Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1898-10-28

THEY ALL STAND UP.
Yet the Times Herald Tries to Preyent
Tho Accused from Answering
Its Charges.
Last week the STAR devoted some of
its space to an article from the county
auditor to the Times Herald, in reply
to the questions that sheet had pro-
pounded to that officer, and which an
swer the Times Herald refused to pub
lish. Again this week we give space to
an article that properly belongs in the
Times-Herald, but which the editor Of
that stepaper also refuses to publish for
the same reason as he refused to pub
lfsh the county auditors reply. "Costs
money to set type" but when told that
1t would be set for him he did not have
space for it. That is what he told Will
Stanley, and that is the excuse he Of
fered when the following communica-
tion was handed him:
To E. s. Ames, Esq, Editor of tho
Times Herald, Hot Springs, s. D.,
My Dear SIR
Noticing that you were running iii
your paper series of questions enti-
tied ''Stand up Gentlemen" in which
you seemed to be asking questions of
certain county officials as to their offi-
cial acts, and as yet only Mr.. w. II.
Stanley had taken the trouble to an
swer any of your questions, asked
Messrs. Burke and Grippcn what they
had to say in answer to your questions
and was told by them that the answers
were so plain, the records of the coun-
ty were SO open to all, the questions
themselves were SO foolish and child
ish to those who knew anything of the
county's affairs, that they thought it
was not worth while to make any an
swer. But upon my suggesting to
them that there might be persons in
the county who would take the trouble
to vote aud yet not take the trouble TO
inform themselves by examination of
the records and books of the county as
to the truth or falsity of the charges
indirectly sought to be made against
them as officials, they said they would
tell me what they had to say and
could publish it if wanted to do so.
Mr.. Gpippen said to me in substance:
''Why, the seemingly useless ques-
tion is asked by Ames, why the propo-
sition of DIR. Hargens to furnish medi-
cal attendance and medicines to the
county poor during the year 1893 was
accepted and how he gets his pay; and
why it was agreed that no moro poor
fund warrants would be issued when
he is the holder of all now outstand-
ing. Anyone that will take the trou-
BILE to look the facts up will find that
DIR. Hargens' bid was accepted because
1t was lower than any other bid sub
mitted pursuant to published notice
asking for such proposals. / will give
you the figures. The bid of DIR. Har-
gems was s95 while the next lowest bid,
that of Dr. Hoenes, for the same SER
vice, was s172. The salary of the
county physician in 1897 was $3.50 and
in 1886 s249.5O, being let to the lowest
bidder each year. Thus the cost of
this service is sl99.5O less in 1898 than
In 1886. This being for medical attend
ance and medicines to the county poor
the salary is paid out of the poor fund,
as it should be. 1t is perhaps unnec-
essary to state that DIR. Hargens is not
the holder of all the s6l96.72 worth of
poor fund warrants now outstanding,
nor does it seem to me that it would
be such heinous offense if he were.
Games also asks the question why
taxes are not collected or the property
sold according to law. To use favor.
ite expression of the Times Herald
man, "you can lead horse to water
but you cannot make him drink" You
can charge up taxes against all the
property i'll the county but you cannot
collect it all. You can offer the pro-
perty for sale but you cannot force Il
person to buy it. The property is sold
according To law but unfortunately
the county is compelled to bid in the
greutcr portion of it. This, of course
does not replenisli the &C unity treasury
and in order to collect much of the
large amount of delinquent taxes now
on the books of the county the com
promising of uncoilectable tax must
be frequently rcsorted to, and this uu-
thority is given 10y chapter 81 of the
session laws Of 1897. A large portion
of this unpaid tax is on outside real
estate that has greatly deprecated III
value and the property has been sold
year after year for delinquent taxes
aud bid in by the county, there being
no other bidders. The question how
best to effect the collection of this
Annrn,Ono ovnos,nk of