Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1930-01-23
The PlentywOOd Hearld
The PlentywOod Herald, Inc.
Publishers
Published every Thursday at P~lentywood, Mon
tana, where it is entered in the United States
Postoffice as second-class mail matter.
TAXES AND FOOLISHNESS-


TAXES M FOOLISHNESS-
In this issue Chairman Frank French Of the
County Board has a notice referring to misleading
statements published in another county paper with ref
erence to taxes and tax levies under the present ad-
ministraticn.
No doubt the author of the misleading statement
and his medium will be quite pleased to know they
could attract the Boards attention with their non
senseai drivel. "The Dagmar Farmer" who for years
was a barnacle on the old county ship, writes like one
demented since his severance from the payroll.
Certainly taxes are higher. State taxes arc
higher, a fact which has no bearing on the county levy
but which does effect the taxes every property owner
pays
County taxes are higher, too.
Whose fault is it that taxes are higher!
1t isn't because it costs any more to conduct
the county business than it did before-the financial
statements prove that. 1t isn't on account of misman-
agement, although no one would say that our county
administration is infallible.
The real cause for higher taxes is that we are
now paying for "our sins Of omission"
When Taylor and his cohorts took over the ad-
ministration Of the county they promised to reduce
taxes. And how!
sheridan county is in debt about 100000. To
pay interest and retire that debt a sinking fund is
necessary. Taylor OrQereo MS nencnemen 70 make ~
levy for the sinking fund
AS long as the county could go ahead regis
tering warrants what was the difference whether there
was a sinking fund or road fund levy, or any other
levies.
Then, two years ago the state legislature acted.
1t passed a budget law. The issuing Of warrants with
out funds or anticipated funds through levies was
made illegal and a penalty provided for officers who
exceeded their budget.
For four years there had been no sinking fund
levy. Cash funds were jugged and manouvered and
you were told the Indebtedness as we'll as your tax
es had been lowered.
But pay days were rolling around. Interest on
bonds had to be paid and the days Of maturing bonds
were drawing closer.
There was nothing left for the present Board
of County Commissioners to do but to make an ad-
equate sinking fund levy. Even yet it is barely ade-
quate.
There continued to be u greater demand for
better roads. But the budget law had put a stop to
writing illegal warrants. A road fund levy to retire
these warrants and maintain our roads had to be
made.
Certainly those levies, added to the increase in
state levies, increased your taxes.
And there were other causes.
Indian lands, exempt from taxes had been as
sessed-thousand Of acres. The levies on those as
~SHN~AsS o0 nj ~ k4Nlp6t ICVEUu6s
while as a matter Of fact such taxes could never be
collected, and the assessor of this county was obliged
IN recent years to cancel those assessments.
But warrants, drawing six per cent, had been
Issued on such anticipated revenue"
Anyone who pretends to keep posted on coun-
ty affairs will watch with interest the annual financial
statements of the county.
Those statements tell us this much:
During the administration Of Taylor and his
cohorts it cost more to conduct the office Of sheriff
than it does today. 1t also costs more to run the Office
OF county attorney than it does today. 1t costs more
to run the office Of Clerk Of court than it does TODAY.
1t costs more to run every office in the county than it
does today.
There was fragrant graft which there is not to-
day. And it was all paid for by warrants on "~antici-
pated revenue"
Sure we are paying for a lot of dead horses, and
we are also paying for the philandering Of dead pol-
ltical parties, in which the self styled "Dagmar Farm
er" rode into office and out again with his friends
who thought they were fooling the people.
County system Of government is expensive It
best. 1t is more expensive when we have to paw for
mistakes OF the past-not altogether mistakes but q
LOT OF wllfulness and more fobishness. Our county
administration is far from perfect, but it ia an i'm
provement over what we have had and as long a. wa
can keep out the ~grafters and political hiehbinders it
will continue to improve.
WELL, WELL
How time does hy. and what "a noor -