Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1904-03-10
LOCAL OPTION
More Facts Gathered by Rev III. n.
spear, Explodes Arguments of
Anti-Optionists

Anti-Optionists.
Last week The Belding Star took
issue with my comparison OF the
tax rate of Ionia and Van Buren,, be.
cause | used the Supervisors report oi
| 1902 1903 | did so because the report
for 1903 1904 is yet in the printers
hands. But | used the same years
report in each county in my compari-
son The Star claims nothing was paid
on the court house in 1908, and also
that there is an unusual amount OF
crime in Van 8uren county. In answer
TO the above objections / will quote
| from IA letter from ID. Nj. Allen, treas
urer OF VanBuren, dated March 4th,
1904. I'VE paid nearly $4,000 in
court house construction last year,
and some of that will be paid for out
of 1903 taxes, also about $4,000 for
furniture and electric light fix ures.
Now the report of the board Of Super
visors is in the hands of the printer,
so / cannot send you a report, but
allow me to say, we are satisfied with
local option, as we have voted on the
question several times and il has car
ried each time with a larger majority
this Is evidence we like it. Suppose il
does cost some more, which it does not
than to have the saloon, we are glad
to have the chance To- pay the tax and
rid the county of the nuisance. And
beside, no other county in the state
made as many real estat' transfers as
this county last year and If you asked
those who came the reason, they will
invariably tell you, to 1t rid of the
saloon. The man who $ bound TO
drink, is. leaving the CO nty and the
man who wants no saloo is coming
and we are glad of tn change, we
don't want the class. O! merchants
do larger cash trade, tle doctor is
better paid, we have les, crime, less
misery and more true citizenship.
Now tell the people OF your county,
the taxes will not BE- any more anc
crime far less and life far more worth
living N local option county than ir
saloon town - "The Board Of
Supervisors equalz zed NanBureu
cou ,ty at Sl3, 6O4 900 and voted to raise
$50'000 county tax " The rate last
year was S3 66 per thousand with no
license money auj BIS 100 paid fot
furniture and some oa ,ort house.
while Ionia with no iwp -otements
and Sl0,I3S 48 liquor license had a
rate of 40 per thousand H. seems
% me that Is very d n rent from Van
Buren, having a rate three times a.
high as Ionia, a. claimed by the Star
The Belding Star still claims that
$4,000 was paid out#in p~o-ecutipe
l'quor cas-. in Nen'cal hui alr
~ - the cost ~ - - the .,1ub e. ~.
hen did oo' # ct x W 1909 Y 3
h" Il inns III rate in Noptcnln u :
in"reas Il 50 per cen' ng - l".a
'p'inn A. his aHt@ itt fr tr
- atrment that tax nv rcr, -r
50 per cent, he cites the tx receipt,
Of MIR. George Hubbard, the foreman
in the Star office. The Star claims
that the valuation was the same in
1902 and 1903 and yet the rate was 80
per cent higher. have since obtained
the official records and find that tn,
property OF Mr. Hubbard was increased
in valuation by the state tax commits
sion A per cent while his taxes only
increased 33l5 por cent If the valuu
ton had been the same as in 1902, Mr..
Hubbard's taxes would have been
lower than in 1902.
The Star cites us TO the following
Greenviile business men who, he
claims, are tired of Local option, Frank
Gibson, Eli Clark, J H Timmick
F. d. Edsal. David Jacobson, aud w.
B. Wells. find upon investigation
that David Jacobson claims to have
had the best business year in the his.
tory OF the firm and does. not desire g
change. w. B. Wells, claims In his
daily paper that Greenyille business
is all right. Frank Gibson had three
buildings rented to saloons and has
been going on saloon boads, so local
option hit him pretty ard. Messrs
Clark, Gibson, Timmick and Edsall'
we're the leaders in the campaign a
gainst local option last year. These
four gentlemen with abojt 20 others,