Bisbee daily review., 1904-08-07
THE BENSON PRESS AND THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.

Local conditions at Benson for the past week have been above the nor nal With washouts everywhere, and the town crowded with strangers, the editor of the Benson Press has hied himself into his sanctum resolved to write something that would bear the brand of metropolitan journalism ofthe pronounced yellow hue. We say that the editor thought tine occasion demanded something out of the or dinary, and after much labor and puckering of the eyebrows the genial spirit who presides over the destinies of the Benson Press brought forth an attack upon the conduct of county affairs by the present Board of Super visors.
 Now in all fairness We believe the editor of the Benson Press is an hon est soul, willing to do right when he sees it, and in regard to the article in. the Press above referred to, the Review desires to call the attention of the Press man to certain facts and figures which are matter of record.
 The first ;broadside delivered by the Press. which was intended for a solar plexus blow, but after analyzing, doesn't possess the weight of a feather, is the following:
 They (the taxpayers want to ana lyze the present county government and ascertain why it costs s200.000 year to run the business of the county"
 Never in the history of this county has the running expenses been any where near this figure. The fact Is that last year the tax levy was sS.50 on each s100 valuation. This levy gave to the county a revenue of s196.- GOO in round figures, less the delin- quents, but the editor of the Benson Press evidently loses sight of the fact that one-third Of this amount was turned over to the territorial treasurer for Cochise conuty's pro rata for the maintainance of the ter ritorial institutions, among which is the Reform School located at the sea
 port beside the San Pedro.
 It is true that the running expenses
 of the county have increased. |
 the Press will take up a Great Reg
 ister of this county for the year 190(
 and compare it with the Great Reg
 ister of 1902. he will discover thai
 during that period the population oI
 Cochise county has doubled. Fol the two years just passed the popula tion of this county has again increas ed, not double perhaps, but at leas sixty or seventy-fve per cent. New towns have sprung up. Additiona peace officers have been required. h creased levy was made necessary fo l, the proper schooling of the larg younger generation, and last year tn, county expended the sum of s46,O0
 
 alone for this item and this year th estimate is for s52,o00. The Pres , would not advocate a reduction in ou schools or a shortening of the schoo terms throughout the several districts we are sure. The rapid growth o new towns in the county and th springing up of new mining camp : has attracted in some instances. al undesirable element. This ney population has made the expense o f court terms hurdensome and the ses - sion just drawing to close at Tomt s stone is one of them. 5 The proper maintenance of read ] established in the county, and tn j. building of. new ones, has called fo
 an additional expenditure from tn 2 county treasury over and above tn 9 road tax. At the present time,