Linn County, Missouri - Chapter 8: Chaos Began and Light Dawned, 1882

Chapter 8: Chaos Began and Light Dawned

The Opening of the Fratricidal Strife - Action of the Count!/ Court - Taxation and Collection - Delinquent Lists - Several Important Items - A Cupola for the Court-house and Fire Dollars a Day for the Count// Court Judges - Clay Toivnship - Bucklin District and ToioHship - A Variety of Information - The Location, Plans, and Building the Netv Jail - Cost, $8,680 26 - Agricultural Association - The Clarkson Defalcation - Items - Financial - Township Bond Indebtedness - Offer of Compromise - Address to the People by the Committee - How it Stands January 1, 1882 - The Tax Lery and Cost and Collection for a Scries of Years - Lin)i County Bonded Debt.

When Chaos Began

The dark and orninons cloud which had risen in tlie distant horizon began to spread and from its baleful surface lurid flashes gleamed out, a portent of the coming storm. It was in the year 1861 the signal-gun had been fired at Sumter. The people North were being rapidly educated in the gospel of hate, and the South urged on the resistance. The clash of arms came, and shook the world, and the destiny of a free countrj' was placed in the hands of the God of Battles. However, not all were crazed, but out from the cry of armed men and the sound of strife, words now and then fitfully flashed athwart the troubled horizon which showed reason was not entirely dethroned. Missouri stood firm between the contending hosts, but the extremists on both sides at last made it a battle around. In the month of August, 1861, an order had come for the County Conrt to levy a war tax to raise money for the shedding of human blood. The County Court, to their honor, be it said, made the following order of record:

''It is ordered by the court here, tliat the military tax for the year 1861 be not levied, for the reason that this court is of the opinion that the law authorizing said tax to be levied is unconstitutional."

Whether the court had the right to decide the question or not, they were manly words and were boldly avowed, and for tliis exhibition of their manhood and their bold declaration of right they will be honored for all time. Their names were S. P. Phillips, Joseph C. Moore, and James A. Maddox.

Matters began to assume, however, a warlike shape. Linn county, like all others, suffered her share and had her trials and tribulations. Armed men began to gather withi« her bounds, and the army of the North and of the South found gallant recruits within her borders who rallied to the call of arms and joined the standard of one side or the other as they believed in the righteousness of the cause. The county moved along and its business generally attend to, but, of course, more or less disorder was to be expected. Taxes were levied as usual and partially paid. The collector found hard work to meet tlie demand of the county expenses and the State dues, and the delinquent list began to swell into the thousands. The county delinquent list for ISOO was $1,166.59. In 1861 it was $2,173.51. For the year 1862 the State delinquent was 12,550.25 and the county $1,912.25, being a total for 1862 of $4,462.50, more than double that of 1861. The total revenue fur 1862 was $9,622.82, and but little over half was collected. This revenue was levied as follows:

The collection was so difficult that the legislature passed a relief bill giving the collector until the fifteenth of May to make his returns. Thomas M. Rucker was the sheriff and collector that year. The relief act was approved February 11, 1862. The assessor that year charged $492.25 for his services.

September 1, 1862, the voting precinct of Yellow Creek township was changed from Wyandotte to St. Catharine. An act of the General Assembly, approved March 20, 1861, vacated the lown of Thayer, in Linn county. It was situated on the Hannibal ifc St. Joseph Railroad and was at first a division point. The railroad afterward moved its business to Brookfield and that finished the town of Thayer, and it was fenced in by the above act of the legislature.

In 1863 the delinquent list again swelled to huge proportions. The amount of tax was $10,220.68. The State revenue or tax did not make much headway; the county tax paid was $2,729.75, and delinquent on county, $2,952.81, less than half being collected. Not only was the tax collection a failure, but citations were issued against no less than 143 persons for failure to pay interest on the school money borrowed, and that of the road and canal fund. The times began to press heavily upon the people, and they were tired of war and the evils it engendered.

