Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1880-06-18
Letter from Genesee.
GENEsEE, June I, 1880.

FRIEND LELAND:-In an article of
your issue of May IA, headed "Our
Court House" you advocate the build
ing of new one. Now, sir, you, be-
ing lawyer, know very well that
there are always two sides to case
and we think that you will be fair
enough to let this other side appear in
your paper, too. If you will remem,
Der, the people about Moscow tried to
organize county of their own Win
ter before last. You advised them
through the columns of your paper
not to he in a hurry, hut wait until
the three northern counties of Idaho
Territory would be annexed to the fu-
ture state of Washington, when there
would undoubtedly be a general redi
vision of counties. Now, sir, year
and half has passed since then, and
we are that much nearer towards an
nexation If, then, your advice was
good to the people of Moscow, it ought
hOU to be so much better to the people
of Lewiston, namely, to wait for an
nexation before they move about the
building of q court house. In the
second place the main burden of your
argument is always that it would i'm,
prove Lewiston so much and enhance
the value of the town property ma
terally. Now, this reminds us of the
Irishman who said that he could pret
ty near make living for himself and
if he had wife to hep to make him
a living he would do very well. So in
your case; you ask the farmers to
build YOU court house to enhance the
value Of your property, but when the
farmer asks you to give him living
price for his produce you can not see
it, or ut the most offer him trade
whereby you get hundred per cent.
profit out of him; and if he will not
take it he has to take his truck back,
as was the case with the ten pounds of
butter referred to in your issue of May
%. Next, Lewiston asks us to he
liberal towards it, but it is so picayun-
ish itself that when railroad men like
Willard offer to build warehouses and
Guild docks on the banks OF the river
there if it will grant them the neces-
sary ground, it can't see it. Further,
while we farmers are taxed for every
cents worth of property, even down
to wooden -toothed harrow, merchants
and property holders in Lewiston think
nothing of giving i'll their property a
few thousand dollars below their taxa
bic value, and whe, hauled up before
the board of equalization they escape
/ by technicality. Now, we know Of i,
case where a merchant insures &23
900 worth of property, yet barely
pays taxes on $4,000; and we farmers
out here think if they would pay W
all the taxes that they have defraude,
the county cut of they would hay,
money enough in the treasury to luild
Il court house without asking more taxes
! from US; and right here "" beg to state
! that, if it requires s. % taxes of ev
very hundred dollars worth Of taxable
property to pay the running expenses
of the county, when said county is
run on al economical basis, we cannot
stand another cent; and if the taxes
were increased it would act like the
proverbial straw OH the cafnel and
break cur backs, in particular at the
present time, for we know numbers OF
famlie~who have barely the necessa
ries of life, while tn ir husbands are
working at days labor Oh the railroad
tryin. to Make ends meet, and who
would think themselves well off if they
had plenty of flour and milk, who
have not paid their last years taxes
and expect every day to be sued for
them; and even the best of us are to
day only half as well of as we were a
year ago, for while our produce has
.on. down to a nominal valuation ey-
err kind of merchandise has gone up
fiftv per cent. and more. Another
prcr'iari;y Of our las sychants is that