Mexico weekly ledger., 1879-02-13
Audrain County Vindicated.


MEXICO, Feb. Sin your paper of
January IA it is alleged that for sew
eral years not a dollars worth of
personal property has been returned
from Audrain county, and reference
is made to the returns in the State
Auditors office for the proof. For
this reason you infer that, since ex-
Governor Hardin lives in this county,
he does not pay tax on bonds, notes
and other personal property.
The same course Of reasoning
would show dereliction of duties in
any other citizen.
In a more recent number of your
paper a correspondent, writing from
Keytesville, wants to know how it is
that Audrain county escapes a per-
sonal tax. In reply to this, you
presumed it came from some over
sight or neglect on the part of some
official; that recently the matter had
been set right, and that hereafter
Audrain county will pay her just pro-
portion of taxes Oil personal property.
L have desired to reply to these
charges, but have waited till / could
get the recent report of the State
Auditor, which now have.
| am and have been the Clerk of
hn Of
since 1867. | know that no mistake
has been committed. Every year /
have reported to the State Auditor
the abstract Of assessments for the
personal property of the people of
this county. The recently published
report of the State Auditor shows
that Audrain county has reported
valuations of personally in 1877,
S1,148, ,939; and in 1873, 81, ,389, los.
| further state that the average of
valuations of personally, including
bonds and notes fer this county, for
the past six years, has been nearly
81, ,200,000
/ have yearly reported amounts of
bonds and notes, as assessed for the
county, to the Auditor.
They have, from this, as well as
from other counties, generally ap-
peared in the Auditors reports under
the head of ''other personal proper
ty.' For instance, these reports,
for 1874, 1875 and 1877, do not show
our dollars of bonds and notes re-
ported from st. Louis county. Now
did the county escape tax on this
personally, and did your many citi,
z. rs fail TO return this class of prop
etty? No one pretends this to be the
case.
The explanation is--this class of
under the head of 'other
property"
l hesitate not to aver that the reve-
nue. law is as faithfully executed and
the percentage of collections of taxes
as, large in this as in any courty in
the State. AS some evidence of this !
/ will say that Audrain
county in 1868 created a railroad
debt of 5000, 900, and in 1869 $780,
900 more, all at 8 per cent. interest.
The interest and principal have been
paid the day when due. We have |
paid on January 1, of each year since |
the issue, from So, ZOO to S3S, ZOO of |
bonds, leaving balance OF s52, 900, /
due January l, 1880, re-
mainder January /, 1881. We have
no debt otherwise, and money to
meet our wants in our treasury. We /
have a large and commodious court |
house, a new Jail, a well ordered |
county farm for our poor, and spend
in building bridges from $4,000 to
5000 annually.
In conclusion, will say that our
worthy citizen, ex-Governpr Hardin, |
makes every year o good report of
personality, including bonds and notes,
and with that exactness, characteristic
IF him in all the walks of life.
In justice to Audrain county and
ler citizens, trust you will publish
his in your paper. B. L. LOCKE.