, 1890-09-06
ECONOMY

The sun takes up the Democratic slo'
gan Of ECONOMY is the crying need, +"
and without attempting to c%ontrovert the
charge Of extraordinary extravaganza in
territorial affairs considers the question OF
expenses IN Laramie county We desire
to meet the Suns statements fairly and
squarely and will therefore present the
pith Of its charges in its own language.
Here il is.
When the Republican board of com
missioners surrendered their trust to the
Democratic. board in 1887 they left in the
county treasury in cash $35, SS2 for coun-
ty purposes. For two years the Demo
Gratis were in power with John Hunton as
chairman of the board, and when their
term expired 10 1889, they left a total
outstanding Indebtedness Of $50, 1911 In
other words they squandered SSS, 273
more than the current receipts of the
county. besides making the largest
tax levy (2l 10 mills on the
highest assessment (Sl0, 3S9, 900 }
expenscsl Now let us continue the com
parisou. In 1889 the Republican board
came into power with outstanding indebt-
edness against the county, left as a Dem
ooratic legacy. of $50, 39i. In one year
under the new board of commissioners,
with George w. Hoyt as chairman, and
a strict, economical Republican admins
t%ration, the debt of the county outstand-
ing was reduced to e.. COG, or in other
words the Republican board, in ad iition
to paying the current expenses of our
county government, wiped out $50. 900 of
debt created by a Democratic administra-
tion.
A partial answer to this statement
might be that it no business is done either
in the courts or in the way of improve
ments the expenses should be very light
Court expenses have been very light fol
the simple reason that there has been nc
court business. During two years the
Republican board OF county commission.
ers has scarcely expended a dollar in the
way OF public Improvements and certainly
little or nothing for the building OF roads
or the construction Of bridges through the
country. We have regarded this as ques,
tionablo economy, because the longer the
building of roads Is delayed the more diff,
] CUT huh bAptuhlNb ~ DNOOulCh W bGNulN
rights Of way, and the longer repairs are
delayed on tho bridges the less chance
there is to save them from destruction,
thus necessitating the building Of new
ones.
In the first place we may state for the
edidcation of the Sun that John Huptou
was never chairman OF the board Of com
missloners. The statement is made that
the Republican board when they surren'
derod to tho Democratic board in 1881
left s35. ss2 in the treasury. This is in
no wise remarkable. for ever since 1889
there has always been enough of money
in the county treasury on the list Of
January Of each year to meet all the
expenses up to the following April. In
1889, according to the Sun, the Demo.
cratic board left a total outstanding in,
debtedness of$52, 39l, which, added to the
amour of cash on hand when they went
out OF Office left a total of $ss. 273 which
they squandered. The county treasurer's
annual statement shows that the out
standing warrants on Dec. 81, 1855,
amounted to $3l, 62s.O6. The Sun
secures its own statement of the out
standing Indebtedness by adding to the
amount Of the outstanding warrants some
$4,000 in bills contracted by the Demo
cratic board in the last quarter OF its term
and paid by the Republican board in the
first quarter Of its term. This is mani.
testify unfair, for each board on assuming
control must accept as 4 legacy the last
quarters bills of the retiring board Tor
Official salaries and running expenses.
The Democratic board OF which Mr.. Hun
ton was \ member paid in this manner for
the Republican board which they sue
ceeded $l5,205.ll. The present board
10 January of the present year issued
warrants for &c., $50. 90 to pay of the
running expenses and county salaries Tor
the last quarter of the previous year of
their own administration.
The board of which Mr.. Hunton vas a
member never made such a ridiculous tax
levy as (2l 7-l0), which the Sun itself dis
proves in another part of this very same
article when it gives the tax levy of 1887
at III and for 1883 at l0I, the correct
figures.
As to wiping of a debt OF $50, 900 the
Sun and public should not forget that at
least $4,000 of this amount came from
old taxes Of 1884, 1887 and 1888, col
lected by the county treasurer at his tax
sales. Besides $4,000 received from
Converse county in the county division
settlement went to wipe out this debt,
and this county still holds $4,000 in in
terest bearing warrants issued by the same
county. How much credit, therefore, is
the present Republican board of commits.
sioners entitled to for wiplng off the
amount of debt represented in these two
statements
The statement that the Democratic
board msde the largest tax levy on the
highest assessment $50, ss9, oO0) ever