The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1916-02-10
COMMISSIONERS OF ADA
GALL GOV. ALEXANDER
SHOW UP THE CHEAP, FALSE
AND MISLEADING EFFORTS
OF ALEXANDER.

A few weeks ago Governor Alexan
der announced through his persona
organ, the Capital News, that h,
would pay the taxes of any citizen O.
Ada county who could show that hi,
taxes were lower in 1915 than in 1914
To this the commissioners reply in q
signed statement in which they show
that the county had an expense OF
nearly 100000 in 1915 which was not
included in 1914 and much of this ex-
ira expense was due directly to the Of
ficious action of the governor. The
statement from the commissioners ex-
poses the buncombe upon which Gov
ernor Alexander relies for reelection:
Commissioners Answer Governor.
Sir: From your high and exalted
position as governor of the great state
of Idaho, are you not just a little
ashamed of an advertisement appear
Ing In the Capital News wherein, I'M
der certain conditions, you offered to
pay any mans taxes? Are you so
filed with self and pelf that you imag-
inc under any conditions the self-re-
sDecting taxpayers of Ada county
want you to pay their taxes?
A year ago you were clamoring for
grand jury investigation of state
house affairs and using all the cum
ming at your command to convict
someone or anyone in order to make
good your prediction threats to
throw every man out of the state
house. You had the grand jury and
cials who proved their innocence Of
any wrong ping and were set FREQ by
oar courts and Ada county trial jur-
les. You did not succeed in convictiEk
anyone, but were successful. in running
up bill of expense of abont ten tn NJ
sand dollars which you anl we kneg
" .uld have to be paid BY Ada county
taxpayers unless an appropriation
from the legislature to reimburse the
county. At your request we had a
bill drawn for the purpose and gave
1t to you with the understanding that
you would have it introduced After
with your political mana
ger you concluded it would not be
good for your political plans to have
the state pay that bill and you pig
eonholed 1t. Later when the Ada
members of the legislature
presented similar bill you did all you
could to defeat it and succeeded. And
now after you are responsible for the
entire expense being placed upon the
taxpayers of our county you come out
with half-page display advertise
ment extolling your virtues and Won
derful achievement and trying to shift
the responsibility for higher taxes.
The exact amount of the increased
taxes for 1915 over 1914 is $83,SS742
and not 100000 as your juggling of
the figures would indicate.
Your answer to Mr.. Carlson few
days ago regarding the emergency
law proved your ignor-
ance as to how the taxes are levied
and collected in the counties. We
knew this but the general public did
not. And in closing we wish to say II
is an attribute of
if pomposity and pretense
Is craftsmanship you have certainly
crossed the Rubicon.
A statement of the actual financial
difference in 1914 and 1915 is as fol-
lows:
In 1915 we purchased the fair
grounds for ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 900
Auditing the county books, re-
commended by grand jury. 1890
The grand jury investigation
cost .. .............. 10000
EDITION to the court house. 80. 5000
Warrant redemption of former
wears ... $4,000
Makes a total expense falling
upon the county in 1915 which
we did not have to meet in
1914 or .................''' '%9o'oVV
We had an assessed valuation of
81, 100000 less in 1915 than in 1914.
Therefore to raise the same amount
Of money the levy had to be higher.
One more reason why the state taxes
we're lower in 1915 than in 1914 was
because the legislature in 1913 made
an appropriation Of 100000 for the
Panama Pacific exposition. AS Ada
county pays practically 10 per cent of
all state taxes it would make a differ
ence of $4,000 which the county paid
the state in 1914.
Respectfully,
GUS CARLSIN,
WILLIAM HOWELL,
MANS H. CIFFIN,
Commissioners