Arizona silver belt., 1895-11-09

T AlN bAAAN AflfbAN VI ttAA NINNAttA lll-tl-
 est is that of the committee appointed
 to investigate the affairs of the Board
 of Supervisors, and after citing the
 acts of the old Board in reference to
 the payments made to Messrs. Cox &
 Street, as special attorneys, and the
 action of the present Board in com
 promising tho judgment of the court against the old Board, the committee expresses no opinion whatever as to the legality of these acts.
 The only positive expression made in the committee's report is that the Board in July 1895, cancelled warrants to the amount of S3,OG2, or rather re- duoed the amount to S1 without war rant of law. This is inaccurate, in that the Board did not cancel the war rants, but cancelled the assessment of warrants to that amount. The war rants were owned by F. W. West meyer, and included in his return of property for taxation and were stricken from the assessment roll by the Beard, without Mir We5tmeyer's motion. The fact is that no one ex- cept Mir Westmeyer has ever made any return of warrants for taxation, and as the warrants have no market value, it would be hard to say what they are really worth.
 The committee on Probate Court and Public buildings report every thing satisfactory except the quality of the food furnished prisoners in the county jail, and the suggestion is made that the Board of Supervisors award the contract of furnishing prisoners their meals to the sheriff, in order that If the restaurant selected does not fur nish wholesome food, he may change the place of supply.
 One of the most important matters considered by the Grand Jury was the legality of the levy for the Territorial Normal School, University and Reform School, under the acts of 1895, The report is as follows; ~
 Our attention having been called to the acts of the Eighteenth Legislative Assembly, making appropriations for the Territorial Normal School, the University of Arizona and the Terri torial Reform School, in addition to levies for these institutions previously provided for, we have inquired into the matter and believe the said acts are illegal They are
 Act No. 53, to provide and complete suitable buildings for the Normal School.
 Act No. 64, to provide and complete suitable buildings for the Reform School.
 Act No. D, to provide for the cree tion of dormitory at the Territorial University,
 And in compliance with the above acts, the Board of Supervisors of Gila county, at regular meeting held on August 30, 1895, did make ioyies as follows:
 For the Normal School, four cents upon each slOO valuation of taxable property within the county.
 For the Territorial University, two and one-half cents upon each S1OO val uation, and for the Reform School, three cents upon each S1OO valuation,
 The aggregate amount to be collected from the taxpayers of Gila county under these acts, and through levies otherwise provided for for the year 1895, is S1,173.34, and a like amount, or greater, will be demanded next year, unless some action is taken to restrain the Board of Supervisors from the levy.
 The levy under the acts of 1895 is illegal, for the following reasons to wit
 Section 3, Organic Law of Arizona, page 37, R. g. A , provides:
 ''That no law of any Territorial Leg islature shall authorize any debt to be contracted by or on behalf of any such Territory, except in the following cases; To meet a casual deficit in the revenues; to pay the interest upon the Territorial debt; to suppress insur- rections, or to provide for the public defense that in addition to any indebtedness created for such pur- poses, the Legislature may authorize a loan for the erection of penal, charit- able or educational institutions, if the total indebtedness of the Territory is not thereby made to exceed one per centum upon the assessed value of tax able property in such Territory" etc., and Section 1, Organic Law, provides
 That no political or municipal cor poration, county, or other subdivision In any of the Territories of the United States, shall ever become indebted in any manner or for any purpose to any amount in the aggregate, including existing indebtedness, exceeding four per centum on the value of taxable etc.
 First-The levies authorized by the Legislature, for the pur- poses named, are not loans, but direct tax upon property, and therefore illegal within the meaning of the law.
 
 Second-The existing indebtedness of the Territory of Arizona greatly ex- ceeds one per centum of the value of