The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1885-11-04
A CARD FROM MR.. SLOAN

it occurre ed to me tina: few words, a
ex-treasurer of Gallatin county, would
not be out of pl ace at this time.
desire to direct the attention of thu
taxpayers to some of the charges made
in that report and to explain in a meas
ure why /, while treasurer, did not col
lect the delinquent percent on taxes anc
the licenses which are claimed to be de
! linqeut.
LIST. AS regards the items of over 81 ,50(
which did not collect. Many of YOU
readers will recollect that, on the frs
day of December, 1888, when the unpaid
county taxes became delinquent, money
was scarce and could hardly be procured
even at a high rate of interest. Many
good people were willing to paw tneil
taxes but were unable to obtain the
money without distressing themselves.
A committee of gentlemen, residents
of the county, waited upon me request
ing that l would not then add the ten
per cent penalty for taxes then unpaid
That committee, as nearly as can re-
collect, consisted of Messrs. w. w. Alder
son, J. D. Chestnut, Walter Cooper, I. ].
Lynde, D. E. Rouse, w. L. Perkins and
others. To their reasonable request l
replied that while 1 would cheerfuly
grant them all favors in my power, yet i'll
this matter I was unable to aid them,
but if the commissioners would issue IN
order to me granting an extension Ct
time would be glad to do So The
commissioners were then in session. The
gentlemen waited upon them and stated
their case, The request was granted and
/ was ordered to extend the time. 1t
being considered as to the best interest
of Gallatin county that the delinquent
per cent be not wrung from the people
who have to bear the burden of the taxes
when the original demand alone was
enough to distress the majority of the
taxpayers. These gentlemen together
with the commissioners, will corroborate
me in this statement. The same order
had been made to me on proceeding
year, by the commissioners who thought
that the best interests of the county
were subserved by not adding an extra
bur en- to part of its taxpayers. believe
that the commissioners acted
in good faith and for the best interests
of their county.
End. As regards the item Of upwards
of $500 of licenses alleged by the ex-
pert ~ as not having been collected by
me, l find in the report that he has based
his assertions upon the assumption that
where gaps occur in certain lines of bus
mess as shown upon the license register,
that the persons so mentioned were con-
tiniously engaged in such business. l
used due diligence to find out without
leaving my Office, where the law requir-
ed me to be, of all those who were en-
gagged in business of which a license was
by law exacted. And whenever licen-
ce-payer became delinquent | mailed
him notice to that effect. would state
for the information of those concerned
that the law requires every person en-
gag1ng in such business or occupation,
to pay a license to the county
treasurer at his Office. 1t is also the duty
of all peace officers, in certain instances
to demand Of those engaged in business
an exhition of the proper county license
for his county. Any person failing or re-
fusing to exhibit such license is guilty of
a misdemeanor punishable by fine. As
to tie charges that persons engaged IN
certain ella of business were allowed
to prosecute such business in order to
determine whether they could afford to
nav the same, will state that in my
opinion, to always follow the exact letter
of the law would in this case be using an
otherwise useful Office for the oppression
of the people. Whenever person known
or recommended to me as good for the
license, reported to me and asked an IN
diligence as to time granted his request
and assumed the debt myself letting him
afterwards pay me. And have yet to
and one who was so devoid of honor as
to evade the payment of the license de-
manded of him-when granted an extern
sion of time. Thus, again was the spirit
If the law fulfilled by ing leniency IN
enforcing its letter. According to the
system of transscting the county busl-
ness all funds collected during the quar-
ter are only available at the end OF the
quarter during which they were collect
ed, so that if license was paid IN the
middle or end of the quarter for which
II was to run, it really made no differ
ence as to the amount or availability Of
the county funds. Moneys are first col
lected. afterwards settled for with the
commissioners, then transferred to the
proper funds and disbursed according to
law.
Licenses, like taxes, are disagreeabie
demands to pay, consequently now and
then it would appear that a person sub
iected to ! ay would evade for time the
payments. Whenever such cases were
brought to my notice proceeded to deal
with the offenders as the law provides
Il would be almost miraculous if, in
territory as large as Gallatin county, one
man at the county seat and at remote
distance from there most of the license
rayers should, without any assistance
from peace officers ofthe different pre-
cincts of the county, collect all the licen-
SEES that should be collected. In all the
four years that was treasurer Of Gala
TIN county had but one assistant out
side of Bozeman and bis duties were
almost entirely confined to the town q
Livingston.
Ihavs no other motive than to set