Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1897-10-27
FACTS FOR TAXPAYERS
Commissioner Stevenson
Talks Plain to the
Great 81 Am"
And Presents Facts and Figures
that Should Make all Decent
ID. o. P's. Pity their
Sesf-constituted
Hyas Tyee.

| EDITOR BULLETIN: - Inc ElmOre
County Republican of the 9th instant
contains an article by c. E. Corker,
written, he says, "to correct some err
roneous impressions that have gotten
abroad by the publication of letter
from the present chairman with refer
ence to the taxation Of the county this
year and former years, and cfiticising
the action of the former board" In
the same issue of the Republican the
chunk head editor fires several squibs,
aimed at me personally. But as the
squibs were evidently written under
the impression that Mr.. G. was to go
unchallenged, will let them pass for
the present. Most OF Mr.. Corker's re-
marks seem to have been provoked by
what he deems criticisms of the board
of which he was chairman. The first
item Mr.. Corker finds that bothered
him is the fact that the State required
%l 1892 more than ever before. He
can't see how that makes any differ
ence, for the remarkable reason that
the assessable property of the county
is greater than ever before. If the
State had demanded 81 1872 LESS we
could have made less levy for the
very reason Mr.. Corker mentions. Our
levy of $1.75 for current expenses Is
then referred to, and Mr.. Corker writes
this line: "He" (meaning me) sis the
best Judge of that, as he has probably
decided how he is. going TO manipu-
late that fund" No doubt it did Mr..
Corker great deal of good to write
that-but as the taxpayers are not in
terested In the personal importance of
either myself or Mr.. Corker, decline
to discuss that feature of what he
probably considers the finest passage
in his whole article. But the reader
will have observed that there is an
other meaning bullying out on that
fine delivery he thinks tie chair
man is and ought to be THE BoARDl
ain 1885," Mr.. Corker goes on to
tell us, 1--WE made the enormous levy
for current expenses of $l55; in 1895
the current expense fund levy was
$1.47." There he drops that part Of
the subject. And we'll he might, as
the Auditors and Treasurer's books
show that the current expense fund
FELL SHORT nearly $4,000 in those two
years. The levy for the road fund in
1896, he says, was only B cents on the
hundred dollars. That is true so far
as it goes. But as 40 per cent of the
liquor dealers license goes into that
fund, which added to the road fund
some $500, and it fell short nearly
$500, there was nothing brilliant in
the 3 cent levy. The county gets nc
part Of the license money from NTH
Home for the road fund this year. In
"the facts are these" part Of Mr.. Cork
er's letter he apparently tries to con
vey the idea that the present boarC
was not obliged to make levy for tn,
interest lund sufficient for two yea 8
|, That he is a better informed man thar
to believe the present board was no
compelled by the law and the necessi
ties of the case TO make a double levy
for the interest fund this year is clearly
shown by his labored efforts to avoit
plain statements.
| w bGll Wi OOdlu illOb III 5Cp
TENDER, 1896, to make the tax levy
"there was no bonds in existence" h,
says. Ii he had been trying to stat,
material facts he could have said tina
preparations for taking up all the out
standing warrants by a bond issue
} was nearly complete; that said bond
were to bear 6 per cent interest; tina
, the interest was to be paid semi annu-
ally; that said bonds would date iron
July l, 1896, and that IS ,2l0 of inter
; est would be due before any other lev,
could be made to meet it. Mr.. Corke
2 knows all this perfectly well-but il
trying to vindicate himself he ha
g only succeeded in making the trans
1 action appear worse. If there was n
6 bonds placed, then there was $4,000
! of outstanding warrants, besides GU
debt to Blaine county, amounting t
1874 600, at that time in an advance,
: state OF settlement. The whole of thes
warrants, $4,000, bore 7 per cent in
! terest, So, 500 per annum. Thus he Ia
! succeeded in showing the case agains
himself to be $1,000 worse than it APP
peared before Why does Mr.. Corke
: wiring so many changes around tn
= 81, 10? That was enough to pay tn
! interest on the bonded debt to the en-
: of his term of office; but what was
be done about the next payment du
}. July 1st this year?-three months bC
n fore the board could meet to make
n levy to pay it.
q Does Mr. Corker and his venomor
hirelings realize that he has only SUI
ceeded in laying bare the fact that h
board, WITH EYES WIDE OPEN, made
: tax levy that fell short Of the county
> needs nearly $4,000 in one Year, II
Il might just as well have completed Il
n indictment against himself by admit
ting that he was trying to DEcEIy
the people for POLITICAL EFFECT!
3. Mr.. Corker closes his remarkab
is effort with a sort of sheer at the tab
" that was published in the BULLET
g. showing the expenses Of the county
be $23,891 more this year than h
ever been levied before. Too bad |
y was so pushed for time that he cou
'e not examine that table enough TO 8
lg that no idea of paying the $23 ,S9l al
t. the running expenses OF the coun
r with $20,7l2. the amount to be raist
as by the $1.75 levy for current expense
;h was ever suggested. 1t was intend
~ to show, and did show as plain
II words and figures could show, that t.
whole expenses of the county this we