The military delinquent list had become heavy, and the sum of from $30 to $40 was the amount against each delinquent. This tax, by an act of the legislature, was remitted under certain circumstances. There were ISO of these delinquents the County Court released in April, May, and June, of 1864.

Linn county was authorized to borrow school funds of the county by act of the General Assembly, approved February IT, 1865. It was also allowed to issue bonds for road and bridge purposes, not to exceed $20,000 in any one year, to draw six per cent, and time not to exceed twenty years. This act was approved February 16, 1865.

February 20, 1865, the General Assembly passed an act making United States notes, or greenbacks, receivable for all dues to the State, making them a legal tender.

In the year 1865 the first bridge tax was levied, being twenty cents on the one hundred dollars of valuation. The cost of bridges in the county up to and including the year here written, had only amounted, in round numbers, to $18,000, outside of the money paid to commissioners for superintending construction. Up to this time the county had managed, with the road and canal fund, to get along without levying a tax, but the increase of population, and more roads being demanded, and nearly all crossing some stream, bridges were demanded.

Repairs on the court-house cost, in February, 1867, $400. Suit was commenced against Edward Iloyle, ex treasurer, and his securities, for a failure to pay over county funds. Judgment was rendered against him in the sum of $1,598.15. He paid the amount of judgment August 12, 1869.

The receipts and expenditures of the county were next published in the newspapers, in the year 1865, a proceeding on the part of the County Court which was heartily approved of by the people. Taxation had been heavy for a numl)er of years, and it was no more than right that the people who paid the taxes should know what was done with the money. The cost of the publication was two hundred and eighty dollars ($280), and was paid to G. S. Nichols, June 17, 1867.

Court-House And Cupola

The next move was to enlarge .and otherwise improve the court-house. Four hundred dollars had been paid in 1866 to repair it, but it did not meet the demand. A cupola was to be erected and not only was there more room needed to do the business of the county, but they proposed to put on some style, and a $1,000 cupola, as mentioned above would be just the thing. The contract was let and work was commenced on the addition to court-house in the spring of 1867, and by August 3, 1867, it was announced as completed. There was, however, some guttering done October 2, 1867, to the amount of $71, and some interest paid for money loaned of $37.50 on jS^ovember 5tli, of the same year. This made the total cost of the addition repaired and improvements, including the cupola aforesaid, foot up $8,456.20; something over twice what the original court-house cost.

As a iine court-house had been erected, it was necessary that the dignity of the officials of the county should be in keeping with the improved place of business. Up to May, 1868, the county judges had been receiving $3 per day for each day's service, and previous to the jSTovember term, 1866, they had received $2 per day, but they got that price in the shabbv old court-house. Therefore to meet the improved style and properly grace the surroundings, including the cupola, the county judges allowed themselves at the May term of the court, $4.66|, or $56 for twelve days' service, but as that fell a trifle short, at the August term, 1868, five dollars was declared to be the proper remuneration for the services of a county judge one day in the new court-house, with a cupola attachment, and this remained the pay until the new township organization law w.ent into force in 1872.

The first bonds ever issued by Linn county was in the year 1868. That is lithographed bonds, a batch of sixty having been ordered and $16 paid for them.

Eighteen hundred and sixty-eight was another bad year for delinquent taxes. The collector seemed to be unable to gather in the shekels. Slow pay was the rule and not the exception, and the result was a delinquent list of huge proportions. Quite a large portion of it was afterwards collected, and the amount returned covered every department which was subject to taxation.

Tersonal Delinquent

Another new township was decided upon by the people of the west side. Parson Creek and Jackson townships covered all the territory west of Locust Creek, and there was enough of it to make a third township and give all a sufficienc}' of metes and bounds. The ])etition of Joseph A. Peery and others for the new township was favorably acted upon by the County Court January 5, 1869, and the new township was described as follows:

" It is therefore ordered by the court that said new township be bounded as follows: Commencing at the southwest corner of section fifteen and the northwest corner of section twenty-two, of township fifty-nine, of range twenty-tw^o, at the Livingston county line, running east with said line between fifteen and twenty-two to the center of the channel of Locust Creek; thence south meandering the channel of said stream to where it crosses the section line between twenty-two and twenty-seven, in township fifty-eight, of range twenty-one; thence west following said section line to the Livingston county line at the southwest corner of section twenty-two, in township fifty-eight, range twenty-two; thence north with the county line to the place of beginning. It is further ordered that the said nevs^ township shall be called Clay, and that the clerk certify a copy of this order to the Secretary of State as the law requires."

