The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1879-03-01
IHPozTANT LOCAL SUBJECTS.

will be called upon to elect new
set of town oiiicers, and vote taxes
for the ensuing year. Our town ls
now III very good shape financially,
its orders at a trifling discount, and
if the people will be as careful in
selectiug officers for the coming
year as they have been for the last
three or four years there will be
cash iii the treasury to meet all de
mands before :he close Of 1879.
Two years ago the credit of the
town was low indeed; its orders
wout \ begging st 40 cents, and the
amount outstanding was about 81
900. Now its orders are worth 90
to 95 cents, with less than 1000
outstanding. It is true this healthy
financial condition has been reached
not without q severe struggle in the
interest of economy, roads, bridges,
sidewalks, ferries, wells, etc. have
been neglected, the poor have been
pinched, officers salaries cat down,
aud rigid economy Of expenditure
practiced. For all this the tax pay
ers and people should be, and are,
thankful.
This close economy in public at-
fairs and consequent withdrawal Of
town and county patronage has re-
suited in another and far greater
good than the mere improvements
Of financial condition, Il has driven
TO cultivating the soil dozyrs OF
people who year in and year ont lor
20 years past depended mainly up
on ;he expenditures of tax colec-
tons for their supp It. They be
came accustomed to look to the
town for an Office or work enough
to enable them l., eIrn the money
needed to support them during the
summer and buy their winters pro-
visions, and in fact came to almost
regard it as their right to be sus-
talacd in this way. B1t large ma
joritv of the tax payers having
grown tired Of the annually rccur-
ring levy aud demand for money,
without Witnessing much benctici;I /
results, finally Withdrew their pat
ronage by stopping short and re-
tnslng to pay any more taxes, lcay-
ing to take care Of themselves sew
eral thousand dollars of orders on
the treasury drawn III anticipation
Of TIE usual liberal receipts. This
condition after 4 year or two brought
the people to their senses. They re-
solved 10 ''retreuch" and 'Frcform, :"
and carried their resolutions into ef-
feet. and the result has been not
alone the healthy financial condition
Of to-day, but hundreds Of acres OF
wild land in and near town have
been cleared, fenced and cultivated;
wheat, oats, barley potatoes, hay,
cattle have been raised sufficient for
oar own use and some for export;
more land will be Aubdued this
year, several persons having pur-
chased of the county tax title' land
ii Towns 48 and 80 Ranges Is and
II, besides considerable en the
town plot, which they propose to
pat uuder cultivation this wear.
BY the way, the fires have aided H.
the good work not little. In The
towns and ranges just named the
timber on whole sections has been
destroyed, scarcely root or stump
remaining, converting the once
heavy forest or tamarac swamp into
a fertile prairie, ready for the plow.
1t is such land tina. is being taken
up and improved.
Now this taking of our people to
the cultivation OF the soil should be
strongly encouraged, and induce
menis held out to newcomers. We
have good, rich, strong, durable
soil that experience has fully demon
strated will produce abundant crops,
and If our people had gone to farm
ing and stock raising twenty wears
ago instead of Specializing in town
lots and waiting for "Flournoy and
others" to pay their taxes, or some
rich capitalist to come and build
them railroad, our county would
today have population of 10000
welI-to do settlers instead of the
mere handful of poor patience