Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1902-12-24
An Attack Without Foundation.

ITOm tue 0icctIOn ITauO p0Tp0tF8t60 Oy
the republican machine Ia this county
their mouthpiece has been devoting a
greatdeal OF space recently to the county
commissioners in charge that shey are
responsible for our high taxcs. It also
charges that the commissioners them
selves are lodging part of the taxes
they onght to pay because the valu.
atoms are lower i'm their townships
than they are in others.
We have investigated into this mat
ter to learn the facts. and end that
both Commissioners Grouse and Lake
pas on higher valuation on an aver
age than most of the other people in
their townships, quality of land consid-
cred. And in both Lake city and
Eagle townships the valuation was
raised. It is tr1e that their taxes are
not as high as they are in any of the
towns or some OF the other townships.
The levy Is not so great For instance.
in Lake city township the levy is only 30
mills In Medicine Lodge it is l23. In
Eagle 1t is about 40 In these town
ships there is not so much public In
debtedness and hence Il lighter levy
meets the expenses.
There is one sentence in the attack
to which we desire to call special atten-
ton. 1t says: "A quarter section of
land in Medicine Lodge. Cedar or Haz-
elton townships is worth no more than
quarter section of land In Lake City
or Eagle" What nonsense! Go and
buy and you will soon have that argu
ment knocked into a cooked bat. Here
We are close to the railroad, close to the
towns, have thousands of advantages
that people IL and 90 miles away have
not. A statement that there is no diff.
ference in land values in the two local..
ties is 80 utterly absurd that it is hard
ly worth while mentioning it farther
than to show how absolutely devoid OF
business sense the statement is.
The writer of the spurious attack has
not the capacity to comprehend that
the province Of the commissioners is
not to assess. They simply equaIize.
The assessors do the assessing. They
determine the basis of assessment or
valuations in the spring and the COM
misslOners have no voice in the matter
at all. The only place where there was
a great discrimination made by the
commissioners was in Sharon township
and that was done in Difference to the
judgment of the republican member.
Mr.. Rankin, because it was his home.
He raised the south half Of the township
because he said it was much better
land than the north half.
The comparison made between what
Messers. Grouse and Lake pay per acre
In their townships with what VIM,
Brown pays in Sharon is vsry unfair.
The levies In both of the western town
ships are much lower and Mr.. Browns
land has much higher cash value.
His land will sell for at least even to
eight times as much as the land owned
by Grouse and Lake. In VIM Browns
township land Is valued for taxing at
1884 in Mr.. Lakes $l.55 in Mr..
Crouse's S1.30. We think Mr.. Browns
land is valued to hight is in all town.
ships for that matter-but AS we said
before, the south half of Sharon was
equallzed on Mr.. Rankin's judgment.
However, in comparison, the values of
Sharon, Lake City aud Eagle are not
out OF proportion. Some of Mr.. Lakes
land Is valued at So SO, or 70 cents more
than the township basis. If he wanted
TO dodge any of his taxes, he could
easily reduce it down to 81 SIS, the rate
agreed upon by the hoard, but he did
not do 1t. He payed it without a MUIR
muir. The same is true of Mr.. Grouse.
Taxes are very high, it is true, but it.
is no more the fault of the commission
ers, than the other county officers. Not
as much, in fact. The other officers pro
duce the expense. We have some spe.
cial laws enacted by a republican
legislature that are helping in that di.
rection. Several;ncompeten and reck
lessly extravaganza officials might be
pointed out. When the fusionists were in
complete control things were different.
But the way things have been running
since 1898 required money to meet
expenses.
But what else could you expect from
party that will steal an election.