The first justice of the peace for the township was William Parr, who wa& appointed March 3, 1869, to hold until the next general election. An election was ordered held in Clay township April 2, 1869, to decide the question of voting stock to the North Missouri Central Railroad if it should be built over a certain line, but as it whs not, of course nothing came of it. The first voting precinct in Clay township w'as at the Strawberry schoolhouse, so designated, and the judges of election were John Branson, James A. Neal and William Parr, who were appointed to serve in the railroad election spoken of above, which occurred April 27, 1869, it being the first election held in the township.

Kucklin District

A rest of three 3'ears and again was the County Court called upon to divide and make new, and this time it was the patriotic design of the people of East Yellow Creek to have that township shorn of half its territory, the eastern half, to be called Bucklin. The little town of Bucklin, on the Ilaimibal & St. Joseph Railroad had visions of unbounded growth which nothing short of a separate municipality, an independent organization, would develop, hence a petition was duly drawn up and signed by about all in the to"-vnship who were approached, was brought over to the "central city '^ and the County Court duly presented with the important document. The wherefore of this move was not distinctly stated, but the Wy(att) was there in all its strength, or in other words, Sampson Wyatt led the host of petitioners for this new district. The court not having the strength of Sampson, saying nothing about his backing, gracefully submitted to the inevitable, and made the following order of record, which gave to those ambitious citizens their hearts' desire. The order reads:

" It is ordered by the court here that the petition of Sampson Wyatt and others 'of Yellow Creek township, praying for a division of the municipal township, as aforesaid, by a subdivision line running north and south through said township, to be called 'Bucklin,' and that the prayers of said petitioners be received and granted."

The court meeting again October 5, 1863, placed the following order among the county proceedings of that date, locating the election precinct:

" It is ordered here that there be an election precinct in the town of Bucklin, i/i Yelloio Creek toivns/np, Liim county, Missouri, to be designated and known as Bucklin precinct, and that Jesse Austin, David Brownlee, and Paul Shreckise, be and are hereby appointed judges of elections for the same precinct, and that the sheriff notify them of their appointment as the law requires.''

This was done and the first election held under the new order of things was in the general election held in November of 1863. Not long after the incorporation of Bucklin the County Court defining the boundary of Y^ellow Creek and Bucklin, or in the words of the Code, St. Catharine District and Bucklin District, of Y'ellow Creek township. The order defining the boundary reads as follows:

" It is ordered by the court that Y^ellow Creek township be divided as follows: Commencing on the county line of Chariton at the section corner of thirty-two and thirt3'-tliree on said line; running north with said section line to where the said line strikes the township line dividing township fifty-eight and fifty-nine, and all that portion lying east of said line to be called and styled the Bucklin District, and all west of said subdivision line to be called and styled the St. Catharine District, both in Yellow Creek township."

These districts remained in this shape until the October term of the County Court in 1870, when the townsliip of Bucklin was really organized, the order readinp- as follows:

"Ordered by the court that a new municipal township be created, erected, and established in this county to be bounded as follows: Commencing in the northwest corner of section thirty-two, in township fifty-seven, of range eighteen, running east on the county line between Chariton and Linn counties to the southeast corner of section thirty-six, township fifty-seven, of range eighteen; thence north on the county line to the northwest corner of section one. in township fifty-eight, of range eighteen; thence west to the northwest corner of section five, township fifty-eight, of range eighteen; thence south to the place of beginning, and that the town of Bucklin be the voting precinct of said township."

