Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1896-02-13
INSIGNIFICANT.
The Amount of tho Tax Pro-
posed for immigration
Purposes.
No One With Property or a
Resident Can Afford
to Object.

W. O~JO0Ss
Farmer: In the immigration article
Of last week The Alert states that one
eighth of one mill is asked for. The
petitions scattered through the country |
call for one-fourth OF one mill which |
would make the sum derived nearly $1,000. |
Now do farmers understand when they are |
signing these petitions that this amount
ie to be expended annually, instead
of for one year? 1t is we'll to have the
matter precisely understood.
"Farmer" is somewhat in error. The
amount of tax to be levied is left to the
discretion of the county commissioners,
and they may decide that three-s'x-
teenths of mill and not exceeding q
quarter of mill, the maximum amount
allowed by law, will be necessary To-
carry on the work this year. This tax is
not an annual tax, but is asked
for this year only, and to secure
funds at once, the commissioners are
asked to advance $500 for immediate
use-the probable expenses to be incur
red by the associat!on-and reimburse
themselves from the proceeds of levy
sufficient to produce that sum; levy
greater than Is and less than a OF a
mill, Further information on this sub
iect, of interest to all, is stated in the
following communication from the secre-
tarv of the association.
To The Alert: As much apprehec-
sion exists in the minds Of many about
the tax which the county commissioners
are to be asked to levy for immigration
purposes, please allow space IN your
paHper IN the endeavor to remove this
feeling
It is estimated that the expenses OF
the association will amount to q sum OF
$500 for this yesr-they may not amount
to that sum and they may exceed It, 1t
depends on whether We can set forth the
advantages which Stutsman county
offers sufficiently to induce many fam
ilies to come and make their homes
among US. Three plans for raising the
amount necessary are patent to every
one. The first is the tax which the new
code, IN section 1908, provides for of one
fourth of one mill on the dollar. The
seoond is to solicit in individual sub
seript,ons In sums of 25 cents and up
wards from all the citizens Of the county.
The third is to ask the nonresident land
owners to pay an assessment OF 70 cents
on each quarter section of their land.
The second and third plans will take
very long time to carry out, and the
spring months will pass before it could
be done, and nothing could then be done
this year, or very little until next year.
Now let US look at the first plan, the
tax levy. d of one mill will produce the
sum of SYU6; this sum is more than will
he needed and the commissioners can
not levy more than this, and they can
levy smaller sums. Suppose they levy
three-sixteenths of one mill, this will
produce the sum OF $679. 50 and of this
amount seven -tenths, or $475,65, 1t is
estimated will be paid by the non resi-
dent land owners, and tWo-tenths 1t ls
estimated by the property owners Of
jamestown, or 8l35 80, and one-tenth by
the property owners outside the city,
4f795. OF this amount the commits.
sioners will be asked to pay from time to
time such sums a. the association needs
and the rest will remain in the county
treasury and the expenses incurred
l. md thon Qn6ltQ0
by the advisory committe together with
the commissioners, consisting of E. D..
Strong. Herman Geiseler, O. l.. Church
III. Jacob Leisch, Chas. A, Klaus, John
Mllsted and E. F. Horn.
It will thus be seen that the amount
OF tax to be paid by any one resident III
the county is 20 exceedingly small as 70
be insignificant, and that paid by the
non-resldents is equally SO. Before the
county board can act petitions signed
by one-third of the legal voters must oe
had. TO do any work this spring mo
time is to be lost. Therefore It anyone
signs one OF these petitions will think,
now or hereafter, that his proportion OF
this tax is burden, let him ask himself
whether he would not willingly give zoe
or more according to the value OF the
property he owns, il asked to do so under
the second plan, and then reflect that
under this tax be does not pay one-third
of Csc and il he then thinks 1t burden,
I will, when he pa,s hls tax, pay th,s
proport; on for him out Of my own pocket.
The name OF tax is always odious, and
naturally men object, but when we look
it in the face ss in this instance, it
dwindles into insignifcance.
Petitions to the county commissioners
asking them to levy this tax are IN the
hands Of Harry Cornwall, Eldridge,
James Buchanan. Buchanan; Chas.
Plow, Pingree; H. p. Sunday Edmu9ds; T
Ell is IT, ler, Kenssl; Larson II Tucker,
Courtensy, and T.. J. Gleason. Spirit
woed. They are drawn for the amount
named in the code.
tits understood from the commission
era, that less amount will be all that
ia needed and all that will be levied. II
three. .sixteenths is levied 1t is not at all