The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1921-10-20
TAXES FOR FAIR

Probably no more earnest and con-
scientious body of representatives of
the people meets anywhere, under any
auspices, in the State of Michigan,
than that which assemblies in the
court house at Flint, as the Board of
| Supervisors of Genesee County.
We personally know a considerable
number of the men serving on the
Board and the foregoing would cor
rectly represent our opinion of them.
But, notwithstanding our high opin-
ion of their honesty of purpose, we
are at times constrained to question
their judgment. For instance, the
other day they voted an appropria-
ton of 100000 in aid of the So
called Genesee County Fair at Dav-
ison. This in face of the fact that
present conditions demand the prac-
tice of the greatest economy in the
expenditure of public funds; in face
of the fact that last year a larger
number of people were unable to pay
their taxes than ever before, and of
the further fact that conditions are
less promising this year than they
were last year. Of course, it may be
argued that nine thousand dollars
spread over the valuation of Genesee
County does not amount to anything
so far as the individual tax payer is
concerned, but this argument is fall
lacious, as it is the sum total of many
such small sums that constitutes the
whole burden of taxation which
people are finding it SO difficult to
bear. Moreover, we are wondering
how much of a Genesee County In
stitution this fair at Dawson is?
What proportion of the citizenship
of the county visited it? In whom is
its property vested? What salaries
are the officers paid? How were its
resources expended-how much for
premiums on stock and grain and how
much for "hoss races?" These are
matters that the people of the county
are entitled to know about if they
are to back the enterprise financi-
ally. But why should not this fair
stand upon its own feet, as the Tay-
mouth Fair has done for many years?
Or, if county aid is good thing, why
not hand the plymouth people an
equal amount and give the other side
of the county some of the entertain
ment? We could not help figuring,
too, what a very great deal of bene-
fit the outlying districts of Genesee
County might have realized if this
nine thousand dollars had been ex-
pended to provide additional officers
for the sheriff's force, so that the
highways of the county might be
properly patrolled and made safe and
the manufacture and sale of illicit
whiskey more effectually restrained.
Or, it might have been expended to
provide a resident deputy sheriff,
under nominal salary, in each of the
townships, with considerable benefit
all around and all the year round.
AS it is at present, these townships
get very little service of this kind,
nor can they reasonably expect it,
because, while the demands upon the
sheriff's Office have increased very
greatly within the last ten years, it
is probably the case that his force of
assistants has been augmented but
very slightly. Furthermore, all of
the sheriff's force is quartered in the
City of Flint, where the municipality
maintains a force of more than a
hundred policemen to secure protec-
ton and the maintenance of order.
Why not let the people who want a
fair pay for it and spend the peoples
for the peoples needs. We
want to compliment the supervisor
of Vienna Township on the fact that
he spoke and voted again this appro-
priation. c. II. r.