The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1877-05-24

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Term. $500 Year, Ss:eo lsr Six Month";.
THURSDAY. HAY "a, ls7sn 49,.
HBEA UT1FCL STATE
Minnesota, in climate, lands, lakes
and natural advantages IL the most
beautiful State in the West. But Min
nesota, in sSne req,ects, s>the mean
est State in the West. Let us see why:
l. Slnmisseil@her'great opportunity
to present the advantages Of the State
to the whole world, by her nfggardly
refusal to appropriate money for a dis
play Of her products at the Centennial.
A gentleman who recently visited Iowa,
Kansas, and those States which were
represented at the Centennial, tells lis
that thousands are NOW going there be-
cause ofthe favorable impression made
ut the Great Exposition. Every able
bodied immigrant is considered worth
81, 900 in money value to a State.
2. Minnesota has repudiated a debt
which the United States Circuit Court
has decided that she is bound in ''law,
equity and honor" to pay. Look at
the facts: She first loaned her credit
and issued her bonds to secure the
building of1certain railroads. She then
foreclosed the mortgages and took back
all the lands, franchises aud road-beds.
Instead Of applying this to paying the
bonds, she gave it all away to other
companies which went on and compile
ted the roads. She then repudiated her
bonds, leaving both interest and prin-
cipal unpaid. All this time the three
railroads were in operation adding
thousands of settlers and millions of
dollars to the taxable property of the
State. More than this, she now re-
ceives annually .$150,O0O per centum
tax upon the roads. This tax alone
will soon tie sufficient to pay the inter-
est on the bonds.
But her last Legislature has shown a
disposition to wipe out the stigma Of
reputation. That Legislature said
that on the basis of paying SO cents on
the dollar, if the people would vote to
donate the proceeds of 500, 900 acres Of
Internal improvement lands to the pay
Dnent of the bonds, she would retire
the old railroad bonds and issue new
ones which would be paid.
Magnanimous State! to be willing to
pay an honest debt after 20 years of re-
pudiation, If the bond holders will take
80 cents on the dollar and wait until
she can sell off 4 lot of land which Con-
.gress gave her as a free gift!
A Word TO THE COUNTY CO4M.lLssI0N.
EIaE.
When the times are so exceedingly
hard and there is such universal COM
plant of high taxes, we would like to
ask the County Commissioners wheth-
,or it would not be we'll to be little
rerigid about allowing bills presen-
:. ted. We have no fears about our own
*bills, for we receive only about 100
for printing the Annual Statement,
which at ordinary rates would yield
about $4,000, and by the time we pub
:" lish the Delinquent Tax List, we shall
have saved Mobiles county this year in
the neighborhood of $4,000. Let us
illustrate by few examples, what we
mean by allowing bills:
4 We are informed that during the re
cent term of Court a habeas corpus was
issued for the release of the Richards
brothers, held, we believe, under some
assault and battery case. Attorney
Nohrer acted for the prisoners, and i,
fee Of some $1,000 was allowed
: him by the Clerk and some $500
Sheriff's fees were also allowed.
=. The County Attorney appealed
to the Court and the Court refused
to allow the claim. While the decis-
ion was pending, Rohrer presented the
bill to the County Commissioners and
they allowed it, and we are informed
that the order was also drawn and issu-
cd before the 80 days were up.
1t has been the custom heretofore,
and still is to some extent, for certain
doctors to present bills for medical at.
tendance and certain hotel keepers to
present bills for keeping tramps. In
many cases these bills have been allow
ed. We do not say that in erery case
they should have been refused, but we
see, and the public see, how easy it is
to present such bills and get them
through under the pretext of taking
care IT the poor or, in the other class
Of bills, of paying criminal expenses.
We have before called attention to
the cost bill allowed in the case where.
in one Joe I.oveless brought malicious
prosecution against the editor of the
ADVANCE and LETT without paying the
costs which were assessed upon Linn
Also to the allowance made the Regis
ter of deeds for making entries in the
Reception Book. ,e,,-.
We are not lawyer enough to decide
Mal these cases, but we think the rule
with the Commissioners should be no;
to allow bills until they are quite sur.
that in law and in equity they SHOULD
be'allowed. There il no need of hast,
imallowing bills. VI ).
We believe that, on the whole, Til
present Board of Commissioners la.