The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1891-03-05
CORRESPONDENCE.
EDITOR Sun:

Will you please allow me small
space in your paper to make a few
comments, or give the opinions OF
farmers and tax payers, on an article
which appeared in the Morris Tribune
January 2sth, under the healing
County Printing" Not that wish
to enter into any controversy with
the Editor Of the Tribune, but to
show that men differ in their opin.
ions:and as the Editor Of the Tribune
has given his opinion with much can
dor. Will do the same.
First, the Editor says, "There is
no reason under heaven why the pub
Usher of a newspaper should do work
for the county less than the rate al
lowed by law etc."
Now, Mr.. Editor, we farmers claim
that We pay more than our share of
the taxes of this county, because we
pay tax not only on all the property
We own, but also on property owned
by other men. To illustrate, / Dor
row $500 of a man living in Morris.
Other farmers living in the county
borrow money Of the same man in
amounts from $500 to $500, in all
amounting to SIS 900. Now. the man
who loans this money does not own
any real estate, and the farmers pay
his taxes On the SIS, 900 he has loaned
them, consequently he has no tax to
pay. Again, we not only pay more
than our share Of the taxes of the
county, but we outnumber the voters
living in the villages, so we say that
we have q right to say how the
money we pay as taxes shall be ex-
pended. We want to hire man to
work on the farm one year. We
know Of two men. One Of them will
do our work for one year for $2l6,and
the other will do the same work for
$l02. Now, we would be considered
very poor financiers il we employed
the former instead of the latter, and
especially if we did 50 without asking
what he would ask for doing the
work. If he offers to do the work for
less than it is worth, that is not our
| fault; he will do the work just as
good as the other land we will elm plOy
him. This illustrates our views ON
county printing.
But the manner Of letting the
county printing is only one Of several
errors which our county commission.
ers have made. The salary which
the Auditor and County Attorney
receive is not in accordance with the
service rendered. Now, instead OF
going to the county-seat collectively
we send our servants (called county
officers) to do our business, and fear
ing they might become extortiOnate
in their charges, the state Legislatures
1.-THE peoples servants) have passed 8
law granting them sum not to ex
coed certain amount. This is {
protection in large counties thickly
settled, but not in county sparselN
settled. The county commissioner
have usurped the right to give these
unwarranted salaries, instead o
complying with the known and ex
pressed wishes of the tax payers o
the county The county commission
ers are rot our Kings or Cars, bu
, servants. Merchants, business mel
and farmers have money invested
upon which they must have u certain
per cent in order that their bushes
. may be profitable. This they mus
t have, besides pay for their labor; bu
a these county officers refe rred TO hav
! not dollar invested, yet they &c
tor their labor from 30 to 200 pc
cent more than the average farme
gets for his labor and the capital In
= vested.
This article Is not intended to cas
| any IVACSGlOio upVH VIZ AuIG"A VI VA
r Tribune. He has right to ask whs
s he considers fair compensation fC
t doing the county printing, and he
not at fault If he gets 1t. It is NJ
- the little that MIR. Stevens gets MOI
Z than some other Editor would hav
d done the work for that we are kicl
y ing against, but the numerous little
=. added to this one and that one tn:
q our servants give without our pc
r mission that we complain Of-in a
U amounting to u number Of hundred
q Of dollars. We complain, and wit
Il reason, that our taxes and the MAJ
. ner in which they are expended al
unjust. If every mans property W,
It equally taxed we would have LEI
f reason to complain. And we 81
without fear Of successful contr
2 dictien that our county officers do NJ
practice the same economy wht
doing county business that they {
when doing business for themselve
ts and we say this is wrong, Who'll
a. wrong.