Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1894-10-13
HOW WE ARE TAXED"

Under the above caption the Leader
in its issue OF last week served up an
other bucket Of senseess slush to the
extreme disgust OF all Of its readers who
are at all familiar with the subject treat
ed. The Leader man, who came here
rom Nebraska about three months
since, and accepted sit upon the edi-
torial staff of six column folio, as chief
dispenser OF populistic rot for consid-
Grafton, has succeeded in collecting.
inferen'ially through the medium of a
republican Of marked populistic tend
encies, more unreliable data touching up
on the financial history ofCuster county
than was hitherto known to the oldest
residents of this community. His
weekly Trades against the management
of our county affairs are especially con-
spicuous for their marked perversion Of
truth and the unscrupulous character of
the writer. Among other unwarranted
statements made to delude the people
for political effect he says:
"rhe constitutional provisions have
been avoided also in the matter of the
county general fund, and the people,
instead of paying q mills on the dollars
valuation as provided by the consttu
ton, have been forced to pay much
larger general fund tax than the mill
limit Of that instrument"
Now, for the information Of those who
might be tempted to believe such state
ment, We will state that about twelve years
ago. levy of fifteen mills was levied
for general fund purposes in this as well
as other counties of the Hills, the COM
missioners. who by the way were not
all republicans, believing it impossible
to meet the demands upon that fund
with smaller levy. The excess was
however returned to the tax payers by
q rebate upon their taxes for the year
following, and from that period to the
present the levy has in no case exceeded
the legal limit. During portion Of the
time intervening the levy for this fund
was made in accordance with the pro-
visions Of q special law applicable to
Black Hills counties only. which provid-
ed for levy Of ten mills. This law was
finally repealed, since which time the
levy has in no instance exceeded six
mills. Now, we would like to have this
pretended model of modern reform
point out the faintest shadow ofa wrong
perpetrated by the commissioners which
has not been corrected, or where the
tax payer has been made to suffer by
the unauthorized acts Of the county
board. Our readers will bear us out in
the statement. that the Leader man
must be possessed OF large fund of gall
to sttemp. to pose as an oracle of infor-
nation in community largely CON-
posed Of men who have established per-
manent homes in this city and county
years before he came among us, whose
knowledge Of our county affairs are, in
nine cases out Of ten. infinitely superior
to his.
Great stress is laid upon the fact OF
the Indebtedness Of the county being in
excess of the Eve per cent constitutional
limit. q condition existing in every
county in the Black Hills, and in large
number Of the counties throughout the
state. The reader of average intelli-
gence viii readily understand that this
law, which was passed for the purpose
OF limiting the bonding of q county to
FIVE per cent of its assessed valuation
has in no case been violated, the five
per cent limit Of the county's indebted
ness having been contracted prior to
the passage Of the law.
The reference made TO what he IL
pleased to denominate the "Ouster
Ring" can only effect the risibles Of the
reader Of average information, who
need not be told that this mythical
combination is purely imaginary. .
visionary shadow without substance OF
existence. and only referred TO In cases
Of axtreme desperation for electioneer.
ing purposes. The object which this
false reformer seeks to gain Ia indicated
in his warning 70 the voters and tax