Henderson gold leaf., 1911-08-17
OUR TOWN GOVERNMENT.
Room For Improvemenf-AP Plea For
More Progress.

thoughts Jump from one nerve gan.
glea to another in the commissions oI
my cerebral lObes like red bugs play
ing leap frog on IA pine cone. TC
: think OF our past or present state O
town government is enough to make
tax payer mad enough to want to
crush a grape Our town charter
and the administration of our town
) government have not been for wears
and are not now up to the standard
requirements of a progressive CITY.
In order that the present or past of,
ticials may not think me personal,
for | love them all, | will not use any
names III this article and will mix uD
the different administrations from
the standpoint of time covering a
period OF the last six years.
What do you think of this, or do
you think? One board of commits
sioners had four members and the
mayor, which is Il majority and
enough to elect, to agree to vote for
| K. 5. McCOin for town attorney.
When the votes were counted T. 81
/ Pittman had five votes and McCoin
only three votes Of the commissions
ers. Each of the four commissioners
looked at each other, owl like, and
all stated again that they had all
voted for McCoin. Things got hot.
And afterwards all four of these com
missiOners went before Notary
Public and solemnly swOre before
God that they all had voted for Nc
Coin. After all this voting and
swearing Mr.. Pittman having
actually received enough votes,
was duly declared elected and so
qualified. The presumption natural
| ly is that one of these aldermen lied
and swore to it. May an Infinitely
merciful Lord have mercy on his
polka-dotted soul This does not
! look like good government to me.
What do you think OF this, or do
you think? About four years ago
the town paid its attorney 800 to
draw up a new charter. Swing low,
sweet chariot, and speak easy here
The commissioners paid out the
/ towns good money for that charter
but from that date to the present
tick of the clock the commissioners
have never read that charter, much
less approved it. Maybe you did not
know it but the town charter of
hustling Henderson has not been re-
written or even amended in twenty
years, old Rip Van Winkle's nap, and
that we have had the same Identical
mayor for seventeen years. Thou
shalt not chase a rabbit, hare or
haress on main street, is still law in
hustling Henderson. Neither thou,
nor thy man servant nor thy maid
servant nor any one else as to that
matter shalt have any bull fight in
our city limits is still law in our
hospitabIe city. Thou shalt not
make unto thee any cellar door on
main street. either in thy store above
or in the cellar under thy store, lest
the wayfaring man, the stranger |
within thy gates, or the foolish vir- |
gin, whose torch has gone out, may |
fall therein. This is another wilder I
ness law in our progressive town
What do you think of this, or do
you think? Under this old moss
back charter, only in exceptional |
cases can the license tax exceed $40
per year. Under the present law a
poor widow, taking in a few boarders,
any number exceeding three, has to
pay half as much license tax as the
largest corporation in the city. ".
T. Carter one year paid as much
license tax as both the banks paid
In hustling Henderson butchers
pay as much license tax as banks
And so on and on it goes Our
license taxes are al wrongfully un-
equal What can you do about it?
You cannot increase the big fellows
tax because the charter won't let
you. 1t is equally true that You
cannot change your charter when +
your commissioners will not even
read much less adopt a new charter.
To be plain, very plain, gentlemen,
Denmark is little off. II
Though | am the youngest man
on the board, and though | came to
Henderson with all my worldly
goods in a bandannah handkerchief,
pay more town tax than any other
man on the board and | feel that
this fact warrants me in pursuing
further this unsavOry metaphor of
tax alton. have been on the board
only three or four months. In that
time | got the town to revise the
best we could the license tax and was
put on special committee to revise
the same. Positively | found man
after man and occupation after oc-
paying no license tax at
all-not even listed. Such we'll
known concerns as the Express Com
pany, telegraph companies and even I
the newspaper in which | am now {
and here writing paid no license tax
whatever. Not their fault. the town |
did not seem to care. This year {
about twenty-five different kinds of
boys will come across with license
tax for the first time and am lay
ing for a few more next year that
were overlooked this year.
What do you think about this, or
do you think? Several years ago
the town had mass meeting and
rally. Public sentiment was high
for securing new business and for
helping new enterprises. Everybody :
talked loud and the fat ones talked l
bull frog-like. This is all good
for | love Henderson. But 1
to hasten back to the sticking place {
My bank had always paid its taxes, |
seven different kinds in fact, and help |
ed the town and deserved to handle
some of the public moneys. Knowing
that some of the town commission c
ers were interested financially in not {
dividing the deposits OF the dispen-
sary which is spublic money, thought
the psychological moment for asking
for a just portion of the dispensary G
funds would be Immediately after ]
this mass meeting. | went before /
the town board, stated the case, re- '
hearsed the mass meeting, told the c
commissioners how much the town |
wanted new business, stated that nv G
hanC uas tho hahv ontornriso of tho r