The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1901-01-09
THE COURT HOUSE.
The New Year Brings Few Changes
There.

heuWOOu County IS SfOWluS ike
a big boy in his teens. It has not
yet reached the limit of maturity in
population and wealth, but with
population approximating twenty
thousand, and property valuation
lowering near ten millions of dol
lars, it demands a force of compe-
tent men to manage it's business
affairs. In estimating !1valuation,
we have ventured to consider the
taxable valuation ofover six millions
as less than two thirds the pactual
value, and most of our readers will
agree that this is conservative.
It is agreed to begin with, that
the hardest work falls to the Office of
county auditor. He is the chief ac
counting officer and head book keep
er for this ten million dollar aggre-
cation. Here the crude work of
local assessors is directed and as
simulated, the taxes distributed to
the various funds, the bills received
and orders for payments drawn,
after being audited by the county
board, the big tax lists andE fnan-
cial reports written up, and"again
a multitude of minor details looked
after. No wonder that two of our
past county auditors have gone out
of office after long service; wrecks
in health and by no means million
aires in wealth.
We are here reminded of the first
and one of the best county auditors
that we ever knew. Twenty years
ago, Isaac M. VanSchaack Qsaac is
name to conjure with in the coun-
ty auditors office) was serving his
first term in the old court house.
That high sounding title was then
applied to an old coop with half a
dozen or more little offices, all with
low ceilings and vile ventilation.
In winter time especially the pas
sage way called d hall was filed
with drafts Of cold air. and Ethe in-
evitable big round stove for burn
ing wood kept the temperature vi
brating between hot and cold most
of the time. This building is not to
be confounded with the larger and
better wooden structure built in
the early eighties, which now forms
part of Thompson & Mead ware
house.
Auditor VanSchaack set the pace
for all the auditors who came after
him. He was an old soldier Of the
best sort-systematic, watchful, un-
firing, courageous. With few of
present day Office conveniences, and
with an old O olt-door vault for the
records that would hardly pass
muster for a farmers smoke house
to-day, Auditor VanSchsack served
the county faithfully and we'll for
eight years, until his health broke
down aud he went south too late to
ever be fully restored to his old
time bodily vigor. He sleeps now
in old Tennessee, fit resting place for
an old soldier, with it's historic as
sociation with many hardfought
battles. He will be remembered by
the few friends who knew him init
mately as a gentleman of the old
Knickerbocker school-courteous
and dignified, yet simple and mod
est at heart. Sensitive to criticism
himself, he was no less sensitive
about the good-name of a friend,
and loyalty to these was with him
fixed principle. He laid the foun-
dations for a well-ordered system
tor keeping the county S business,
when that business was much small
er than now, and at timesWhen he
was able to do most of the clerical
work unaided. W. S. Mckay be-
came his assistant during the clos
ing years of his term, and remained
an assistant in the Office most of the
time up to the end OF Ex-Auditor
Anderson S term, when both Ander-
son and Mckay came out Of Office in
the walking skeleton class, both of
them much the worse for the wear
and tear and close confinement of
their official careers.
Till Tibbetts succeeded to the
Continued on last page.)