The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1922-06-16

Of Pueblo County, COloradO.)
The county commissioner IL the man
who IL responsible for all the ills
known to the citizens of his county. |
He is also supposed to be a remedy for
all these ills. He Is the responsible |
business manager CT financial 'nsti- |
tuition or municipality ranging from
twenty to one hundred million dollars. |
He IL the provider OF funds for the
maintenance Of county AFFAIRS. He Is
respc nsible for teh expenditures of all
tehse moneys and the watch dog" OF
the treasury.
The duties of a county commissioner
are varied and many. He ia not only
the financier of his county but he is
the road and bridge builder. the care
taker CT the county property ana the
county poor. He is a member Of the
| county board OF health and an all
around public servant. Above all he
| Is in a great degree responsible for
the rate of county taxation. for every
branch of county expense except the
public schools. This ia one public mat
ter for which is not responsible and
over which he has no control.
When fund for county mainte-
nance has been provided he is miser
if he saves 1t and a spendthrift he
Ispends it. and in either case is liable
to condemnation.
He must see that the suffering poor
of the county are cared for properly.
This is no small matter and requires a
great deal of attention and care.
Every county should be provided
with a farm home for it's poor. where
lccmfort and plenty can prevail. There
lmany of the inmates enjoy the COM
forts of home and find some healthful
lexercise which partially pays for their
Support. Farms of this kind can be
made self-supportins if properly man
laged.
| A farm in connection with the ccun-
lty Jail would also seem to be not only
profitable. but healthful and instruc-
tive to the prisoners.
Theuniversal cry nowis for good
roads. What the American people now
want is long. level straight smooth.
solid road. This is an important fac
tor in the work of a county commits
sioner and it is up to him to Sc" to
it that this important feature of his
duty is not neglected. A road well
built. we'll drained and well maintain
ed is an asset to a county. credit
10 us pulluef ana IL pressure anu sdA
isfaction to the travelling public which
will advertise the county far and
wide.
The demand for lower taxes 5 al
most strong as the demand for
good reads. But the taxpayer must
remember that it costs money to build
roads and maintain them If the taxes
Ii are to be rdeucet; the demand for pub
if,1rn oil hn rn21 naG
When long petitions are presented to
the beard of county commissioners de-
manding improvements on roads, the
signers must not lose sight of the fact
that the purchase of road machinery,
the operation thereof. and the pur-
chase of read and bridge material and
the labor required herewith must be
paid for out of the public treasury.
| 1t is our duty as county commss ION
ers to keep an eye single to the prac-
teal. useful and necessary things to
. be done in our county that costs
money. remembering at all times that
every dollar we spend or allow 20 be
spent represents a dollars worth of
somebody's hard work. Our OUTLAWS
CT money should always be consistent.
not only with the demands of our con-
stituency but with the necessity there
of well.
One of the chief causes of high
taxes is the great success of the tax
dodger. There is great deal OF m
visible property that is net taxed. The
people who own stock and bonds and
, like securities should pay their share
of taxes to support the government
which protects them, as we'll as the
poor man who owns bus a cottage. The
a
. tains no home. owns no visible prop
erty but much in stock and bonds and
ipays no taxes. but receives the protec-
tion CT the law and government. uses
the roads and streets of the public and
benefits by public utilities is no more
and no better han a gentleman high
wayman' and should be deprived of
the privilege of the ballot uni ess he
pays tax for that privilege. He has
no mere right to step up to the bal
lot box and vote bonds and taxes on
other peoples property. which produce
comfort and pleasure to- him. than he
has to stop them on the highway with
a gun and relieve them of their be
llongings.
| The county assessor should be au-
thorized to investigate safety deoesit
boxes. private safes and other hid
ing places. Tor STOCKS ana bonds and
assess them justly according to the
lvalue thereof.
AS the law now stands. the non-tax-
payer, and the nCn-proeprty owner has
the same right to vote on questions of
taxation, bonds. etc, as the heaviest
taxpayer in the community. It has SO
been decided by the supreme court of
Colorado. This IS not it should be
and should be referred by this assoc
citation to the legislative committee of
the Colorado County Commissi -ners
association, authorizing them to in
sist on a law being passed giving the
property cwner the exclusive vote on
taxes. bonds, etc, for which the prop
erty is held responsible.
For all the work and worry of
lcounyt commissioner, he receives the
small remuneration of from SIS. to
5000 per month. This is not as it
should be. He should be paid a sal
airy commensurate with the response
bility borne and service rendered. The