Jasper County Democrat, Volume 9, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 October 1906 — DON’T BE FOOLED. [ARTICLE]

DON’T BE FOOLED.

Republicans Made, Taxes Unnecessarily High. MONEY IS SPENT LAVISHLY. Old Cry Raised That Special Improve* Made It Necessary To Double the County Fund Levy. The people of Jasper county should not again be bam-boozled by that old, moss-covered tale that the doubling of the taxes this year ( s o be paid next year) was absolutely necessary. This same cry was raised in 1898, when the levy was 65| cents, yet non-par-tisan county council reduced the levy to 45| for 1899 and to 34| for 1900, and no public interests suffered in any way. In 1901 an all republican county cotincil raised the levy to 50| cents; in 1902 the same all republican county council fixed tbe levy again at 50|; in 1903 at 49|; in 1904 at 39|; in 1905 at 39 13-20 and in 1906 at 71 13-20. During all these years new bridges were being built, a court house tax to pay interest and to pay off bonds has been levied, as follows: 1900, 10 cents; 1901, 14 cents; 1902, 5 cents; 1903, 9 cents 1904, 13 cents; 190 c, 11 cents; 1906, 6 cents; 1907, 16 cents. Some of these bonds have already been paid and interest thereon stopped, yet a greater levy than ever before —notwithstanding the increase in assessments in the county —is now “necessary.” The Hanging Grove gravel road, the Jordan stone road, the Marion stone road, the Iroquois ditch and all other special improvements are entirely separate from the county tax proper, to which we refer, and have nothing whatever to do with it, as everyone must know. Taxes are high because an all republican county council grants every request made to dip into the county treasury, builds extravagant “cottages” at the soldiers’ home, furnishes velvet carpets, leather covered couches, fine rockers, etc., for a lounging room at the court house under the plea that it is a "waiting room for the farmers’ wives and their children,” presenting Mose Leopold SIOO for helping to clear that old political banker and rascal, Alf McCoy, ectera, ectera. The democrats do not propose to cut off any necessary appropriations but, if entrusted with the management of county affairs, even in part, they will endeavor to reduce the numerous grafts in many things that usually reach a total of many thousands of dollars each year, and thereby reduce taxation to the necessary expenses of the county.