Year: 1860




that the county commissioners Of our coun-
ty At their last session allowed me as county
Auditor salary Of $2,cOo,OO. in county
orders, for the present year. You also state
that my services as such are not worth that
sum. but that it was given me as political
scheme


10 be sure You do not particularly blame
me on account Of this blunder or partizan
act, as you are pleased to call it, on the
part Of the county commissioners, but you
do in the same article and on account of
this salary abuse them.


Now do not propose to come ont and
defend the action Of tho Board Of Commits.
sioners, At their late session. generally; :,
nor do deem that necessary, because eve
ry man. yourself included, who knows
anything about their doings and who o,,ser
we'd the spirit which characterized the same
at that session does know and mus: admit
that fairer more impartial and more Geo.
nonAical body Of men acting as such COM
missioners could not be found. Their whole
official conduct during their three day
session showed desire and determination
to promote the interests Of the county, and
yet to lessen as far as practicable the bur-
dens of the tax payers of this county.


They did, and did so judiciously, expend
money for the improvement Of roads and
bridges wherever it was asked for aid
needed, they remained in session as long Us
there was any business for them to attend
to and did not hasten home without exam-
lining into the county affairs and without
settling with the Treasurer or Auditor, but
on the contrary, as you certainly should
have known, they did examine very care.
fully into TIE County affairs, and through
committees out Of their board did settle
with and examine the accounts Of both
the treasurer and Auditor.


All the actions Of this Board at that ses-
sion will speak for themselves, with perhaps
as much force, to the impartial and truth
full mind, as you or could do through the
columns Of your paper or otherwise, and I
defy any fair or honorable man who witness
sed their proceedings, or who will take the
trouble to examine the records of the same
to find anything therein which was care
lesSly partially or too hastily or in any
manner unfairly done.


Now: Mr.. Editor. in regard to the item
Of the Auditors salary as fixed BY them.
This matter is such that even had your ar
tic!e never appeared the taxpayers Of the
county are entitled to some explanation
and information in relation thereto-and it
is for their satisfaction and in justice to them.
and not for the sake Of carrying on news.
paper quarrels (whi h by the way l really
despise,( tha. troubled you with this cor
respondencc and in treating this or any
other matter, political or otherwise, in which
the interest of the people are at stake.
desire to and always shall do 50 candidly
and honorably. am one Of that class, and
trust that many yet adhere to it, who be-
lieve that politics are as sacred and should
he dealt with as fairly as any other business
in which we are engaged.


This Office Of the County Auditor is but
a late creature O: our Legislature, and not
existing in many of the older ates, and
people; a large share Of the labors Of the of.
flee were formerly done by the Register Of;
Deeds, who had fees fixed by law for each
item Of the same. When the Office was
created two years ago. the fee system was
but the fees reduced nearly one.
half and yet last year the fees Of the Auditor,
my predecessor, under that reduced fee
system amounted to about 81 500, and no
one to my knowledge, thorght that he re
ceivcd too much.


At the last session of our Legislature our
county and town government and our tax
system, were remodeled and changed very
materially, and the Auditors Office at the
same time made ola great deal more i'm.
portance and responsibility than before, and
its labors more than doubled. A new law
was made, requiring the Auditor to record
in brief all absolute conveyances Of real es-
tate in his county, and TO examine into all
the delinquent tax lists and certify on each
instrument of such conveyance to the pay
ment of all back taxes, and Of course making
him responsible for the correctness of those
certificates.


The Auditor. by the late laws referred to,
is made the book keeper Of the county, and
Of every town, school and road district in
his county; he draws all orders on and keeps
all accounts with the Treasury, and all
moneys paid to school districts and towns
are paid upon the special warrant Of the
Auditor.


The Auditor now advertises and sells the
lands for taxes, all of which business was
last year done by the Treasurer. lie MI Il
also, under these new laws, make out, during
the year, full list records, copies and dupli
Gates Of all the taxable property with its
valuation and taxes: and Of the delinquent
and forfeited lands, and Of the lands sold for
taxes, which in all amount to nine seperate
list; the making out each one Of which is
worth about 500. in county orders at their
present value; he also extends the taxes on
the property as levied each year; which job
alone at the reduced legal fees Of last year,
amounted for that year to the sum of
$5l2.44


The Auditor must also give every person
desiring to pay or desiring to find out how
much to pay, written statement of delin-
quent taxes for the several years since the
county was organized, or any property in
the county; and besides the labors have
mentioned, there arc thousand things in
this Office to do which can not here ennmer
ate; but which every man acquainted with
office business will readily understand.


In order to do this labor have necessa-
rily haG one assistant all the time since these
new laws were passed, whose service a.
we'll as my own has been constantly re.
quired i" the Office, and the press Of business
in the office has now compelled me to en-
ploy yet another assistant, and towards fall
II will roo,,;ro f,,,r oood NON v,oou e.. 49,.