Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1900-10-31
A GREAT SPEW.

1.-The republican organ of this county
has become frantic in it's efforts to de
ceive the voters and resorts again to
fabrIcations and barefaced lies for
which there is not even shadow of
excuse. 1t charges among other things
that this paper has said that the entire
tax levy had been increased four fold.
wheE it knows that we said the general
fund levy has been increased four fold
This fund pays the running expenses of
the county and it is high or low in pro-
portion as the business of the county is
conducted. 1t admits that the county
expenditures have been greater ever
since the republicans were returned to
power, but it presumes to account for it
by saying that bridges were built last
year. We want to remind the people
that bridges were also built when
the Popullsts were in power, the court
house was kept In repair and all other
| legitimate work was done just as regu-
larly under the Populists as it was done
under the republicans, but the differ
ence ls that no republican politicians,
| nor no other politicians, were permit
ted to work their graft, like they are
doing now.
But let us leave the bridge expense of
1899, which they claim was $4,000, out
OF the consideration, and we still have
an expense of Sl9,647.96 in 1899 as
against Sl3, 629 Oh in 1897. In the pres
ent year there were no bridges built,
yet the first nine months has cost the
county SIT ,676 60, or S4,027 SO more IN
der republicansm in nine months than
the entire cost OF administration uuder
Populism in year.
The Cresset wants to know whv
Commissioner Walker did not protest
against this extravaganza if it existed
He did. He voted against part of it,
and part of iG was contracted over his
protest, while still other bills were per.
fectiy legal and had to be paid, though
they could have been avoided If the
right kind of men had been in the
court house. For Instance, there is the
Mills tax case. A useless suit, costs
piled up foc the county to pay. Mr..
Walker voted against that nonsense
but Rankin and Nay plunged in and
fell down. But it doesn't cost them
anything, they get their per diem and
mileage and the taxpayers hold the
sack. Then there is the poor farm
management, a constant leech on the
pnbllc funds. 1t is there and it can't
be stopped until the administration
changes. A source of revenue to re-
publican politicians and detrlment to
the taxpayers. The district clerk was
allowed $3.50 clerk hire contrary to law
and ii it had not been for the protest of
Mr. Walker that would still be going on.
The court docket is living example of
the lncompetency of the county attor.
ney which has cost thousands of dollars. |
Many cases were brought which were
not warranted and others were prose
cuted under the wrong charge and the
county always paid the bills.
Theorize as you will, claim what you
may, the fact is the republican outfit |
now in power has been uselessly ex-
travagant. They have had every ad- |
vantage while they were in power. The
fees and salaries of county officers were
reduced, witness fees and mileage were
reduced, one term of court year was
abolished, and yet expenses have more |
than doubled. It was not because
bridges were built and repaired, not be-
cause there were some repairs in the |
court house-these were done many |
times before-but because a few men
here in Medicine Lodge are running
things and getting independently rich.
If the people of Barber county want
these things to continue they can say
so by their ballots next Tuesday, but
as citizens and taxpayers we propose to
record an emphatic protest, and that is
the reason we have given this matter
such a thorough discussion in this cam
paign.