The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-08-04
TIE COURT HOUSE BONDS.

TIE COURT HOUSE BONDs
9 Under the above caption the Int
Mountain contains q communicated
e signed Taxpayer" and dated q
VAUDEVILLE. In this communities
] ton the writer discusses the ceur
8 house bond question in what he evi
3 IDENTIFY considers "a cool, dispassion
: ate, business way" 1t makes bu
little difference to the interested pub
: lie whether the ''csll, dispassionate,'
> gentleman who indited the laWye,
like letter lives in VAUDEVILLE, writes
in the Inter Mountain rooms, or has
an office on Granite street, but W.
protest in the name of the good peo'
pie of Walkerville against their Being
charged with harboring the author
of q communication SO intemperate
in language, SO inconsistent in state.
ment and 80 illogical in deduction as
the one referred to. Taxpayer" is
evidently . very young writer, a very
superficial observer, and very loose
reasoner. He offers nothing new or
original in argument in support of
the loan proposition. The MINER has
already met his revamped reasons
why the voters of Silver Bow county
should approve the loan" and ex-
posed their gauzy and unsubstantial
character. 1t may, however, aid
Taxpayer" in wrestling with this
subject if we notice some points in
his communication.
Taxpayer" starts out with the OBJ
servation that: ut makes no differ
ence, practically, whether our Coun-
ty Commissioners acted judiciously
at the outset of this matter or not"
We beg leave to differ with "Tax-
payer" 1t does make a great deal of
difference whether the County Com
missieners have acted judiciously in
this matter or not. It is an indis-
putable proposition that if men show
a lack of judgment in inaugurating
an enterprise they will prove incom-
petent to carry it out. The Latin
quotation: E1 nihlo nihH N-out of
nothing, nothing is made-or Er
un0. disco 0nsnes-from one learn all;
from one you may judge of the whole
may apply to the action of Com
m%issioners as we'll as to other mat
tiers. Again says Taxpayer" 1--WE
have an expenditure Of $50. 900 for lots,
foundation and material for a court
house, which we as taxpayers and
sensible business men are asked to
throw away; or else vote the 500, 900
asked by the commissioners to finish
the building" Here are several mis-
statements. In the first place only
$25,47S have been expended upon the
building. In the second place no
one is asked to throw that expendi-
ture away, and in the third place no
one knows and scarcely any one be-
lieves that a further expenditure of
$780, 600 will finish the building.
Taxpayer puts the cas- very bad
ly. There is nothing lost, there is
nothing thrown away; there is moth
ing Ito extricate" if there is not an
other hours work done upon the
building this year. Let us put the
case this way: If a business man
finds he will overreach his means !
and involve himself in bankruptcy
if he continue an ilI-advised enter
prise, would it not be better for him
to stop short off and recaperate his
purse before he attempts to finish his
undertaking? A prudent man
would, a foolish one might do other
wise and involve himself in ruin.
"This country" adds Taxpayer
''badly needs a court house and jail"
W. are not shown, however, wherein
the county "badlX needs" these, mol
10 it made clear that the county is
losing anything by occupying the
present rented buildings. On the con-
trary the MINER has shown that the
county will save over So, 500 a year by
renting rather than to borrow $780,
600 at 7 per cent, per mum. "An-
other thing" says the writer, "A
court house and Jail adequate to the
necessities of the coulty cannot be
built for a less sum than is proposed
to be expended in this case for such
If this be true then why
did the commissioners accept a plan
for a building which called for the
expenditure of only $50, 1000 to COM
it lift required 1872, $50 to build
q structure adequate to the necessi-
ties oftbis county" In making the as
Taxpayer virtually arraigns
the commissioners for incompetency
or gross negligence in the discharge
of theiI duties.
But here is the gem of the whole
"Another thing: This county is
going to have these buildings, and
good ones toe. If the proposition to
issue bonds shall fail, we will, never
theless, have these things. Next
year the Commissioners will make a
levy to complete these unfinished un-
You ask, Twill they do
this?" Yes, unless they are as false
to every rule of common sense and
public duty as they would show
to be foolish. Will tney
permit this people to lose $50, 900 b.
such failure to perform a high public
There is the word with the bark on !
it. "This county is going to have
,hese buildings" whether the people
them or not. Where did "Tax-
get his information? Does
ne know anything about it? or is he
waving the Inter Mountains I,
'One fell swOop taxO s~carecrow9 The