The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1896-12-11
ISSUED T 5 D JHEID I I : ~ llfOnNIyG G.S


"a, WA1pvuiiIs.. g leI.5nsntssa
NARDWELI. 8 THOMPSON. 4
TERMS. 800 PER AENUM
Eatsrsa q .As post eAss 6 rsnhana = -
THAT DITCH ASSESSMENT
AZ will be remembe by many Of
our readers, the legislature OF 1892
passed Law allowing the appoint
ment Of ditch commissioners and
made provisions for digging bitches
for drainage purposes. The salient
features Of this law were, that the
cost Of. the bitches was to be assessed
to the lands benefited, and collected
as tax divided through series Of
years. Meantime however, the county
was to provide payment for the work
by issuing bonds. and afterwards pay
the bonds by the aforesaid taxes as
they were collected. .Fs sss. .2
Under the provisions Of this Law
two large bitches were made In this
county, .ditch No. ~ running east
and west about four miles north Of
Bathgate and ''ditch No. a" being .
right angle, the corner about mile
west cf Bathgate. running about four
miles east and west and about three
miles north and south. The cost Of
these bitches and some other ditch
work was in the neighborhood Of 81.
600. The contractors were paid by
"orders" or "warrants'' issued and
signed ! by ditch commissioners.
About t1,OoO was advanced by the
county on the superstition that the
Glitch bonds'' would soon be sold,
but about this time the law, or that
part Of 1t, which made the county is
sue bonds for ditching and become
liable for payment was declared un-
constitutional by our supreme court.
This left the payment of the warrants
issued in rather precarious condition.
The legislature OF 1894, In view of
the failure of the previous law, enact
ed a new statute embodying most Of
the features Of the previous law and
authorized the issuing Of ditch bonds.
but expressly declaring that the coun-
ty was not to be held responsible in
anyway for the payment. thus evad-
= ing the ncOnstitutionality Of the
former Law.
In the present Law there are provis-
ions intended to cover the costs Of
bitches made under the previous. law;
particularly in Section 1867, which
first puts ali bitches under the
charge Of the county commissioners
and then says. ''In cases where no as
sessment OF benefits shall have been
made, the board of commissioners
having charge shall make such assess
ment.'
Under this law Of 1894, the county
commissioners of this county, have
during the last month, proceeded to
assess the lands supposed by them to
be benefited aud the list was pub
lished IN the Pink Paper OF Bathgate
and Tuesday was appointed as the
day Of hearing the protests Of those
who felt aggrieved.
At2 O'Clock the court room was
pretty well filed with people, there
being in the neighborhood Of 100 per-
sons present for the purpose Of pro-
test. Quite number Of these how
ever. were only interested from the
fact by an error 10 advertising, all the
lands assessed were put one range too
far east, thus Bathgate and Neche
were put as in range So, Cavalier and
st. Joseph fn So, etc. These people
were informed by the board that the
assessment Of their lands was an er.
ror and they went home happy. For
the same reason. no other business
could be done by the board under the
erroneous advertisement. So upon
suggestion, OF Hon. Peter Cameron
the s.protestants' resolved themselv-
es into meeting for the purpose Of
united effort for q systematic kick
against the assessments which will be
readvertised as soon rs possible BY
? the county board. 4
TIE MEETING. Z
Hon. Peter Cameron was elected
chairman and j.. D. Trenholme was
elected 90 sec-treasursr. /: /:
There was consid derable discussion,
participated In by; Messrs Cameron,
Nevins, Crosby, Trenholme. NORM,
Baptie and others, on the rights aud
wrongs Of the assessment. and the
best methods of fghtIng IS The hn,
IL outcome was tho elscti0n Of llsssrl
Ale1, Morrison, =. J. Nelson and u.