The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1892-04-01

to rise in their might and make one grand
effoit to escape the impending disaster be-
fore it should be everlastngly too late. To
elect new men so that they nigh take it out
of the courts before costs were added and
thus save at least a small part of the great
wreck. Is there not some mistake about
this, Mr. Press? Didn't the officers make an
effort to take it from the courts, and didn't
the supreme court decide that we must pay
these thousands that were charged up to us
on the county treasurer's books? If so let
us give our officers credit for paying much
larger debt. If not so, let our friends who
felt so sure, or pretended to, that ruin had
already Overtaken us, own up even at this
late date that 1t was all buster and pretense.
Second. l can come to no conclusion
other than that the object sought by the pre-
sentaton of these figures and amounts, viz,
S1O99.75 and $337S.53 in the manner they
are was but to create an impression in the
minds of the uniformed that there was
really saved to the tax payers the magniti-
cent sum of $447S.2S in the one year, 1890,
aud we are informed that they were still
lower in 1891 ana consequently by the same
mode of reasoning the saving would be
greater. Viewed from this standpoint we
proceed to dissect their evident claims.
Every supervisor in this county knows
and the Press ought to know that the super
visor does not make the taxes. He is only
the instrument by and through which all
the various taxes levied find their way to the
tax roll and in no case save one in Town
affairs if he attends to his own business
and let others attend to theirs and that is
the raising of monies for contingent and
some other little necessities by the township
board, and he has but one voice in four.
| Let us make few comparisons in the years
80, 80 and '91. First we find that in the
year $50 and following the session of the
Legislature, state taxes were high. For
Rush they were, State tax $93l.31, in 1891
S165.52. / select 81 because the taxes fol-
lows the session of the Legislature the same
as $50 and because of the greatest saving
claimed. We discover '91 state taxes were
lower by $l65.79, caused by the general
government paying into our state treasury
nearly a half million dollars, thereby max
ing the levy less and no democrat aided, if |
remember correctly, in placing it there, so
please don't take any credit for their being
any lower County taxes were, 80, $1,000 90;
81, S1363S0 What! County taxes higher
10y S341.S than in that fatal year 'S9? Yes
| and at this moment the general fund of the
county more than $4,000 overdrawn and L
am informed by the best authority in the
county that before any more can possibly be
| received from county sources it must exceed
$4,000. Why is not some of the saving
here in Rush applied to county affairs?
| Next we find the contingent fund to be,
in 'S9 $780, in 81 $500. This you know
goes to pay township officers. Can it be
possible that these officers, made famous by
their saving qualities, Ireally paid themselves
500 more than their wasteful, reckless
predecessors did? | can't say l am just
quoting figures from the record that they
made themselves. Again 'S9 bridge tax.
| This is the Goss BRIDGE, was $l,590.00, in
| 81 not one dollar levied? Why, this is an
| extremely fine item for them to save three
| lifthS of the total cost of one OF the best
bridges OH the river. How fortunate for
these fellows that there was no river bridge
to build or pay for in this the year of light |
est taxes in eight years. Again, in $50
there was appropriated aside from river
bridge. for highways $500. In 81 aside
from river bridge they did not have to build
Sl009.45. Why, Mr.. Press, what is the
matter with these gentlemen who have
saved our town from bankruptcy? How
could they, please do tell us how they dared |
to nearly double the highway appropriations !
and for my part l confess | can't see how |
it's done and yet save so much. Again, |
we find the little item of returned highway |
tax. In 80 it was 800. 40; in '91 it was |
$500. This is assessed highway tax; that
portion of it worked never enters the roll, |
and that portion not worked enters the roll
and is paid in money and becomes part of
the total footing of the roll. Thus the people |
chose to pay into the treasury i'm 'S9 $99.42,
and IN '91 they chose to pay $3.50. The
tactics used by our friends would make
saving of $25.5S to the dear people whom
they are trying to serve. Again, the town
and county drain commissioners saw fit to
levy total of drain taxes for the year 'S9 of
S2557. Is. Mark the figures. and IN '91 |
those same officers saw fit to levy total Of
drain taxes of 1857. 90, a difference of 81
100. 15-anOther nice little item saved to the
people, an item which neither the super
visor or his successor, nor all the supervis-
Ors i'm the county could have prevented from
going on the roll. Again, the people were
saved $500 in dogs; there were not so many {
in '9l as i'm $50. Again, the schools of this (
township raised a total of taxes i'm 'S9 of |
S1370. 40 and in '91 total of school taxes of |
$96S.80 a difference in school tax of S401 so. |
DO you honestly believe, Mr.. Press, laying |
all political objects aside, as between man |
and man, that it was because of his careless |
ness, wrecklessness or inefficiency that the |
sum of 1870. 40 was levied for the schools |
i'm 80, and that because of his successors |
superior ability sagacity or efficiency the
school taxes for '9l in same districts was
only $96S.S0? Yorr editorial would GER