Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-02-27

- AA9>Gz-41asA = = *. 49, VssAsSs'A0
WIN sas conu.a..ss.srs stanA up end
AnsweR These Popular InQairses?
Whist Have Thsy to say?
EDrrORs INTELLIGENCKR see in the
INTEtLIGENCKR of last week that cor
respondent, Mr.. G. w. Hensel, has very
properly demanded from the commission
ers an explanation to the taxpayers OF
what they want with the extraordinary
sum of 1922. 600, which a three mills tax
this year, added to the surplus, which has
accumulated the last two years, will
make. And that for the purpose of get
ting an explanation representative Of
your paper called on the commissioners
and received the following answers. which
to me as tax payer, are anything but
satisfactory.
First, they admitted that the average
expense of the county was about ssOO, OOO.
Next they said that the balance of over
$90, 900 in the treasury at the end ofthe last
year was considerably reduced since then.
That would seem very natural after paying
the expenses of month and half OF this
year. They further stated that there must
be deducted from the outstanding tax of
last year amounting to over S67, 900, com
missions generations, building bridges,
street damages, sc. They do not seem to
comprehend, or, judge, do not want the
taxpayers to comprehend, that all these
items belong to the ordinary expenses of
the county and are included in the 5000,
600 which they estimated as the yearly
expense. And to the query whether they
thought it good policy to accumulate 50
large sum to lie idle so long, they an
swered through their oracle, Mr..
Sunny, that they considered it good
housekeeping also that the times
| were good and the people generally are
| willing to pay three-mills tax. Your
correspondent feels safe in asserting that
| there is not one taxpayer in the county
| that would be willing to pay SO burden
| some a tax if he understood the situation;
and, as to the times, they are quite the
reverse of what they allege. There is no.
where either in tho country or city that
| the complaint of hard times does not CRATE
upon your ears, and the complaint is we'll
founded. Take the farmers, who pay the
bulk of the taxes, for example. True,
they had good crops this year, but the
greater part of their wheat has been
sold at about 81 a bushel, which scarcely
pays the expense of raising it, and
they are feeding their corn to cattle that
would not sell now for as much per pound
as they paid for them last fall, and their
tobacco, on account of the depreciation in
price, damage by hail and in curing,
would not to- day bring over one-half what
they calculated on getting such, verify,
are good times with a vengeance.
They also say that there is a large por-
tion of the county bonds falling due April
1, 1884, and with this large surplus they
| 1o oh 20, ~
them then The idea of implying a doubt
as to their ability to pay 100000 of the
debt with surplus fund of 1922, 900 is
to be no doubt about their ability to pay
5000, 600 instead of s1OO,O0O Now, if l
| understand the character of the bonded
debt Of the county, there is no part of it
due until April 1, 1891, but the county
! has reserved the option TO pay any part or
all cf it any time after April l., 1884, up
| till April 1, 1891. Therefore, as these
bonds only draw per cent. interest, it
seems to me to be the most i'll conceived
policy that could possibly enter into the
| imagination of any sane mind to thus draw
| from a long suffering tax ridden people
1929 900 in excess of the legitimate wants
Of the country, and keep it lying idle $50
far as the Taxpayers interest is cOncerned)
one and two years in the banks favored
with the treasurer's deposits, to be loaned
cut by them to the taxpayers whom ii
has been ruthlessly taken from SO long in
advance Of the cOunty's wants. l will
ask the commissioners this question Ii
either of them owed a debt not due until
1891, though he had the option to pay ii
any time between April 1st, 1854, and it's
maturity, and only drawing per cent.
interest, would he have begun last year
and continued this year to draw money
out of his business to lie idle all this time
and replace it with money that is costing
him per cent l think not. Yet, this
is precisely the situation they have placed
the taxpayers in. Then, why pursue a
course in the management of other peo.
ple's business that has been confded to
their care in good faith, that their simple
business instincts would recoil at if ap-
piled to their own affairs This county
debt is the Taxpayers debt, and as the
great majority of them are q Dor.
rowing class to a greater Or less
extent, in their private business,
and as they cannot borrow money indiyiAc
ually as low as the county has this loan,
cannot imagine why this crazy haste on
the part of the commissioners in getting
ready SO long ahead to avail themselves OF
the first Opportunity to pay it so long
before its maturity. | feel safe in saying
! tnat there is not man or woman in the
county outside Of the asylum, save these
three commissioners-that will pronounce
such pfofligate management "good house
keeping"
| Are the commissioners afraid that ths
taxpayers are going to squander all they
have in the meantime and will have moth
ing left when the proper time arrives to
pay their county debt with, that they
have constituted themselves board OF
trustees to take charge of their money
thus prematurely, to lie idle for years thai
they may be prepared to get whack al
this debt upon the first opportunity thai
presents itself?
| The commissioners expressed consider
able anxiety to your representative that
the people should know that they have
control over comparatively little of the
funds and expenses Of the county. This
seems to be new idea. Why, there is moi
one dollar drawn cut Of the county
treasury except upon the commissioners
orders. They hold its key and it is theil
duty to hold itiwith tight grip. True, the
penal and charitable institutions have in
spectors. directors and other officers who
manage the details of their business, but
all the expenses are presented by bills to
the commissioners for their inspection and
payment, and it is their duty to scan them
| o1ccolu auA 70 FROM, fbov,, opu