Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-05-23

considerable space to answering what
has heretofore appeared in the REpUB-
L1ckN concerning the exorbitant taxa.
ton of the present year it this city.
It presents formidable array Of figures
which are calculated to mystify rather
than inform the reader who desires to
ascertain the bottom facts. From it's
bushel of chaff it is difficult to extract
the kernel of wheat, but we will en-
deavor to find it if it there, and see
what reliance can be placed upon the
statements put forth by way of apology
for the Democratic Union League city
government.
The Democrat has much to say about
"extraordinary" expenditures, but they
are not nearly SO "extraordinary' as
the course of the Democrat in sup.
pressing facts and interpolating figures
calculated to mislead. It shall be our
purpose to set the Democrat right and
show that it utterly misrepresents mat.
tiers in order to make plausible case
for it's own party friends. That paper
refers to the fact that the tax levy
under Republican rule in 1875 was
S34, 1874 OF, and says that if there had
been that year, as there is this, an
extraordinary" tax of mills the
total then would have been SAL ,364.O7.
The Democrat forgets, or finds it con-
venient to ignore, the fact that the
Republican Board of 1875 found some
very "extraordinary" expenditures to
meet, which were handed down to it
by the preceding Board. There was
an Indebtedness, in the first place, of
Sc, 1857 which had to be paid, and
was provided for in the tag levy. Be-
sides this the Board of 1874 raised no
money for the Bond Fund, and the
Republican Board, to supply the de-
iciency and secure the payment of the
amount due on improvement and COM
promise bonds that year, raised
S3,75l.40. Then, again, instead of
leaving the treasury, as they found it,
with scarcely dollar, their report of
March goth, 1876, shows it contained
at that time $4,S48.6l. The three
items mentioned above aggregate the
sum of s15,39S.6S, and throw a food
of light upon what the Democrat
would make it appear is uuexplainable.
After taking the same into account,
that paper will not care to follow its
comparisons further with any idea that
the Republican Board of 1875 will
suffer in consequence.
With reference to the finances of
last year the Democrat takes no note
of the fact that the Board paid off the
last of the improvement bonds CSC, 1869
and that the present Board has not
dollar to provide for that purpose.
Notwithstanding this, there is an extra
levy Of 5 mills by which it is proposed
to raise an amount much larger than
that of last year, although, according
to the Democrats own showing, the
requirements of the city are not so
great, by considerable. All this tends
to prove what we have asserted that
the tendency of all Democratic admin
istrations is to pile on taxes higher and
higher each year. Under one pretext
or another, the same thing will be done
next year and the next, and the people
can have no redress. This comes from
committing the affairs of the city to
incompetent hands who manage them
without regard to the peoples interests
When the taxpayers shall have be-
come tired of this way of transacting
the public business, and will make it
point to elect only such men to Office
as will conduct it in a suitable manner,
a better state Of things may be looked
for, but it will lot come so long as
their rallying cry is as at present, the
Democratic party first and the city
afterwards.
THERE is but one way in which the
barnacles which infest the Sherif's Of
fee in this county can ever be dispos-
sessed, and that is by the election of
Republican Sheriff. We make the
suggestion for the benefit of those
no,o nh ~ 70