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Show WHAT TAXPAYER SAYS Editor Lehl Sun, Hoar Sir. Whon I addrewod my first communication com-munication to you I did not think It would be netessnry to oncroach further fur-ther upon jour valuable space, believing, be-lieving, n i ,ihi, that If answer wero mado by any of tho presont City Ofllclals that they would confine tholn-selves tholn-selves to a truthful exposition of facts. What a mlsplacomont ot confidence con-fidence for tho purported nn3Wor Is not nn answer but an extremely feoblo attompt to be factolous coupled, with a senile sarensm, a manifest; onrnestness to toll halt tho truth, It any wero told, to distort facts, to mis? lead tho public and to nsk a host ot questions and I feel that I would bo dcrollct In my duty If I failed to answer tho quostlons propounded by our honored citizen and estoomod Legislator, Mr. Knight. And you my vorboso frlond "Being n bollovcr In good wliolosomo constructive crltlcj Ism"? will undoubtedly on joy bolg corrected In somo ot your well what' shall I call thorn? We'll sny mlsS stntomonts. ; rirst, I fall to boo whoroln I pleaded Ignoranco of City affairs and then found fault with Its manngqmont, such statement Is untrue, what I did, sny was, that I had no moans (af band of courso) of knowing how much more taxos would bo collected this yonr than two years ngo, Is not that u oitiioiiiuui ui iuuu nero is mo foundation for your accusation that I plond Ignoranco. I wish to thank you at this tlmo for tho Illuminating brilliancy shed by tho vory lurid artlclo? which omannted from an intellect in-tellect so gigantic thnt I feel appalled ap-palled by Its ruggod grandeur. I npologlzo for my Ignoranco nnd hope to provo to you thnt I hnvo omu-Inted omu-Inted your noble oxamplo and studied hard slnco last you hoard from mo and that I have taken somo pains to Inform myself as to tho City's business, busi-ness, how well I havo succeeded lot others Judge. I find you stylo yoursolf a tax-payor. tax-payor. A caroful search of tho tax ; rolls of Lehl falls to discover your ; namo among tho martyrs. Noxt you stato In nuswer to my ' quostlon how much moro monoy tho ' City would recfovo this year than two ' yonrs ngo that tho amount would bo j the sum ot $4.13. You will pardon mo ; for not quoting vor hatum. Again ; you aro wrong. Tho nssossed valu- ; atlon for tho year 1919 not bolng ; nvallnblo I havo been Informed that : It was not any hlghor than tho year I 1920, If as high, so wo will tako tho 1020 valuos nnd tho 1919 lovy assossod ; value $1,3CO,D30.QO at 10 mills would ; yield a tax rotum of $21,708.48. : The proosnt valuation bolng 11,295,- ! 902.30 th(Tovy 24 mills will not tho : City In taxos $31,101.05. Now tho : ordinary rules of subtraction will ' show that there will bo collocted $9,33.17 In oxcoss of two yoar3 ago. Some dloffrenco oh! Noxt you stnto high tnxes must con- ; tlnuo If tho honest obligations voted ! by the cltlzons bo mot, your roforenco ! is ns clear aa mud, but for arguments : snlio ehnll presume you hnvo rofor- j enco to that grand nnd Imposing pdlflco bolng erected on Contor nnd ; First North Stroots, and for your In- ; formation will state auor somo pro- ; llmlnary efforts,- a mass meeting was : eallod for the purposo of deciding tho : question and advisability of erecting : such n building, at which mooting a : IloBolutlou was submitted by Bishop Stokor of tho Fourth Ward sub-stantlally sub-stantlally os follows: "Wo tho : oltlons and tnxpnyors of Lehl. In : inns meeting nssombled do horoby : recommend thnt tho City Council build n Joint building to be used ns : a City Hall and a Momorlnl Building. PROVIDED THAT THE SAME SHALL NOT COST MORE THAN FORTY THOUSAND DOLLARS AND BE ERECTED BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION. SUB-SCRIPTION. ' The truth of this can bo vorifled by rofeience to tho City's rocords nnd I ask you can thnt resolution by any stretching of your fertile lmmaglnntlon 00 construed as an authorization for an oxtru lovy of 6 mills. Now as to your assortlon that tho present administration had to borrow ujcuiey to pay tho bills of tho out going go-ing otllcors. 1 llud by roforenco to tho report of tho treasuror as publish-ed publish-ed In tho Sun that on Docombor 31, 1919, shows that thoro was actual cash on deposit in tho bank of $10,943.55, of this amount thoro wns sot asldo us a sinking fund $15,000.00, nsafund 'or porpotuul euro of coinotory lots $200.00, which leaves a balnnco of $I,74.f 55 avallablo for Immediate uso. Those figures aro from tho City's oooks and inndo nftor nil bills had boon -paid by tho outgoing olllclnls. Thoro was a considerable largor balance than this in tho bank. In addition tho prenout oillclals rooclvod u chock for $2,926.00 Kobrunry 27, 1920, on the tnxes of 1919, or nearly two months after ou assumed olllco. Now thoso amounts together with other rooclpts totaled nbout $5,000.00 avallablo for immediate) uso. And I Una thnt not until August 8th does your City's rocords ro-cords show that a loan had boeu obtained. ob-tained. "You nskod was Mr. Gilchrist a criminal mayor for keoplng tho Wlnos Park In shnpo?" Emphatically 1 onswor no nnd am extremely obliged to you for compelling mo to look up somo moro information. Whon tho vory nblo ndminstrntiou uiiuer air. uiicnnst auvortisou for bids for tho caro of tho park and tho Bidders foil down and quit tholr Job Mr Gilchrist, llko a horo, says wo will not pay any moro than that nnd whon nil othors rofused ho did tho work. This was tho caso during both soasons of his Incumboncy. Now, Mr. man of many political contortions contrast Buch conduct with that of tho present administration Just In the following mattor. 1 know that bids wore solicited for tho suporlntondcncy of tho wondorful building boforo referred re-ferred to nnd two cltlzons, either of them as capable and both with far moro oxporlouco than your worthy contemporary, con-temporary, offered to do tho work, ono for $7.00 and the other for $8.00 por day. And I also wish to call your attention to tho fact that In tho matter mat-ter ot salarlos somo ot your present City oillclals aro bolng paid In excess ex-cess ot tho salary ns fixed by ordln-unco ordln-unco to tho tuuo of $000.00 pur year or enough to cut down 0.5 mill ot tho tnx lovy. About tho wondorful bridges put In, thoy suro aro lino, but why don't you toll tho pooplo that for ono, tho county furnlshod 120 sacks of coment, nnd - that according to county authorities you havo not yet roturncd thorn tho ompty sacks, thereby causing tho county a loss ot $18.00 If not returned, and why don't you toll us that somo of tho cltlzons donated somo toward thoso bridges as also did tho irrigation company? Why not givo tho other follow somo crodit dnd not forovor kcop tho WE boforo us to tho oxllnctlon or hiding of tho worthy efforts of othop citizens to nsslst you. Now, aftor a careful study ot tho caso I can only roach ono conclusion mid my mind Is mndo up that tho thing to do Is not to do any particular fault finding but to toko a montal plcturo of my tnx notice, to tho Dolls nnd voto tor tho mon who say wo bo-liovo bo-liovo taxos can bo reduced nnd -who offer us somo nssurnnco that it oloctod thero will bq a decrease in tho lovy. I, for ono, know that such doqroaso can bo mndo. TAXPAYER. |