The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1891-08-01
The Apportionment and Other Katters.

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debt of Alturas county and also
prescribed the manner in which that
apportionment must be made. I'm
der the provisions of that act each
of the four counties in interest-Al-
turas, Bingham, Elmore and Logan
were directed to appoint an ac-
countant, and the accountants SO
appointed were to meet at the town
Of Haley and there proceed to audit
and ascertain the amount of the IN
debtedness to be paid by each Of the
counties named. These accountants
we're to be appointed in April, 1889.
The apportionment to be made by
them was to be based upon the as
sessment roll of Alturas county of
the year 1888, and the pro rata of
each county was to be fixed by
the ratio of taxable property each
of the other counties had acquired
from Alturas county. But the law
directed that the said accountants
must not apportion the bonds is
sued for building the court house
or other public buildings in Alturas
county, although they must appor-
ton all moneys in the treasury of
said Alturas county, in the same
proportion that they apportion the
debt" When it is known that AL
turas county as originally organized
contained territory and natural re-
sources ample for state, and that
the division deprived her of all of
this without the slightest attempt
or pretense at compensation in any
way; and that after having taken
away all of her domain, her resour-
ces, and her sources Of revenue, the
law sought further to charge her
with debts contracted upon the
basis of the resources of which she
had been deprived, and to invade
her treasury to take therefrom the
little money she might have laid by,
the inequity and injustice to Altu-
ras county embodied in the division
act will begin to be seen and real
lied. But the meanness of the act
did not stop here. In the language
of County Auditor l. w. Garrett,
than which there is no man in the
state better informed on county
matters "The court house bonds,
which the accountants were directed
to ignore, amounted to $4,000.
The floating debt, represented by
outstanding warrants, was about
$4,000. These warrants being reg
istered in Alturas county, had to
be paid in the order of their regis
tration, and were so paid in advance
of any warrants issued after the d.
vision. The annual interest charge
of the county was and is $22,675
a year. The division act was ap-
proved February 7, 1889. The
commissioners of the several coun-
ties affected were directed to ap-
point accountants to apportion
the debt in April following. The
work Of the accountants could not
be accepted by the Altulas commits
sioners until the next meeting after
the April session, which would be in
July. Interest, therefore, amount
ing to about $4,000 would accrue
between the passage of the division
act and the concluding act in the
apportionment business, and as
there was no provision made for
this, the payment would devolve
upon Alturas county. These three
items, namely, the court house
bonds for $4,000, the floating debt
of $25, 1000, and the interest accu-
mutation of $4,000, together con-
stitute charge of $4,000 for AL
turas county to pay, her just and
rightful proportion of which would
probably be less than Is per cent
of that amount.
Again." says Mr.. Garrett, "the
division act provides for the issue
of warrants payable in 8 to Is years
for the payment to Alturas by FL
more, Logan and Bingham counties
of the money apportioned, as well
as of the bonds-thus paying us in
longtime paper for our short-time
cash."
Had Alturas county blindly sub
mitted to this imposition and wrong
her condition would have been we'll
nigh hopeless; for not only would
$4,000 have been added to her in
debtedness, which she did not and
does not justly owe, but every dol
lars worth of her taxable property
would have been mortgaged for its
payment, by operation of an act re-
lating to the redemption of county
Indebtedness. Section 1905 reads,
"the Board must cause to he levied
annually, upon all taxable property
in the county, in addition TO other
authorized taxes, a sum sufficient
to pay the interest on all bonds dis
posed of in pursuance of the pro-
vision of this (Chapter VII and
must, at least once year before
such bonds become due, and in
time to provide the means for their
payment, cause to be levied sufi-
Gent additional sum to pay such
bonds as they become due, and all
such taxes must be levied, assessed
and collected as other conntv taxes