. B. so, and pronounce it
species of Reputation. Their opinions
should be respected, and to them we
propose to give both voice and atten-
tion-and would respectfully ask them
to read the following:
The county is under moral if not
a legal obligation, to pay its oldest
creditor before paying anybody else. If
such creditor holds a county order he
holds it as evidence that a sum of mon
ey has been appropriated by the Coun-
ty Commissioners to pay him for SER
vices rendered, or value otherwise re-
ceived by the county. He presents his
order to the treasurer and that officer
pays him the money if he has any in
the treasury; if not, he endorses on
the order the date of its presentation
and the creditor must 90 away and
wait for the county to get the money
to pay him. In the mean time other
orders are issued and their holders are
waiting for the money A tax is lev
led on the people, who have, as a coun-
ty. become liable for these debts, and
the money arising from such taxes is
paid into the treasury Tor should be-
and constitutes a fund out of which the
said orders are to be paid, beginning
with the oldest order. If the money
in the treasury was sufficient only to pay
order number one, the holder of num-
Der two or ten, or any other later num-
Der, would not be entitled to present
his order and draw the money thereon
while order number one was unpaid.
This no one can dispute. True, 1t has
been done in this county under the
Especial fund" system, which is and
was always wrong, and is now odious
to most sensible people. But to return
to the subject OF tax paying. The
question is what are county taxes lev
led forl To pay the county debts of
course. What are the evidences of
those debts County orders. How are
these orders paid when the money is in
the treasury In order of number and
date. The people as a county have
contracted to pay them in that man
ner, and they are bound by that con-
tract. Now, shall the people, as indi-
viduals, be allowed TO take this bust
ness OF redeeming county orders into
their own hands, annul the obligation
of the county to pay its debts as agreed
to be paid, put all orders on the same
level and put the discount on county
orders into their pockets as bride for
making new orders equal in value with