The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1916-03-28
Voice Of the Peope
A Pinch Hitter.

with the Water Power company AFTER
most solemn pledge to exempt from
taxa ton. Let us hope these people
will have change of conscience. The
failure to tax has nothing to do with
this article.
If half the energy was used in pre-
venting waste in the financial man
agement of the affairs of Keoluk and
Lee county, taxes would be about
half what they are. At present they
are confiscatory of the property, and
there seems to be not one person who
has publicly raised his voice in print
against the highest levy and highest
assessment ever known.
The affairs in Lee county are man
aged the same as fifty years ago. The
..store order (by paying political OBJ
ligations), the grand jury farce, buy
ing at retail, instead of wholesale.
feeding prisoner by the sheriff In
stead Of receiving bids to feed at ten
to twelve cents meal, advertising
in every cross ROAD paper, buying
all kinds of supplies from any and
everybody, unlimited subpoening wit
nesses before the grand jury and the
district court, the justice courts with
their fees, the unlimited and everlast-
ing over supply Of poor with which
Keokuk and Lee county seems to
have, and receive from neighboring
states, and the hundred and one other
things mismanaged in Lee county for
many years is all wrong. No one
official is to blame. It's the Anticipated
obsolete out-ofdate- back-number
methods persued Making felony
out of misdemeanor case, piling up
grand and petit jury fees, and wit
nesses, mileage, ETC., which Is eatlng
the yitals of the tax payers. Bust
ness methods have changed in all
walks of the business world, but keo-
kuk and Lee county go on forever IN
the same old rut.' The candidates
for Office are bound by no platform,
and hash the same old musty saying
Chunk, bunk, bunk. More money is
expended than there is allowed by law
and warrants in excess of the annual
levy issued, and this never ending and
endless chain of expenses is what IL
undermining the interests of. the tax
payers. and creates discomfort and
discord, and lack of confidence.
A few days ago the fabulous sums
collected from the Keokuk people was
published in The Daily Gate CITY,
showing Keokuk is to pay for 1913
state and county $320,614.94. an In
crease of s43,02192 over 1914.
The assessor in Lee county makes
Keokuk pay one-third more taxes Tor
county and state purposes than IL
should When you assess the prop
erty in Keokuk one-third more than II
should be, Keokuk pays more tnan IL
should to the state of Iowa and Lee
county than other portions OF the
county and other towns and cities.
A few days ago there also appeared
in The Gate City table OF tax leYies
and assessment values, ana taxes
paid.
Keoluk. population $4,000, receives
s233, 900 from taxes and other sources
for city expenses and the vorauous
appetite is not satisfied.
Ottumwa, population $4,000, $685.
GEO. Here is a town with 1000 more
population, but only has 100000 more
taxes and income. Iowa City with
49, 900 population, gets along on $685.
900. Having only 5000 less popula-
ton. gets there with $4,000 less
money. And Fort Madison with 5000
population. uses only $4,000 revenue.
In other words it has two-thtrds OF
Keokuk's population. but only one
third as much revenue. And this Is
fair comparison all over Iowa. Keo-
kuk is the most wastetul or extraya-
gantIy managed city for Its size IL
Iowa.
Let me show you the gain Of some
of the towns Of about keohuks size
and the property values for taxation.
l shall omit the hundred in arriving
at the population. Gain IN population
from 1910 to 1915 from figures by
Hon Frank 8. Shaw, auditor of Iowa
1916, just out:
Ottunwa, $4,000; gained 800.
Fort Dodge, 5000; gained 1000.
Muscatine, $4,000; lost 1000.
Mason City, 1900; gained 5000.
Marshalltown, $4,000; gained 1000.
Keokuk, $4,000; gained 1000.
Boone 10000; gained 1000.
Oskaloosa, 1900; gained 1000.
Iowa City, 1900; gained 1000.
Fort Madison, 5000; gained 1T.
Now let's make some comparison
of the work of the assessor and see
how "magnificently'' Keokuk Is and
has been valued for state and county
taxes; and please note we are taking
cities in our class and shall make
some comparison. No matter what
the levy is It's the same in all coun-
ties for state taxes and high valu-
alton of our property by the assessor
makes us pay one-third too much, and
more I0du OIltE VI ooi Siehs's''
/ shall omit the thousands for con-
venience.
The assessors actual value Of Keo-
kuk in the report of Mr.. Shaw taken
from the Lee county assessors report
for 1915. is s13,923,121.00. But for
convenience we shall say $14,000.0O.
Fort Madison, although one-third less
in population, it's property Is only
valued at 100000. eve don't know
what the farms are valued att Keo-
kuk should be valued at $9,000,000 in
stead of the high valuation. In other
words, Keokuk is paying on five mil
lions too much property.
Iowa City, with a cracker jack"
assessor, and 10000 population, fig
ures out they have only S6,00e,00c of
property Some assessor there, be-
lieve me. for Iowa City. Within 5000
of Keokuk's population, but only two
fifths of Keokuk's valuation for as