In 1870 the township of Grantsville was organized, February 20, and the voting precinct established at Grantsville village, located on section eleven, township fifty-nine of range twenty. The present boundary of Grantsville is somewhat changed from the original organization, West Yellow Creek being then its eastern boundarj', which is now on a section line, for three miles thence east one half a mile; thence north until it strikes the creek, then continuing up Yellow Creek to the north boundary line. Two miles of its west boundary, commencing at the north end, has been moved east one mile. With the exception of these two changes the township of Grantsville remains as originally formed.

At the same time Enterprise township was enlarged by taking in the two sections on her eastern border, which belonged to Baker, and run like an arm to the Sullivan county line, between the townships of Enterprise and North Salem. This gave Enterjn'ise the size of a congressional township, less the dropping of the township line between sixty and sixty-one.

With the organization of Grantsville the present municipal township organization of Linn county was completed, and since only few changes in the township lines occurred.

Bottsville was changed to Meadville April 2, 1869, changed back again May 3d, and remained Bottsville until October 6, 1869, when it was finally changed to Meadville, and still retains the latter name without any prospects of further change.

The tax levy of 1869 was for all county purposes one dollar on the one hundred dollars of assessed valuation. The State tax was fifty cents on the one hundred dollars. Tiie county levy was divided as follows: County, fifty cents; road ta.\, fifteen cents; bridge, fifteen cents; jail, ten cents; interest fund, five cents; and pauper, five cents.

The total receipts from all sources was $21,567.28, and expenditures by the county, all purposes, $20,1:37.40. Excess of receipts over expenditures, $1,129.88.

The vote for the new township organization law was all one way, the people of Linn favoring it by a vote in favor of one thousand six hundred and twenty-seven to only twenty-two votes against it. One board of supervisors only was elected under its provisions, holding until a change was made dividing the county into four judicial districts in 1874.

The board of supervisors received two dollars per' day for services actually rendered, and the new County Court of five judges three dollars per day.

The old jail failing to hold the most " accomplished unfortunates," it was decided by the county Solons to erect a structure that would defy the ingenuity of rogues to escape from. With this object in view, R. F. Northcott was, on April 6lh, 1869, appointed commissioner to estimate the cost of a new structure, and was given authority to sell the old jail and the ground connecting therewith, and to purchase a desirable lot or lots for the new building more convenient to the court-house.

The choice fell upon loti- one, two, and three, block one, of Smith's addition to the town of Linnens, and they were purchased in October, 1869, at fifty dollars per lot, or one hundred and fifty dollars for the three. A tax was levied for jail purposes, and then, with the exception of collecting the tax, the matter remained staticmary until the next fall.

"Ordered by the court that a new jail be built in this county, and that ten thousand dollars be appropriated out of the fund, raised and to be raised, of this county for that purpose. And it is further ordered by this court that Charles A. Fore, be and he is hereby appointed superintendent to superintend the erection of said jail, and it is further ordered that lots number one, two, and three, in block one, in Smith's addition to the town of Linneus, in this county, be and the same is designated as the place whereon to build said jail. Or if said ground is not considered suitable by said commissioner whereon to erect said jail, he is hereby authorized to select a proper piece of ground at the seat of justice of said county whereon to erect said jail."

Plan And Location

The commissioner at once went to work and drew the plan of a jail, and submitted it to the court for examination, and it was approved and ordered filed. The superintendent of this building, appointed by the County Court, was the commissioner of the town of Linneus, and had been since February 12, 1842. In all those years that he had held the position, so far as the town of Linneus was concerned, his steady attention to the best interests of the town had made him a landmark of its growth and development. The new superintendent was not satisfied with the ground selected, and he at once acted upon the authority vested in him by the County Court, and made another selection and purchased the same. The Coui:ty Court promptly confirmed the sale by the following order of record, in minute book "B," folio 270; to-wit,

" It is orderded by the court that the selection of lot No. 5, in block No. 22, in the town of Linneus, by the jail superintendent, for the purpose of building a new jail, be and is hereby approved. And it is further ordered, that the treasurer of Linn county pay the purchase-money for the same to A. W. MulHns, the grantor. Said purchase-money amounting to two hundred and fifty dollars."

