Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1894-10-25
TAX PAYERS.
The Truth About the Pay
ment Of the County
Indebtedness.
LOOK OUT FOR POPuuST LIES.
The Tax Payers are the Ones
Who Paid OFF the Debt
in Extra Taxes.
LOOK OUT FOR PopuuST LIES.
Populist Orators are Telling
Falsehoods-Don't Believe
What They Say.

AASy wy 1
The burden Of the cry Of tho pop
ulists in Union county Is that they
have saved the people large sums OF
money, paid off big Jumps Of the
bonded inhebtedncss-all through
the economy exercised by the county
Misunderstanding the commissions
crs-because they are republicans.
Besides accomplishing this non-
strous and huge task they paid SILL
600 Of insane expenses (the law pro-
vi'ies II special tax fluid for the main
,enance Of the insane), built three
bridges, us we'll MS aided to the sal
airy Of the auditor $1,000. All this
was done IN four years. These self
styled iinaucicls with n modesty SO
wonderfully unassumed on their
part, after figuring this out, add up
the assets of the county, including
the poor farm, aud claim Union
county is SIS, 900 out of debt. In
other words with a bonded and
floating hehi in 1890 Of $4,000 they
haye wiped it off from the books
and have assets worth readily S25,-
600. If the tax payers could only
possess the same magic wand, which
our popul,st brethren do-no task
would be too easy for them to ac-
complish- if says SO" and "claim-
ing" could do the work. They have
Il sort of wizard oil" which they
pour upon their ideas and ,rest"
change the wool falls over their eyes
and the greatest changes takes place
regardless af Iacts.
While their claim Of doing womb
ers is not warranted 10y the facts
whatever was done in the way of
levying taxes or paying off bonds
was entirely arranged and planned
10y the county commissioners who
are and have been, with one exc"I'.
ton, republicans.
The bonded Indebtedness OF
Union county today is $4,000. 1t
WAS S44 600 in 1890. In the table
in this issuu are ali the facts
needed 10 controycrt every claim
made 10y the p"pulists with reference
To county affairs. M one believes
that the expenses of county govern
nent has CHI, ngetl in the last eight
or tea wears. 1t costs just about so
much each year To c,intuct the bus.
iness. We mush have the respect
i've officers, ANA pay them salaries;
bridges have to he built and roads
repaired. On the average county
expenses are about the same, year in
and year out. liz the table county
revenues in detail" there has i:een
eliminated tn. taxes OF the state,
also that of the school, rail.
| road, insan" and few mis-.
cellanrous matters not properly
belonging to the general county tax.
What do we find for the four previ-
GUS to l"pulIstic rule? The county
taxes were in sc, sl6 600; in 81,
$4,000; in 'SS. $4,000. and in 80.
$4,000. The assessed valuation
was on the average p per cent less
than the period Of four ye"rs follow
ing. For the four years from so TO
'94-when r"pulistic county officers
were exercising their alleged fnan-
cial influence the taxes averaged s3S,.
600. While the four previous years
the average was 100000 net in,
crease of sl7 1000 for county expen'
scs--that is, there was over so pei
cent o paid in.
This enormous increase must havt
some meaning; either the first year,
were mes IN which not enough taxes
were levied to pay the running ex
penses or else the ones Of the latte
four years were enormously extrav
agant in the matter Of county ex
penses. The truth Of the matter lie
!. in the fact that the taxes of the frs
four years failed To pay the runnin
, expenses and the increase of $1,000
; in taxes simply paid OF the indebl
! cdness, floating aud bonded. Their
! is nothing like the truth. Unio
: county this year is paying $l4,O0
more than it did in 1886 So il is nc
9 Il superalnndnnce Of economy o
: the part Of the county officials, b,
E u straight business proposition
a There Inns not been any cxtraort
: nary saving done. The tax page
h have paid The bills and paid off II
!. bonds In extra taxes. That il q
. They have done il by the natural j,
. crease il the assessed valuation an
Nm increase iii taxes.
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. INSPECTION.
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