The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1901-01-08
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Most of the new county officers
will give surety bonds.
The new county officers will be
sworn in next Monday.
B. F. Rapp spent the Holidays
visiting with his old Salmon
friends.
Regular meeting of the Board
: of County Commissioners next
J Monday.
Rev. Mr.. Keene held divine
services at the church in Challis
: last week.
The first ballot for u. S. Sen
ator in the Idaho Legislature will
be had on Jan. 21st.
The new state officers were
sworn in last Monday. The Ida
: ho Legislature also convened on
that date.
Few people of Custer county
who appear to be dissatisfied
, with our county government, are
circulating a petition asking the
: Legislature to abolish Custer
county. They want the Big Lost
; river country annexed to Blaine
: county, and the balance of Gus
\ ter county attached TO Lemhi
county. Such proposition is
! absurd, and against the wish of
: four-fifths of the citizens of Gus
ter county, and we are of the OPP
inion that if this scheme is ever
( presented to the Legislature
! they will give it very little con-
sideration. While it may be true
that the tax levy of Custer coun-
: ty is high, what gain could be
: accomplished The abolition
of the county would mean untold
T inconvenience to the many for
what a few seem to think would
benefit them. The counties that
Custer county would be annexed
to would have to assume Custer
Z county's Indebtedness. Blaine
) county is already nearly swamp
: ed with Indebtedness without
: assuming more. Their debt is
about six times that of Custer
county, while the bonded debt of
! Lemhi is about the same as that
I of Custer county. Why are the
: tax levies so much lower in these
: counties than in Custer, seems
: to be the main reason why they
! ask that Custer county be wiped
: off the map of Idaho. One reason
why the taxes of Custer are SO
1 much higher, is that the county
\ each year meets its current run
, ming expenses, and applys some
to it's bonded Indebtedness and
interest. We learn that the two
other counties in question do not
u fix their valuation and levy high
enough to meet the actual run
ming expenses, and this accounts
for their low tax levy. But there
|. will come a time when they will
have to meet their bonds, then
= look out for a high levy. There
is but little logic of Jumping out
of the frying pan into the fire"
Some of the would-be annexa.
. tionists are mad because Custer
is such strong Democratic
he county. Would they be any bet
IS ter off if they were attached to
Blaine or Lemhi politically? Blu
tn all this talk about the abolition
VS. of Custer county is foolish, fol
the county will remain intac
long after those who woulC
abolish it are forgotten. Custer
. county county is rich in it's min
= erals, agricultural and grazing
lands, timber and water. 1t:
= ranges are covered with stock
> and at the beginning of this new
year the future outlook of the
county is brighter than ever with
no less than three different rail
roads headed this way, and on'
I'd of these is pretty sure to com
S. mence building during the com
ing summer-either the Burling
ton or Short Line. 1t is tru'
DR. that Custer county ought to b.
~ out of debt, and have good coun
pt ty buildings, had the county gov
ct ernment been conducted on eco
is nomical basis. But it was not
It. and all should look to the futur
to and not the past. If there is tx
e, be any annexation we would cal
a, the attention of our members il
n the legislature to annex the en-
tire Pahsamaroi valley to Custe
county. making the mountain
d: range the dividing line between
o. Lemhi and Custer county. l
i'll should have been this way whe
Custer county was formed, there
n by saving much annoyance in tn