The proposition to build the jail was advertised in several papers in the State, at a total expense of $57.50, and the bills for the same paid December 20, 1870.

Commissioner Fore, as the agent of the town of Linneus, sold lot No. 6, in block No. 22, for $325, and this sale was confirmed by the court, thus netting seventy-five dollars more for the adjoining lot than the one pur-- chased for jail purposes. The sale was made December 31, 1870.

At the same date the treasurer of Linn county was ordered to pay over to Charles A. Fore all the money in his hands, and all that might thereafter be received by him, belonging to the county jail fund, as fast as he received the same. The court also made further provisions for funds by anticipating the tax-levy for jail purposes, by issuing the following order and placing the same upon record; to-wit,

"Ordered, by the court, that the cl^rk of this court issue ten Linn county bonds, for five hundred dollars each, payable to bearer. Four of said bonds payable in one year from date, and six bonds two years from date, all bearing even date herewith, bearing ten per cent per annum interest, and signed by the president and countersigned by the clerk of this court. That the clerk of this court deliver said bonds, when so signed, to Charles A. Fore, the superintendent of the countj' jail building of this county."

Witli the disposal of the bonds, part being taken by the contractor, work progressed actively during the following spring and summer months, and by early fall the house for the reception of violators of the law was announced completed. The commissioner made his report, and the county court received and approved the same, and ordered it filed. This on September 18, 1871.

This was the cost outside of the salary of the commissioner in charge, Mr. Charles A. Fore, which probably ran the cost close up to, if not quite, nine thousand dollars.

February 8, 1870. ''Upon petition of more than fifty-five householders of this State and county, setting forth that they desire to organize and be incorporated for the purpose of promoting improvements in agriculture, manufactures, and the raising of stock, it is ordered by the court that the said petitioners be declared, and the court does hereby declare, said petitioners incorporated for the purpose above specified.''

August 1, 1870, the County Court appropriated $150 to the society to assist in iioldi ng a county fair, and the Society' was allowed further sum of $150 by the County Court, to be paid to the society August 1, 1871.

This seemed to have been the end of the society, which can hardl}' be jailed a com])liment to the intelligence and go-ahead spirits of the farmers of Linn county.

The assessed valuation of the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad property within Linn county, was placed at $709,102 from 1861 to 1871, inclusive. This was the work of the State Board of Equalization.

Brookfield, getting a release of all but 110,000 of the $100,000 voted to Brooktield & Salem Branch Railroad, again voted $63,000 to the same road under a new name, $13,000 of which was to be expended in surveys and the recovery of the previous $10,000 which had been used. This $13,000 is yet unpaid and a subject of dispute. There is not much doubt but that the branch road officials of that day were, to use a pat term, "on the make." This last subscription was made March 28, 1873.

Number four. Yellow Creek, Bucklin, and Baker, with one county judge elected at large for four years, and to be presiding officer of the court.

Defalcation

In November, 1870, H. C. ClarKson was elected treasurer of Linn county, and on May 6th, 1873, the County Court ordered the attorney for the county to commence suit against him and his sureties, the settlement of his account proving him a defaulter.

The costs in the suit were large, as the witnesses were taken to another county. The county stands in a loss of about $4,500, including counsel fees.

Common Pleas Court

Tiiis court, after nearly four years of work, had its jurisdiction enlarged by an amendment passed at the session of the General Assembly, which was approved March 20, 1S71, giving it "Exclusive and original jurisdiction of all misdemeanors arising under the laws of this State, committed in Linn county." The judge could not practice law in the county, and hi& salary was placed at six hundred dollars per annum. The court was finally abolished January 1, 1881.

