The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-01-30

County Taxes.

Editor GRAPHIC
wish to call the attention of every tax payer
in Brule county TO the recent report of tho last
meeting Of the county commissioners which has
Just been published. Look over the report of
the proceedings and then foot uo the bills and
bea? in mind that four times in each year the
bonrd has to meet and go through the same pro-
cess of auditing bills. You will then see why
taxes are so heavy in the county. In examining
this report if you find anything, any bill that
could Just as well been dispensed with, it is your
duty TO say 30 in q way to be heard. l think you
Will find the board only too willing to reduce
expenses in any way it can honorably be done.
l mention this because | hear so much complaint
about high taxes and many appear to think that
the commissioners are in the fault. The only
thing to be regretted IN my opinion is that we
did not ask the voters of the county a year ago
to bond the county for Indebtedness and not
have taxed it nov for that purpose. 1t would
| haved saved us this year four or five Thousand
dollars by so doing. IL the report is carefully
examined it will be seen a chance will be given
at our town election on the first Tuesday in
| March next. to vote on the. question of bonding
the county. If the voters say bond it will help
us next year, us a less amount will be needed
and it is to be hoped thatall will look the matter
AZ anu RpOl Niict Gp to w pt dbiS ote
intelligently. Remember it is for our interest to
do so for it is to pay our debts which must be
paid sometime and on which we are paying in
terest much greater than we shall on our bonds,
! for as it now stands we pay really twenty two per
cent: the warrants draw seven per cent and the
discount on them is fifteen per cent.
[ also wish to call attention to the action ofthe
board at their last meeting in regard to the meth
| cd in which certain bills were DISPOSED of, that
was not to the satisfaction of some. An order
was passed by the board last year that no bills
should be allowed when the Territory was party
unless the district attorney was consulted. The
office was then appointiye. Now wehave elected
a man for that Office and it is a salaried Office,
and it is to be expected that he Will attend to all
that kind of business, and no bills can be allowed
nuless he is at first consulted in the matter, The
above being the facts, would it not be better for
courts to see that this be attended to before isu-
ing papers. There may be exceptions in very ur-
gent cases but the district attorney should be no.
tilted at the earliest moment.
Another important measure was adopted at the
last meeting of the board. IL has been the Gus
tom to let the county medical services to the low
est bidder, but experience has proven that it was
i'll no wise satisfactory and did not meet the de-
mands. Therefore in order that there might be
something ike uniformity we placed the per
diem per mile ard visit, the physician furnishing
the medicine. But in orderto have the bill al
lowed by the county ii must have tho endorsement
of the supervisors of organized townships or
the commissioners in ,norgnnized townships
that the patient is really a county charge. Great
caution should be used by the supervisors or the
county may be imposed upon as very mary would
like to have their doctor bills PAID that would
not relish the appellation of ''pauper.'' The sick
and needy should surely be caredfor in a county
like ours, hut at the same tlmn Incidence. shift
~lossness aud debauchery should not be enconr-
aged by funds or appropriations from the public
treasury. The remark has often been made that
"the world owes me 9 living, and I mean to have
it, but that is n greet mistake, The world owes
no Tlan n living who is able to work. The policy
Of our government is to make it possible fol
every able bodied person to earn a living and
and takes no rann's time from him unless he is
paid forit it. Therefore he that squanders his tint
and money in seed time must expect to beg when
harvest comes. The necessity of economy does
not all rest on the shoulders of the county com.
missioners bat al parties as well that have any
thing to do with creating or allowing bills paya
BILE out of the county funds.
Al ..