Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1885-10-29
THE DAKOTA TAX LEVY.
Territorial Auditor Caldwell Takes Notice
of Some Recent Criticisms Upon the
board of Equalization, and Elucidates
with Facts and Figures.

~ avs ~h' #
Territorial Auditor Caldwell Of Dakota
was in 81. Paul on his way from Bismarck
TO the Huron convention, and thence home
to Sioux Falls. lie a questioned to
some extent regarding certain criticisms
which have been made against the terri.
torial board OF equalizatiun-which con
sists Of the governor, auditor, treasurer
and attorney general,-in the matter of the
recent levy OF territorial taxes. The
charges are said to have originated with
Judge Brookings in n speech in the recent
constitutional convention at Sioux Falls,
and are to the effect that the amount
in the territorial treasury, with sums
already due or to become due, will
be sufficient to pay all the demands
upon the treasury Tor the next two
years and leave a balance OF $3TO,OO0
without the board making any levy what.
ever for either this year or next, The ia.
tent " the criticism is to make IL appear
that the territorial board has made the
levy for the purpose OF massing large I'M
necessary sums in the treasury, in order
that the handling thereof by the officials
may make them personal profit. Mr..
Caldwell seemed quite amused at
the financial ina s~ination which could
achieve such II condition OF things az is
alleged, and said that however much he may
have been disposed to boom the pos,
sibilities Of the great territory, he had not
guessed that among these was that OF pay
ing hundreds Of thousands Of dallars with
assets amounting to only about oue-third
Of the sum,
SOME FIGURES As i BASIS.
lie states positively that
Of the various direct appropriations
by, the - legislatures of 1885 and
Val-.lF-. -Is- I-
together with tie sums which are indirect
or contingent appropriations, such as those
paid for transportation Of coUviCts md in
sane persons, for expenses Of directors and
regents OF public Institutions, etc, for
which warrants are to be drawn uppn the
treasury for the two years up TO Nov. 30,
1886, will amount to SITS, 900, and that
the bond interest Tor the two years will
be SbS, OOO-n total of S7S3, 900. TO
pay this there will be available the follow.
ing sums: Balance in the treasury Nov. 10.
1884, S2OU coo; Proceeds al lcvies Of 1884
and 1885, $500, 600; from other sources.
such as railroad taxes, census pay from the
government, and returns from southern
Dakota counties Tor expense of oonstitrl-
tional convention, STAG, 900; total, SST3.-
600; II will be seen, according to Mr.. Cald-
wells figures, that, while at the beginning
of the current biennial fiscal period
there Il $ balance OF S2OG. 900 in the treas
ury, at the End thereof there will he only
$40 900 remaining-as close a margin as a
public treasury ought to run upon, as he
thinks. The auditors therefore very clear
ly OF the opinion that, the territorialbu..rd
Of equalization was emphatically required
by it's plain duty ia make the levy urlSS1
as it did; and he deRies that there is any
room whatever for surmising that the az
ton had any purpose to fill the treasury
with unnecessary funds, or to 90 anything
but provide sufficient money to maintain
the credit q the territory,