Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1906-05-10

VI AOO uAVAO111S' OdASdo O4AO oAOuu-
tion thoroughly through the press
and we will have better knowledge
of what we are doing when election
come. Your truly,
j. E.Cook.
A Voice from New Maine On
County Division.
Opdahl,, Minn., May 8th, 1906.
Editor Sheaf: I will herewith ask
for a little space in your valuable pa
per for a few remarks in regard to the
proposed county division, as I under
stand the people of Middle River and
vicinity are very anxious for a divi-
sion of Marshall county, with Middle
River as a county seat. But I have
not yet heard of valid reason for
such division, or why it would bene-
fit the Farmers and other taxpayers
of Marshall county. What good will
it do US? Will it diminish our taxes?
Will it drain the co lntry so that we
may cultivate more land? Will it i'm
prove our schools and school houses?
Will it build our roads and bridges?
I think not. If not, why should we,
poor farmers, Of the eastern end of
Marshall county, increase our taxes
by forming a new county, just for
the sake of humoring a few office
seekers and a TOWNSHIP company?
I think our taxes are high enough,
and little too high, for the MAORI
ty of the settlers of the eastern part
of the county, who are depending
upon the Red River district, and
North Dakota harvest fields, for the
support Of themselves and families.
1t is claimed by some of the pro-
moters of county division, that our
taxes will increase about So.
This is simply absurd, as any in
telligent man will know. According
to the abstract of the assessment Of
1905, the taxable valuation for Mar
shall county on which we pay taxes,
is S., 942, l2l, of which the proposed
county of Hiawatha will have about
81, 2S9, OPS, or little more than one
fifth of the total valuation of Mar
shall county. Yet, it is claimed by
the Ingalls, correspondent in the
Sheaf issue Of May 3, that the in
crease of taxes will not affect US poor
people in the least; we will only pay
taxes from our property valuation.
True enough, but what will the tax
able valuation be? or what will
the rate of taxation be? If you
will kindly explain how this problem
is solved, would be very thankful.
We are now paying too high taxes
from a valuation of over SIS, 1000, 600
but if we cut the valuation down to
little over sl.0O0,0O0, it will not
effect US the least. Is that it?
If we form new county, we will
have to pay the salaries of new set
of county officers, provide books and
stationery, build county buildings,
and all other expenses. Yet we will
have less than So, 900, 900 in valuation
to raise the same taxes from that
we now are running the whole of
Marshall county with, fre m a valua-
tion of over S5,000,0OO. Must not
the new county, be assessed at
the same value as we now are
assessed, in order to get the same
taxes out Of it? If it is twice the &C.
tual market value, will it not effect
US then? | think so. The state, the
county and the town taxes must be
paid for the running expenses. What
will we then do to diminish the in
creasing expenses? Get at our schools,
vote in shorter school terms in each
school district, get cheaper grade
teachers, appropriate less money for
the improvement or maintenance of
our school houses and other school
property, etc., and not one penny for
roads and bridges. Let our children
wade through mud and water, along
our impossible roads, in order to get
to the shanties that are called school
houses. 1t matters not so long as we
can drop our hard earned dollars into
the pockets OF a few office seekers
and for the benefit of towpsite
company! Is that what we want?
Ten times, No! Hoping every voter
of Marshall county will vote against
such proposition, l remain
Yours very truly, ~..@s
Knuta Kn,,tocop 49,