Rensselaer Republican, Volume 25, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 October 1892 — That Great Trea[?]upy Surplus. [ARTICLE]

That Great Trea[?]upy Surplus.

After the tier© Drawn, Ear Each Year, It Aw feli4*lJj Jrf*7 in tatK Ibarrtn tSSI, it An©'her Complete aad Conclusive Lcfntation o* lie I’ilol jhuiff’a i-rvarpsr. —*— - Last week w-4 tb<t ex act.facts regarding taxes in this county for th.- :a>: years 1890 week qo give -J&# the. bfeJma<J6 3K n klm, .c&-i regarding which m-ich false am! misleading matter has Sami. mrculated by the same paper the -same persons wlio have been tiding to fill tho minds of the people We gave'the facts about taxes,; exactly as they were. We s.hail low the same rule about the balai.ee in the t maty tre-snrylnadr an! just as oiji -i-cttflcfs; will them ii they »,lu iuv y £ dgate_ ;: for tk-mt elves. It is the ofliciai tiai-y of the county auditor to prepare, every year a financial statement? for the fiscal year ending May 31st of each year, to submit the same 1 to the ’Odttnty Commissioners abtheir June, session, and, if the statement is found com et and approved by the ccmmiesn >ners, to publish -tliQ same in a public newspaper. This annual report embraces many funds and many figures, but only the matter of the ba'tauee in ’the treasury for the fiscal years ending May 31st 1891 and May 31st 1892 is now under discussioh. The financial report for the year ending May 31st 1891, and,published iii June of that year showed a total clear Balance then in the county treasury, in thd hands of the county treasurer, on May 31st of that year, aud embracing all kinds of funds, of >? ; $25,859.00 The . financial ti4temc.nl.. .published in June of the present year showed a net balance on hand May 31st 1892, of $40,485.62 ' • .... These figures, upon their face, - ' showed a net increase of funds in the treasury for the latter year over the former of $20,026.54 Now while there was a good and sufficient. explanation for this seemingly largely increased surplus, which sho wed that there was really no increase, to be had afc any time by calling at the office of the county treasurer or of the county auditor, yet without takmg the trouble to learn-the true facts in the matter, or if they did learnthem, wilfully disregaidiug them, the editors of the People's Pilot, aswell as various private individuals,’ have been declaiming against this alleged itrcrefcSed surplus in the

treasury and declaring that it was not needed and had been rah o r for corrupt purposes, or to make the new tax law unp.-p ulaiT These statements, gpno and all are _ wholly and absolutely hose, add the true facts as wo will here present them, will prove, that they are false. It is the duty of the county and*, itor, every year in May, after %. April installment of taxes are ajQU paid or become delinquent, to. make the May distribution of funds to the various townships aqd. towns, such as township, school, and road taxes. It usually happens that the trustees and town boaids driw out funds ? before the end of May, and the balance in tbp treasury ia thus greatly reduced. + This fear it; happened otherwise/ and odly three ti ’ ihe i *i|i.stees -called for their fhnis Iblfore the Ist of June, and the money tnatsholW have been takhS out on this May distribution T«aivqned as part of the balance in-t3Se4roastury and so appeared m the auditor’s ß financial statemsote,. published in JutfO, and in vdifclftho TYty tmOs its largely increased bwafi'ce. ’ u .n In proof of the truth of what we: hfive just stated, we note the fact that during 'ihe drat 16 days of June overs2s,ooo of that alleged great balance in the treasury was paid out to the townships, on the May distribution. If the township trustees had come in and got their money from this distribution, before the,last oiMay, as they usually have done, the balance In the treasury on June Ist would have actually been Ifrts, by several thousand*, than it wi s tne yeffjr before. 1 ! There was none too muchmoiey in the treasury on the Ist of last June. lh tying the tliiee ftmgoths [

. iWt wl ? 4 ¥* -i tjte' >_t,bD-UtttMWll|^Hraill:: wig, cpuuty i'au i •♦ere $10,840.20. I)e- : tractio£ both of these' stuns fee vet the bah ace hi the treasury June Ist left only Jia733.82. This svjn has been furl her decreased by r/..e •claims 11qvt(«1 bjrihe ers at their September session; hud increased somewhat by taxes •paid, a.id ether sohrees. ' The i. afire balance now on hax d, Sfeet’hcT rffce-exa r :t m rndt ase«rtailiable uat 1 the time for tee regular quarterly 3 , posting of fi e treasurer’s books, as required by law.