Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1890-01-23
More Figure. for the New Era Editor.
SPRING VALLEY, JAN. 81, 1890.

SPRING VALLEY, JAN. 81, 1890.
Editor Turner County Herald:-I was
shown an article published in the New
Era which relates to myself, and a part
of which will quote:
Lon Bacon. the Spring Valley MEM
Der of the county commissioners, has
written brilliant article for the Hur-
lev Herald His
diarrhoea of words show a constipation
of thought that must bear strongly on
the badly managed condition of affairs
in Turner county. He has been chair
man of the county board for the past
three years.
The above is fair sample of the cor
rectness Of New Era in about every
thing it publishes. "But then one lie,
more or less. counts for nothing with
the New Era's ad interim editor" l
had the honor of being chairman OF the
county board one year, and how well l
served the people is for them to Judge.
l did what considered to be my duty
and especially favored neither friend
or foe. But then the N. E. has come
within two years of the truth, which is
pretty close for its editor these times.
The editor and his staff are so much en-
crossed now days with self-bestowed
titles that they can't think OF anything
else-only taxes. You know the editor
has a staff officer who served about two
months as body-guard to a comissary-
sergeantlduring the latter days of the
war, aud this is why they are so pro-
fuse vito their military titles of late.
The N E. has been laboring very hard
with high taxes, and as a member of
the board of commissioners have been
watching to see if that uncommonly
intelligent(D editor, or his scribes,
would give some light whereby the
county board could cut the expenditures
of the county down, thereby lessening
taxation. They seen to heve no idea
of their own. though they did once pro-
pose for the county commissioners to
cut down the salaries Of the register of
deeds and county treasurer. They do
not seem to know that the legislature
fixed their salaries at $4,000. and tn at
the county board has no choice in the
matter. Ii the board has. would like
to have some person show me the law
that makes it the duty of the boaad to
fix those salaries.
The N. E. says that the county affairs
have been badly managed. l will agree
with the N, E. there; but when were
they badly managed? Every dollar of
our Indebtedness can be traced right
back to the days when the N. E. had
its nose in the county crib. Our county
does not owe as much to-day us it did
three years ago. 0he reduction being
made on the bridge debit and three
years ago the N. E. was sucking the
county teat. why did you not howl
/" high taxes" then? Was the N. Z.
looking after the "overburdened tax
payers. interests when the Chas. Hol-
lenbeck deal was made? when he was
taken off the hands of the United
States and saddled onto the tax-ridden
people of Turner county? Was not the
us. rich enough to take care of its
own paupers and prisoners? and who
was one of the people, but you, G. f!
Hackett, to go on c. I. Ilollenbeck's
bond. and thereby help saddle him on
our already heavily burdened county,
helping to pile the debt higher and
higher? Why did you not then raise
your voice against burdensome taxesp
The records read like this:
A i Sage, care r Hollenbeck. allowed, 2sl 80
j E Kendell, drugs for q I HOlenbeck. 26 81
A Sage, care & I Ioiienbcck, claimed
S273.00, allowed, 2GO 90
Commissioner Of insanity, examining
- Hoileubeck, 8 90
And so on for three long years until. to
keep this one pa,lper (that the United
States was not able to keep but had to
be saddled upon Turner county, it piled
the costs up into the thousands OF dol
lars! This is one case to interest the
taxpayers.
Before the county issued refunding
bonds it was the custom of nearly every
person who had bill against the coun-
ty to add the deprecated per cent Of
value of our county warrants to the
fa:e of their bill. which is largely the
cause of our present Indebtedness. Did
not the N. E. editor make out his bills
in that same way? Why did he not
then try his reconstruction policy? or
did he then suck a good teat? The
county commissioners never made any
such charges, they took their pay in
Turner county warrants at face value,
and stood the discount, and here is the
money l made out of the Office of ccun-
ty commissioner in those days (not
counting the fauit-finding and curses:
Six days per diem and mileage sls 60
Discount on warrants S392
Hotel bill six days 600
Stable and feed for horse 800
Man to fll my place on farm Goo
Bal for use OF horse laying Idle $ 6a
Another instance of bad management
was when the county did not win those
famous tax suits. Ibelieve our district
attorney did all he could to win them.
Did the N. E. howl taxes then, or was
it paid to keep stillY Our district at
torney needed help in the case; the
question arose on the board. had we the
right to hire help with county funds
and paid w. Y. Quigley $500 out Of
my own pocket to help prosecute those
cases. Did you. Mr.. N. E, do as much
Mol Did you try to encourage the
county officials in their duty? Mol Oh!
you didn't want the county to win, did
YOU; then you could howl, could you
because they didn't give you county
teat to suck? Is that why? And now
1t they wrnt to let the dogs how'll it is
all the same to Yours respectfully,
ALoNzo w. BACON.
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