Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1884-07-26
FOR THE TAXPAYER.
Another exhibit" Of Facts by
A Taxpayer,
Showing A Loss Of $4,000 10 Custer
County.
TAXPAYER" INVESTIGATES.

! EDITOR CHaoSiclE Having read your
structures on the actions Of certain mem
bers of the board of county commissions
crs have taken II upon myself to in
ves-ivate and am surprised to find that
the condition of things as they now ex-
il. would warrant harsher criticism than
you have yet INDUCED in. Taking into
consideration their action at the last ses.
sion there is certainly cause for alarm to
the actual settlers and permanent tax
payers Of Custer county Knowing that
the conclusions arrived ut will prove OF
interest to your readers and Of benfit to
the county at large, would beg space
for the following facts:
First, there is no one thing so import
ant in the government of "A county as
the question of taxation, its levy, fairly
and properly made on each and every
member Of the corporation constituting
the county, and its prompt and fair col
member Of the organization, both rich
and poor alike; in this way it forms. as
is intended, the most equitable system
of government in the known world. thus
forming the great aorta, nourishing.
feeding, and keeping in harmony all OF
the extremities of this artificial person
known as the county.
WHO Is TO BLAME.
Now whose duty is il to look after and
guard this vital point? The statutes OF
Dakota answer The commissioners
Let us see now with what degree OF
vigilance and care the officers above
named have guarded ard protected the
average taxpayer of Custer county.
The first case to which We call the n;
tcntion of the reader is the case Of
SiurgiS & Goolell ageinst Custer county
In this case the plaintiffs were assessed
as having five thousand head OF cattle
in Custer county this assessment Was
made made in 1882; in the fall Of 1889
Mr. Goodcll in company with VIM. II
Parker, his attorney, appeared before
tie board OF commissioners of Custer
county and after big medicine talk
with said boSrd they procured the sig
nature of tie chairman OF said board
Cyrus Cole. to an greed case SO it. might
be prcSen ed to the court. In this
agreed case was stated the startling fact
that Sturgis d Goodell did not have q
/ L..,I ,.r ,.,ttl.. IN (ncfar aprnty
THIS ABORTION
was signed as stated and Of course
Judgment followed for the plaintiffs and
Custer county was wronged out of
$lSl+.O0 thereby.
Itwas claimed by some that the chair
| man did not understand the true nature Of
the case. Is that any consolation to the
small rancher who lives in daily fear of
| the levy of distress on what little
property he may have around him,
while wealthy corporations whose thou.
sands Of cattle range on the grass of
Custer county hoodwink our commits.
sioners, and then in other parts of the
country laugh at their imbecility.
| COUNTY COURT.
| Do the commissioners have to tax,
the bare affidavit of stock owners for the
number of stock they have? Are they
obliged to sign agreed cases? The
Statutes Of Dakota answer both ques
tons. They do not Under the law they
are county court with power and juris
diction like other tribunals and from
whose decisions appeals may be taken
to the higher court. They may force
witnesses to appear before them and tes
tify, and act on the evidence like any
other court. Have they ever done this.
No. But on the contrary on the bare
affidavit of large stock owners they have
wronged this county out Of hundreds o
dollars, never asking for other proof
when by asking they could procure an!
amount of evidence that would destro,
such weak and flimsy afiidavits.
ANOTHER CASE.
Is the above the only case wherein tn,
board have been direlict respectin,
their duty thereby prejudicing the in
terests Of the county? No. There i
vet another case of greater importance
to mention.
During this present year the count.
assessor, Alfred I. Feay, assessed to tin
Sheid!ey Cattle company 10000 head o
cattle, this was done by Mr.. Feay o,
direct evidence Of men in the employ @
said company and from resident ranch
ers in the neighborhood. The boar
met on July 7th. 1884, in the capacity G
Board of Equalization, after transact
ing business in that capacity the recor
shows that they done business as boar
of commissioners without adjourning a
. board of equalization and then Will
acting in the capacity OF commissioner
adjourned unit! Saturday. July l0tl
1884, at which time appeared the sccr'
r tary, W no is also member Of the Shei'
ley Cattle company, accompanied 10y h
u~l tho hrarl NJ, h;ta a.ti