The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1896-09-18
The TAX LEVY AFFAIR.
Chairman Mccain Explains the Mat
ter Thoroughly.
TRIES TO MISLEAD
As Uusual It Tries to Lay all the
Blame on the Populist
Commissioners Board

The comment of the Journal on
the action of the board of county
commissioners in making the levy
for 1896, only proves it's old time
reputation for misstatement has
been justly earned. After COM
mending the board for lowering
taxes, it says: "This is without
doubt largely due to the fact that
there were but two members pres
ent, Messrs. Clark and Mccain. y
We scarcely know whether this is
intended as a compliment or not,
since the third member is now
populist, it would seem not, but
considered from the standpoint that
when the high levy was made in
1895, the majority was republican
it would seem complimen tary. The
following remarks however disabuse
ones mind of the idea that slur is
not intended, viz: ''The levy in
flicted by the board upon the tax
payers of the county last year re-
suited in the payment of smaller
amount of taxes, as the board in
making it's levy one year ago placed
it so high that Ihe taxpayers who
were disposed to pay their taxes
promptly were unable to do so on
account of the extreme high taxes
imposed. y In refutatiop of this ig-
norant and reckless misstatement
we give the comparative collections
of the 1894 and 1895 taxes for the
corresponding seven months. From
December /, 1894 to July l, 1895
collection $33, 181 From December
l, 1895 to July 1, 1896 collections
$4,000. Above amounts include
only the collections for the years
named, no delinquent collections
included
How much more gentlemanly it
would appear on the part of the
Journal since the fact is patent not
only to it's editor but to many of it's
readers, that the increased levy of
1895. was not volun tary act of the
board but on account of the unbusi-
nesslike method of past county ad-
ministration it became necessity,
and the regret that the board ex-
presses in having to make the ex-
cessive levy of 1895, when every tax
payer was driven almost to despair
with the depressed condition of the
country brought ABOUT by the sim
gle gold standard, which the Jour
nal is now with it's usual and time
honored faculty of always being on
the wrong side,) SO tenaciously sup
porting. Those expressions of re-
gret are now in part being counter
acted by the pleasure the board
enjoys in knowing that through it's
efforts and business administration,
assisted by an efficient county audi
tor they have taken up during the
past year $4,000 of the needless
bonded Indebtedness Imposed upon
the taxpayers by and through the
knowledge and sanction of said
Journal as well as being able to
reduce the levy and witness a twenty
five per cent advance in county war
rants and reduction Of $4,000 in
the current expanses Of the county
for the year.
And now in conclusion 7 want
to say to the editor of the Jour
nal since yourself and your cocoon
spirators have met with such igno-
minious defeat in your futile at
tempts to disgrace by prosecution,
persecution, and imprisonment,
those who have been laboring for
the best interests of the county,
any advice would be to either keep
silent upon county matters or else
investigate and speak the whole
truth, and in time you may com
mand degree of respect in the
community atleast.