The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1919-06-18
Some
Additional
Facts

not be its policy to bubble over minor
points that may be involved in the
county seat fight. The people of the
county have a right 20 expect that
the arguments for and against re-
moval shall be conducted in dignified
and gentlemanly manner. IL it were
not for the matter of cost of remodel
ing thai was raised in AN OPEN LET
TER last week, no notice would be
taken of the same.
The people of Belview, Delhi and
vicinities know very well what Trip
to Wabasso by rail means, and need no
instruction about how to reach there
if they should be so unfortunate as
to have 20 take such trip. Even il
they should change at North Redwood,
a~trip overland of more than two miles
must be made, and the M. & ST. L. Rail-
way makes no connections with The G.
q N. w. at Redwood Falls. At the
very best it would take more than
fourteen hours to make The trip by
way of North Redwood and Evan and
they would have to leave in the
is no town in Redwood County but has
direct connections to Redwood Falls by
rail-
buildings were built at war time pric-
es will bear little investigation Peo-
Piles memories are not so short but
that they know that we did not enter
the war until 1917 The average price
of wheat for the month of August,
paid by the Farmers Elevator Com
pany of Redwood Falls was $1.28
cents per bushel Day labor that year
was at the rate of 25 cents per hour
and building materials were about 80
per cent cheaper than a. the present
time. The statement of the cost of
the Sibley buildings a. Gaylord was
made by an official of tina. county
who should know the cost. 1t is rath-
er unseemly to call his veracity IN
question.
In figuring the cost of special
election, some small items of expense
were overlooked. The items enumer-
ated here are official and may be YER
flied.
Publishing official notices of speci-
al meeting of County Commissioners
on the petition, and publishing official
notices of a special election, each pub
LEGATION to be run twice in every news
paper in the county, at least $500.
Posting notices of special meeting
of Commissioners and posting notices
of special election in every town and
village in the county-three postings
to each precinct, at least $4,000. Mile
age and expenses for Commissioners
at least $4,000 and $4,000 if per diem
wages are allowed. Town and village
clerks, fees for posting in regard to
local place and time of election and
milage for same, at least $4,000.
Clerks fees for receiving ballots, $1.00
each precinct and mileage to and from
postoffice, at least $500, making re-
turns, $1.0O and mileage to and from
postoffice for each precinct making re-
turn, at least $500. Canvassing
board, at least $4,000. Election sup
plies, postage and express, other than
ballots estimated by the county audi
tor at $4,000. Add to these items the
estimate of $675.0O in the open letter.
The total cost of special election
will much more than double the esti-
mate submitted by the Wabasso Ex-
ecutive Committee, and while it would
not go far in meeting the cost of re-
modelling as estimated by their coun-
ty commissioners, it would make quite
start in the remodeling as recon-
mended by your grand jury.
The matter of the cost of remodel
ing is dealt with elsewhere on this
page, and no uncertain and personal
opinion estimate is submitted. 1t has
occurred to many people that Messrs.
Knott, Troske, and Morley might have
addressed their letter of inquiry to the
entire Board of County Commission
ers, and that the board might have
had reliable estimate made for sub
mission to the people. 1t is barely
possible however that such an esti-
mate would not have fitted the pur-
poses of the authors of the letters,
each of the same date, that were sign
ed on the one hand by Messrs Knott,
Troske, and Morley and on the other
hand by the Honorable Ed. Steffl, Geo.
Schmiesing and John Arends.
The Taxpayers Committee has no
apologies to offer for asking people to
refrain from signing petitions, nor
does it take the position of seeking
to suppress the will of the people. A
wise provision of law makes it i'm
perative that 60 per cent of the voters
at the last general election sign petit
ion for special election on the ques-
ton of county seat removal. The pc
tition itself is referendum on the
question of whether public money shall
be spent in such manner, and the will
of the people is expressed clearly in
the matter of signing the petition.
The Taxpayers Committee has only
exercised the right of free discussion
of the petition and has advanced rea-
sons why it seems wasteful to hold a
srecial election at this time. Redwood
Falls has no reason to fear to bring
the matter to the issue of a special
election and rests its case on the sober
Indictment of the voters of Redwood
County with complete confidence in the
final result. An attempt to make
it appear that the Taxpayers Commit
tee IS attempting to throttle free ex-
nression of the peoples will is only
camouflage, since Redwood County