The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1890-01-30
COMMUNICATION.

SSWMONl$SitStN'
EDITOR SCN: -.
With your kind permission would
beg little space in the columns OF
you valuable paper for few remarks
in answer to an article which appear
ed in the Tribune of last weeks issue
and signed by A. c. Thorpe, county
treasurer. In the first place, the
writer goes on and contradicts GER
tain statements made in an article
published I'm Tt1E SIN of two weeks
ago. Then with the very next stroke
Of the pen, he confirms our statement
by official figures, as for instance; we
stated that it cost, the tax payers of
Stevens county $4,000 annually to
carry on sur little county govern.
ment, and this he denies as being too
extravaganza. Then he says In refer
ing to the auditors abstract of the
tax list: l find the tax levied for 1889
to be 47,504.55. Then he denies our
statement to the amount of taxes, we
said we had just paid on our property
in Minnesota, mostly in Stevens
county. Then he goes on and gives
an itemized bill, showing the amount
paid him to be 1887. 10 on our Stevens
county property. $359.04 We paid on
property. in ,Goodhue county, which
makes the exact sum we stated, name
~ 5000. II, and we have the receipts
for it, which can be seen by Mr..
Thorpe or any one else that might
wish to see them. Then he denies
our statement. as to the amount%ef
,ssIary the county officials receive:
a year, at the same time he does not
pretend to state how much they do
get, but taking it on basis of ten
hours work per day, don't think
we missed the mark very much on the
amount we named for the: official or
his janitor either. But why should
the tax payers of Stevens county
furnish to this kid gloved gentry, that
they themselves pay little or no tax,
a janitor at any price. Now we have
no objection to county officer keep
ing all the serventS he has a mind to
pay for out of his own pocket, but we
are decidedly opposed TO having this
useless expense Saddled on to the tax
payers. GoOdhue county, the third
richest and most populous county in
the state, furnishes each county
officer with little stove, in which he
builds his own fire and keeps it burn
ing only during Office hours, sweeps
his own office and empties his own
spittoons. No janit0r there at $50
nor yet $35 per month to burn up the
tax payers wood unnecessarily
twenty hours each day during the
officials absence, and the result is
that there is not one cord of wood
consumed In the Go0dhue county
court house, to ten in Stevens county.
Again he says: if we don't want to
pay taxes like our. IRIS do, or in
other words, if you can't mp to
our little desk, settle your /. Wills
for court house paper &c and ask no
questions, you can yes. you can sell
out and go. Thank you; much Oblig'
ed to you for this unasked for advice.
But we are always ready and willing
to listen to and take advice from
those who know more than we do.
That is Just what we shall do the very
first chance sell as, put NE money
Ill our vest pocket. like you I
little s~>iary, and then like yoSE
we shall have no'taxes to pay. T.
he figrres-up our tax on section IL fol
1885, 81 and SO, showing the amount
of tax penalties inter2sSs&e and adds:
of course. if a man will let his tax
become delinquent and the property
sold for two or three years, it will he
more than If paid when due. Now
my little man do you know why we
didn't pay our tax on section ii and
paid the taxes on all of our other
property when due, simply because it
wasn't short ora genuine swindle'and
ought never to have been paid, though
we did at last pay it for the sake of
getting clear, title to, the properly.
But it was. a~clean steal of $500
wroDgfully taken" from Us under the
cloak Of pretended legality, which is
worse than highway robbery. We
claim that this was ansunjust tax and
ought to have never been paid. AS,
for instance, during the years this
tax was piled up against this piece of
property, it was covered with a mort
gage that covered exactly the full
assessed valuation of the property.
and on which we paid the money
loaners tax of two per cent, in an
extra rate of interest amounting to
800 per annum. Consequently you
will see that we did not have one
dollars worth of equity in this piece
Of land to bae ssesse1 as against US.
AS l have previously stated, the
mortgage covered the full assessed
valuation of this piece of land and on
which we paid a tax of two per cent.
AS this case of mine represents but
one of athousands imila- cases all over
the state of Minnesota. AS : it is
estimated the state, principly farm.
ing lands are covered, by mortgages to
tie amount Of It's ,O0O. 900 on which
the farmers have to pay tax in adj
dition to paying a tax on the full
assessed valuation of their farms
besides. What a swindle! Farmers
1nn3k un.r fhi,Yly t. h;wh ksrao A. -