The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1918-01-31
A Letter From Edward Sibley

Dear journal: ! have made application
| to the Board of Registration to have my
name taken off the voting list, and the
chairman of the board assures me it will
| be done, and he expressed great deal OF
regret that am no longer to be citizen
Of Belfast.
NV home is now in Chicago, but | shall
stav portion of my time with my son in
/ Denver, Colo, and my brother in Curtis,
! Neb., and if I should stay in Belfast a
part of the summer of 1919, ! hope
would not be looked upon as an alien
| enemy.
Nv present intention is to remain in
| Chicago until about the first of June, then
go to St Paul, Minnea polls and Anoka to
visit friends during the month of June
ard go to Denver for the month of July,
and TO Curtis for the months of August
( and September
| On account of the very cold weather
when | was at Billings in September 1917:
| omitted The Yellowstone Park and il
the weather and all other conditions are
favorable | will go through the Park in
August.
About the first of October | shall 90 to
California for next winter and if | like
there, and everything is favorable will
remain till the summer of 1919, and as be-
fore mentioned go to Belfast for the sum-
mer. | am now IA years of age and |
realize that may not be able to carry out
my plans.
Now would like to devote few lines
to my position as tax collector of the city
of Belfast for the years 19l5-16 | feel
very well satisfied with the record made
in the collection of taxes, and | would
like to have had the record continued as
collector of taxes for 1917, and had every
the organization of the new city govern
ment in March 1917, as was the unani-
nous choice of the caucus held by the
new elected city board at their meeting
the previous Saturday.
One thing have demonstrated to the
citizens of Belfast that the taxes can be
collected, but it requires constant appli-
cation to this work and nothing else
When was elected tax collector for 1915
there was committed to me the largest
amount that was ever committed to any
tax collector in Belfast, S93, 1886 SO. The
book was passed to me July 1, 1915, and
| settled with the city June 80, 1916, and
in order to settle within the year, | ad-
vanced out of my own pocket about SIS
which | afterward collected, except one
poll tax that lost.
The 1916 commitment was S85, 511.75
settled with the city August o, 1917,
about thirteen months. AS | wished to
90 West as early as possible, in or
der to settle with the city government, |
advanced $53 66 out of my own pocket
for uncollected taxes, but before ceased
to be collector | drew tax warrants for
all of these uncollected taxes and placed
them in the hands of Sheriff Cushman
and have just received his account, and
he collected them all except three poll
taxes and one small personal property
tax, in ali S12 rs, and that shall have
to lose.
| find the best way is to settle with the
city as near within one year from the
time of commitment as possible, then all
uncoIlected taxes belonged TO me and
can make any trade with the sheriff |
wish to. | paid Mr.. Cushman a good;
liberal compensation to wind up the tail
end of these taxes and paid i out of my
own pocket | collected quite number
of poll taxes out of town and allowed the
sheriffs or constables of the several towns
81 for each one and paid the extra COM
pensation out of my own pocket. If
previous collectors had taken the same
course that have taken, the city would
not have lost the thousands of dollars
that it has lost through inefficient col
lectors.
| would pursue the same course that
have pursued in winding up the tail end
of taxes, if was to collect taxes gain.
EDWARD SIBLEY,
Chicago, January 16, 1918.