The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-01-24
WHAT BUREAU FAILS TO NOTE

WHAT BUREAU FAILS TO NOTE
Bookings Press: The Crawford
machine has been forced TO recognize
the assessment and tax questions as
vital issues In this campaign, and its
press bureau, presided over by the
private secretary OF the governor and
paid by the state, is sending out
syndicate editorials attempting to ex-
plain the great incompetence and
injustice disclosed by the stalwart
expose or conditions. These syndi-
cate editorials fairly and squarely
put the reformers on the defensive,
and their entire tenor is one of
apology, evasion, half truths and
Misrepresentation. Three Of these
s'canned'' but misbranded editorials
appeared in the Brookings Register
last week, two dealing with the high
state taxes, and n with the rail-
road assessment.
The reformers still evade the real
questions relating to..the.tax issue,
and attempt to detract attention
from the Incompetence INT eXtrava
gance Of the Crawford administration
by citing the rate OF the state levy
for former years, but emitting the
year 1906 from their table Of COM
parison, for the simply reason that
the levy for the year 1907 is more
than twice as high as it was during
the last year of stalwart rule. In
discussing this tax matter the Craw-
ford literary bureau fails to note:
That the tax list of 1907 is the
largest In the history OF. the state,
exceeding by Sl55, 600 the tax Of 1903.
lhat the Crawford legislature
appropriated $3.50, 900 more than any
other legislature in the history Of
the state.
That the state tax is more than
double what 1t was In 1905.
That the state board did not make
the levy as large for 1907 as 1t ex-
peected to or as was authorized by a
Law passed by Mr.. Crawford's legis-
lature, fearing the effect on Mr..
Clawf0rd,s candidacy for the senate,
but instead allowed q deficiency to
accumulate which Will exceed s535, 600
onsJuly LIT, and for. which interest
bearing emergency, warrants must be
issued and which cannot be paid OF
1ov0ral years.
That had there Teen no Irvine plant
levysthis deficiency levy would have
been made and the state tax would
have been as high as 1t now is fol
this year.
That II would require q levy Of 81
mills to produce revenue enough tc
metsthe appropriations Of the legis.
lature for the current year ending
July let.
That there will be a full consti.
tutionxi levy Of two mills for def.
cheney next year, for thesirst time
In the history of the state that a
deficiency levy has been.made for the
two years following q Legislative
session, and then there will still
remain q deficiency Of over s4Oc, 00(
from the appropriations of the 1907
lseIaSiufs.
Y6aat ID VIII - nseessasy 10 lew
: 9s6ctshsy ta1 III to mott jsaars
before the StxtA board viii 81 gwen
with the board again, and mean.
while the strictest economy will be
necessary.
That when the Crawford machine
took the state there was not 8
dollar of bonded debt and enough
taxes due from the small two mil
lew Of 1905 to clean up all the
appropriations made BY the legisla.
ture OF 1906 and leave a surplus o,
$4,000.
That during the ear quoted BY
The Crawford literary bureau fol
the purpose of comparison with
1907, the state was building 1t,
numerous state institutions, paying
Its bonded debt, end making good
the stealings Of the state treasurer
during the former reign Of the ole
Crawford machine. Yet 1t will b
noticed by their W figures that
during all those years of debt paying
progress . deficiency tax "a never
necessary except in half the years.
That 10 addition to the hiRt
state levy this year the assessment,
OF farm lands was raised by til,
state board, OF which Crawford il
chairman, some % million dollars
which explains why the state ia,
on farm lands is more than twice a!
much this year, as last
The Sioux Falls Press thinks that
the stalwarts have no business t,
make holler about State Treasure
Cassill taking the interest on th,
state funds after former treasurer
did the am thing. An effort va!