Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1895-04-25
THE COURIER.
Official Paper OF County.
~ W. r. BUCHANAN.
TALK IS CHEAP.

Some men have a deep regard for ,,
the truth, some only a slight one and
to Others truth Is an entire stran-
ger. Our competitor, the Leader,
across the street, belongs to the latter
class. Its theory Is that talk is cheap
and the public pack OF fools who can
be deluded into anything simply be-
cause they read it in newspaper. 1t
never refers to nything in respectful
language II it is opposed to It. It's
thoughts are so thoroughly saturated
with stool" "ring," corporation"
stools" "robbing the farmers" etc,
that the idea has never suggested
itself that an opponent may be honest,
fair and just. In a business way Mr..
Knapp's whole thought is to injure
the man or person who will not patron
ize him. He is never fair. He can
not consistently discuss any subject
whether religion or politics, without
resorting to abusing his opponent. He
never attempts to reasOn--it is all as
sertion and frequently so foolish as to
make him the laughing stock OF his
friends.
According to last weeks Leader,
Union county is "$6, 900 short" and it
is due entirely to the republicans now
in control. An assertion OF shortage
Of sc, 900 means what? A defalcation
or steal. II there is a shortage of
$6, 900 somebody must have stolen it.
Well, let's see: On January there
was change in the official roster OF
this county. The populists were re-
placed by republicans. Three months
have rolled around and in accordance
with the law quarterly statement is
made. The difference between the
assets and liabilities in the report Is
II, 900 in favor of liabilities-that is,
the county owes $4,000 more than it
has In sight. From that fact Mr..
Knapp assumes the county officials
have stolen $4,000. The entire expense
OF running the county for those three
months were $500. All the expenses
Of every kind and character-justice
fees, bailiffs, salaries, quarantine ex-
penses ut Beresford, bridge lumber,
advertising and stationery-have only
amounted to $500. Yet $4,000 was
stolen, according to Mr.. Knapp. Could
anything be more plainly lie on its
face? The expenses for the three
months preceding were $l1 ,sO2.2 the
quarter preceding that the expenses
were ~ 1872, and the quarter ending
April, 1894, they were $7,9s7.4s. In
other words, the county was conducted
at cost Of %, 100 less than the similar
quarter in 1894, and less than any pre-
ceding quarter for over a year. Yet,
according to Mr.. Knapp, $4,000 was
stolen.
The funny part Of it all is that the
quarterly statement OF ex-Treasurer
Compton and ex-Auditor Walsh for
the quarter ending January 1, 1895,
shows difference of So, O95 between
the assets and liabilities-there being
$73, l25 OF liabilities and only 81 $3.50 OF
assets. Then, according to the rea-
soning Of Knapp, the republicans have
reduced the shortage SIG, 900 in three
months, which should be highly graft
flying, to say the least, II it were true.
to the taxpayers.
AS matter of fact, the assets and
liabilities do not present to the aver
age mind a clear statement OF the
condition Of the county's finances. In
the first place, there Is $3S, 600 of
school money borrowed from the state
and loaned to farmers. This money
is secured by mortgages on land and
in reality is no indebtedness whatever
to the county. The actual bona fide
Indebtedness Of the county is $50, 900.
As an Offset to this there is 81, 900 of
uncollected taxes as we'll as some
cash on hand for current expenses.
The old cry OF Knapp that the coun-
ty commissioners had nothing to do
with the sinking fund for the cancel
lation OF $4,000 worth OF bonds Is too
foolish for refutation. Knapp knows,
and everybody else, that the commits
sioners are the financial agents Of the
county, and that Mr.. Main from begin |
ming to end advocated the special levy
for the purpose OF taking up the bonds. |
He was joined In this by Messrs. Dodd |
and Merrill, and to the board is due |
all the credit. No one else had any
thing to do with it and Knapp knows
that, but as Justification has been a |
habit with him for many years, he can
not get over misrepresenting the facts
Of any circumstances.
An exchange states that the news |