Hand County press. (Miller, Dakota [S.D.]) 1882-1893, 1888-06-21

there is no provision OF law requiring this.
1t is left entirely within my discretion and
in the exercise Of that discretion / de-
ferred making the first payment until April
"a, because from about Feb. lst until that
time there was but a small balance IN my
general fund, and for little while be-
tween those dates there was absolutely
nothing. For the same reason paid only
one half, and because / foreseen that be-
fore July lst, Immediately preceding my
second call on the county treasurers, the
balance in my general fund would again
be very small. With all this, / apprehend
that there has been no time since the G. d
N. w. Ry Co. paid this tax to me and
since / retained from the counties the
second half of the tax but what the coun-
ties effected by this retention have been
indebted to the territorial treasurer TO an
amount in excess of the railroad tax re-
tanned. 1t was not intended, however, to
place any Of the counties in Strengthened
circumstances, and the tax has been re-
tanned during the first half of the year
when the territory needed it, and when
the counties did not need it. And as
shall on July lst ask the counties to send
in the territorial funds that they then have
on hand you are at liberty in making the
remittance to credit yourself with 1888. %
the unpaid part.
The telegraph tax will be paid es soon as
all of the counties haye returned state
ments of miles of wire, probably before
the end of the month. Yours truly,
JOHN ID. LAwLER Treas"
The law provides for the payment of all
the tax ON telegraph lines in January of
each year and also provides that the
Treasurer shall at once proceed to sell
said telegraph lines unless the tax is paid
by February lst. As ne telegraph lines
have been sold it is fair to presume they
have all paid their taxes. This has also
been ly ng in the territorial treasury since
Feb. l, 1883. The Treasurer OF Hand Co.
mado his requisitien for the telegraph tax
in March and now the territorial treasurer
refuses TO pay il until all the counties in
the territory have filed their applications
for their share with certificates of number
of miles of wire, even though the tax is a
certain amount per mile aud our Treas
urer made his demand soon after the tax
was paid, 1t will be noticed from the
! foregoing correspondence that the terri
rltoral treasurer has been using the money
! belonging to the various counties for
other purposes that for which it is in
tended by placing it in the general fund
| of the territory. His claim that the matter
is left entirely to his discretion as to when
he shall pay the county Treasurers is
equivalent to saying he need not pay
them at all.
The couAty Treasurer paid the territor-
ial tax in his hands promptly when de-
manded, and Is always ready to do So
What would be thought of a county treas.
urer who would refuse to Iay the town
ships their taxes because the county gen.
eral fund was low? BY what authority
does the territorial Treasurer place the
funds of the different counties into the
general fund of the territorial treasury
when the law requires separate account
to be kept for each county, and expressl,
says in regard TO these taxes :: ''One
third thereof shall be retained in the ter
ritorial treasury for the Use of the territor
and the remainder shall be apportione'
among the several counties into or through
which railroads respectively run in pro
portion to the number of miles of mai
track situated in such counties re
spectively."
If two thirds of this tax is apportione'
to the county why does the territoria
Treasurer retain it all ? In view of Tia
foregoing correspondence further com
ment is unnecessary.
Yours Respectfully
JOHN l.. PYLE.