Arizona weekly citizen., 1895-02-16
FACTS AND NOT FICTION.
Figures Wont Lie in the County Di-
 vision Issue.

Figures Won't Lie," appears to have aroused the ire of the boLemians of the line city, particularly SO that of my old friend Bird, of the Oasis. He tells me as an official of Pima county l should serve the whole people. Well, that is what 1 have always done and what l shall continue to do without fear or fa- vor, but the trouble IS it Is just what Bird and my bohemian friends at No- gales don't want me to do, at least just at present. He tells his readers that figures won't lie, but the usual trouble Is liars will figure. This was unneces- ssry. Everybody who has read the last two numbers of tue Oasis has been aware of that fact.
 But when 1 answered the Vidette's article had DO intention of offending anyone, neither do l now intend to in- dulge in personalities but as the custO- dian of the records of Pima county l saw statements made in the interests of the division of Pima county that were erroneous and intended to deceive the citizens living within the proposed new county limits. knew that it was h matter of vital interest that these pso- pie should know their exact conditioD and as a public officer 1 should have been dIrelect in my duty if 1 had not endeavored to correct them. l shall continue in the same manner, let the chips fall where then may.
 Both the Oasis and Vidette are labor ing under the halluciDstion that they have property to the value of S93S, 5O4 in the Pspago district. If either one of them or the party who gave them the figures will come to my office and give me an audience for fifteen minutes I will certainly cure them of the dis ease.
 They also endeavor to make their readers believe that the S3.15 tax levy of Pima county is levied for the purpose of carrying on county government, and that the funds raised thereby can be used for any purpose the officials may wish to apply it to. As l stated Tn my former article, S1.05 of that amount Is the territorial tax levied by order of the territorial board of equalization for ter rltorlal purposes and the county IS sim ply acting ss the agent of the territory in collecting it.
 Now as to county levy, which is S2 10: Thirty cents of this amount IS levied for the purpose of paying the interest on our bond d indebtedness; sixty cents Cor the school fund and ten cents for the road fund. These are all special Ievies and the fund cannot bs u et for any other purpose than that for wh:ch it is ,ilscted, leaving, as 1 have stated before SI.l0 of the levy for the county general fund.
 The Oasis says Pima county disburses about S500O0 annually, and under my statement, which only gives PapaGo S6762, Pima would on the same calculs tion only raise S27, ,000. For once Bird is nearly right, let us see how near.
 Pima county last year dIsbursed the sum of $50, 1882. Where dId it come from? We'll, here are the
 RECEIPTS:
 Merchants linense and liquor
 tax l7,s55 20 From U. S. for care of U. s.
 prisoners 2,96o.56 From U. s. for rent of court
 house 100000 From Msricopa for care oi
 prisoners Ia3.OU
 S2I. .454 56
 This amount deducted from $50, 1898 leaves S2S, 74526 to be derived from the tax levy of Sl.10. Since Pima couaty had over S2O00 of unpaid demands at he cpd of the year 1854, brlugs the ig- ures down even lower than the amount of S27, ,OOO of which you make so liz t.
 Now friend Bird 1 am going to give you some more figures and at the same time reply to your article "Equ ty in County Diyisioa." You must certainly have go. ten tsnderfoot to furolsh that article. No other persoD would have left himself so opec. You state that sn aggregate of 29,O00 IS collected from the Papsgo district and not five per cent expended among your people. Great Sc tt, the Oasis fgurer must be Bird as we'll as the editor. Let us see: :: First we will take the road fond, or ghicb you complain to have been treat ed so badly. The levy is tea cents aro ro other money goes into that func Ths Papago district has furnished eEaut S612 per year of that fund or the 1sst two years, a total of sl22i, and Ptmg county has expended the sum Of S3SS3. IS in the said district during tbe same tune, and of that amount S2Ol3.O0 was experded on the Nogales district alone, but some people will kick 1T y6 u feed them on pie. For the new county to expend the same amount on tbe roao~ it would have to more than treb'e thr road tax levy.
 Now we will take the school fund. On the sixty cent levy you would raise the sum of S3672. To this sum IS to be added the collections from gambling license and poll tax. The Papago dis trict paid the sum of s960 for gambling | license and about s25O in poll tax. msk- ng SiSS2 the total amount Papago | could raise for a school fund. Now 5hep, outside of Nogales there are four .eeu school districts esi ablished within | .he proposed new county, viz:
 Harshaw, Tubac, Gro BlaDco, Arivaca, Evans Camp, Calsbssss, Crittenden, Il Jaachuca, Palo Parade. Santa Cruz, 8uenos Ayres No. 20, La Noria, Peso 8ueno and Buenos Ayres No. 2S.
 The law compels the superintendent O set part the sum of five hundred loIIars Ter anpum for each of these dis ricts. The Tubsc district calls for 5000, which would require the sum of ,75O0; add to thIs the sum of S3262.9S, he cost of maintaining the Nogales chool, making a total of s1O, 93. that t will require to maintain your present chools, and as l have shown all you an raise at the levy of sixty cents, and our inecme from gambling license and 'oll tax is S4SS2; suppose now you in- resse your tsx levy to eighty cent, ,hich is the limit to which the law will How you to go, you could then only aise the sum of S6106, and 1t IS only DO plain that you will be compelled to lose the doors of over one-half the ,hools in your new county.
 You will now without doubt try to lake capital out of the statement that T., ,355. 20 was collected on licenses last gar. That you may have correct fig res to make calculations on in the fu-