Kootenai County Republican. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1899-1903, 1900-04-27

January, 1899, and Is On file In the all-
ditor's Office, while the figures In the
second column are from tho last an
nual statement Of Auditor Jno. c.
Callahan and Treasurer ". j. Mcclure:
Total Receipts siao 30. " sl2i sri "
Warrants issued. current
| expense 81 80. 10 ~ ,isti -
Warrants issued road II rs 10 10 - q
| Cash on hand, current
expense fund % ii s. 10 los "a
Cash on hand, road fund 5 iri Il ei3 %
Total Indebtedness .-..., 10, s;,o - iea Jos N
There you have II In n nutshell.
The receipts for 1859, the first year of
fusion control, exceeded these Of lses
The last year Of republican control. by
Slb7s. Is, yet under fusion control for
that one year the Indebtedness of
k0otenal county has been increased by
sl3,65l. -. And that is not Mi. The
statement uf 1898 Includes the com
pensation of nearly all the county oni-
rers for the last quarter of 1903. their
salary under the old law having been
In the form Of fees collected by them
during the quarter, but the statement
OF $500 does not include any part of
the salaries for the last quarter OF
1870, because such salaries could not
he allowed until the commissioners
1 IN. ~ l,ts
the auditor and treasurer's statement
for 1890 had been prepared. And the
amount of warrants drawn on the cur
rent expense fund at the first meeting
Of the board Ia 1900, shows that this
Item Is not very small. 1t Is Just Si0,-
23i.S2. One year OF fusion experience
has cost the taxpayers of kootenai
county clean 10000 90 at lcast!
1t has been asserted by fusion lead.
ers and newspapers, who apparently
are anxious 10 have the taxpayers be-
licye that the reason warrants of the
county are eagerly sought by investors
at par is due 10 their efforts Ia be Iii
rectlon Of reform. that the financial
condition is improving under III.
sion control and that II Is due to this
Tact that warrants are ut par. That
IL wrong. These warrants now pass nj
par on account of the improved imam
elal condition OF the country at large
and the consequent sharp competition
among Investors TO secure collateral
which Is perfectly safe and draws Il
fair rate OF interest, The Republican
d@s not wish 10 insinuate that the
paper of kootenui county Is not per-
fectlv safe, hut the figures here pre-
sented show eeneluSiyely that the date
Tor the payment OF county warrants In
becoming extremely nneertain. and we
assert that under such hmucial con.
Idttiens ms prevailed Ia this country
during lSa5 Il kootenal county war.
rants would now scarcely bring -
cents on the dolar.
la support Of this assertion we Shall
Submit a few figures showing the con-
dltion OF the treasury AT the time the
auditor and trcasurerS last quarterly
statement was rendered, when the
taxes levied Ia is9o were about all In
and only one quarters warrants OF
MOO had been issued. These figures
Indicate the conditions:
Outstanding Warrants all funds sa 6li 81
Cash III the treasury available Tor
tlNa pay intent 81 SAINT Wis. M -esa : s
j In defense Of the deplorahle eondi.
tlon 10 which the finances OF kooteuai
county have been brought In the short
period OF one year under fusion con.
tro'. the fuslonists Will probably tell
you that the comparative statement
here submitted shows them up ne "A
disadvantage, because their first year 5
expenditures includes some Ss,0aa elet,.
tlon expenses OF isslS. which the old
board fatlcd To allow, and also some
other bills which were laid over by the
old board for rcasuns set forth In their
minutes The election expenses are
moro than Offset by the amount drawn
| by eilieers rs salaries for the last quar-
ter of isW which Is not shown IN the
statement for that year. rs we have
already explained. Besides, 1850 WAS
not an election year and no such ex,
peuses which were incurred on account
Of The election Of lsas, good share OF
which the old hoard settled before
they went out Of of,ice, had To he met
by the present board for iseo. In 9th
er words, the election expenses of lsas
were about equally divided between
the two years and the new board can
claim no special credit for having al
lowedi, part Of them. 1t will also be
Remembered that the spring term OF