Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1911-04-15
To the Taxpayers


When I first wrote you concerning
our taxes and the expenditures of the
same. / little thought OF the side
stepping, lodging and evading with
which / would meet from off1c1alS
who should individually and collect
lively be glad to give us the facts
have given YOU the facts as / have
found them and L have solicited cor
rectionS because i wish to be falr-
My aim is to be of service to you,
to get fair, just and reasonable as
Sessment, to stop waste and extrava-
gance and to have the County CLERK,
Board of County Commissioners and
other officials comply with the law
and stop the violations thereof. For
these purposes / have received from
some of them the rankeSt abuse and
the vilest epithetS in their power to
cast. But that does not Swerve me
from that which | hope to accom-
plish, namely; a diminution of our
taxes and an honest, economical, bus
iness management of our municipal
affairs.
In looking over my articles publish
ed / find that l have used the wrong
word in regard to clerk hire in my
article in the World of April 1st.
Near the end of the article, the word
shall should be may so it should
read: ''And $500 per annum as clerk
hire may be allowed" !" etc. | presume
this makes little difference as the
County Commissioners have allowed
it when they were not compelled so
to do and they seemed too glad of the
opportunity. However, / see no good
reason why this should not be diScon-
tinued in as much as the County
Clerk now receives as salary the same
amount as was allowed for both Sala-
ry and clerk hire.
In this article l purpose calling
your attention to the excessive and
unwarranted taxation in township
administration and the waste and ex-
travagance of the townships money.
1 can not treat each township sepa-
pass upon the good nature of our
friend, Mr.. Givler, who has so kindly
and willingly published the articles.
/ will ask you to consider the cOndi-
tions that exist in this Wa-Keeney
township, and compare them with
the township board has generally had
fair-sized fund on which to draw
and when it comes to using this fund
the Board has not been baShful or
backward. This Board is distanced
only by the Board of County Commis-
sioners- The commissioners have a
larger territory. The Board was
once so liberal that it paid damages
along newly laid out road, unlawful,
of course This Board keeps the
funds up by going the limit in levy
ing taxes for current expenses and for
road purposes. Both are kept at the
maximum. The Board seems to be
very lavish with the townships money.
/ had intended to go back about four
years and show you how the financial
business of the township was man
aged each year. j can't do it; too
much of it. viii go back only a year
or two. First let me say to my friend,
Mr.. Briggs, l regret to see you leave
us. Don't go, now that you are
legally eligible to superintend the
building of pontoons, and, / would sug-
geSt till there is money in the county
treasury for that purpose, for you to
while away the time, that you and
MessrS. King, Walker and Larabee
form and organize a Mutual Admira-
tion society.
In 1909, the Board went the limit
in making the levy for the township
general fund and for road purposes;
the same in 1910. In looking over
the township treaSurer'S report for
and ending October 81, 1910, / find
that the treasurer had on hands at
the beginning of the year, S5S3. 16 and
received from the county treasurer
during the year, $500, so that the
funds for the year amounted to S20S3.
10. He does not say whether this
fund was general or road. 1t seems
to be both according to his statement
for he paid out in some cases where
general and some against the road
though all seems to have been for
road purposes except board meetings,
eleven of them, and few small pay
mentS not designated. All these