The County Court made an order to collect all the arms it had purchased at a cost of about $1,000, and had distributed, and have them disposed of^ as war and rumors of war had ceased; and so the sheriff was ordered to sell them. On April 22d, 1874, he reported $220 of arms sold, but whether that was the amount realized on the one thousand dollars purchased was not stated. No further report seems to have been placed upon record.

It Cost One Dollar

In 1875 there were two papers published in the county, and both were anxious to secure the county printing to their uwn individual profit. This caused considerable figuring and maneuvering among the parties. The opposing forces were the Llnneus Bulletin and the Brookfield Gazette. The former, beitig on the ground, pretty generally got in its work, but the latter made every effort to come to time. The above year this strife ran high. The Bulletin succeeded early in the fall in getting the County Court to make an order giving it the printing for one year, at fifty cents per square. This was a trifle more than the Gazette men were willing to put up with; so at the November term, 1875, they proposed to do the printing for nothing; and, as the County Court believed in economy - except in buying poorfarms - they promptly revoked their former order, and gave the printing to the Gazette. This was just a trifle more than the Bulletin could stand, so at the December term, the latter came down with one dollar in cash, and purchased the right to do all the printing the county had to pay for, for one year. That was a contract, and the Bulletin retired happy, and the struggle closed.

Several Things

It was not until the year 1877 that the county collector's office was a distinct office by itself, the sheriff acting as ex officio collector of the count}- previous to that date.

1878, another person was elected, but he was compelled to give it up upon account of ill health; and on his resignation a few months after, the office was again tendered to Mr. Tooey, who, at the date of the compilation of this history, still retains the office.

Another change in the County Court was made, the county being divided into two judicial districts; number one including North Salem, Baker, Bucklin, Yellow Creek, Brooktield, Grantsville, and Enterprise; and district number two, Benton, Locust Creek, Parson Oreek, Clay, and Jackson.

The first iron bridge put up in tlie county was across Locust Creek, near Austin's mill. It was commenced in June, 1878, and built by the King's Iron Bridge Manufacturing Company. There are, we believe, but two iron bridges in the county, the other one being across Yellow Creek.

The petition of William II. Brovvnleee^ al., of Brookfield, for the removal of the county seat was received, ordered filed, and was indefinitely postponed June 25, 1879.

The county seat question remained quiet for about one year when it again came up and was submitted to a vote of the people and prettj' badly defeated. It is hardly probable it will ever be renewed.

While the county seat question was decided adversely to the petitioners by a large majority, the township organization was carried by a full and decisive vote, there being 296 in favor to 688 against it, or over four-fifths in its favor of the votes cast. It is a wise law, if fully and fairly executed, showing not only the progress of the county in material wealth from year to year, but the appointment of assessors in each township, who are far better acquainted with the property' than one could possibly be, makes a far closer assessment. Especially' is this the case in regard to the value or whereabouts of tiie propert}'. These local assessors are pretty well posted in their respective townships, and when a man gives in his property below its value they are pretty sure to recognize tjie error, and suggest that perhaps a larger valuation would be nearer the facts. The law is a good one in many other respects, and seems to have met with general approval wherever it has been tried.

February, 1881, it was decided by vote to change the boundarj^ between Clay and Locust Creek townships from tlie center of the channel of Locust Creek to the section line between sections twentj'-two and twenty-three, of township fiftj'-nine, of range twenty-one, thence south on said line to the south line of said township.

Bucklin, Brooktield, and Yellow Creek want a new court-house, but they want it at Brookfield, and probably will not vote any more to the present scat for a few years yet.

The County Court paid three dollars each as a bounty on two wolf scalps in 1880, and as late as February 9, 1881, it paid three dollars for another.

The petition for the incorporation of the town of Eversonville was presented to the County Court November 7, 1881, and was granted. Its first oflScers, as a board of trustees, were J. F. Harris, J. H. Tharp, John Blodgett, W. B. Brinkley, and J. A. Hudson.

Meadville was incorporated by the County Court January 4, 1881, as a city of the fourth class, George W. Golden mayor, and John Crafton marshal.

Financial

The railroad property and telegraph property in the county were included in the above valuation, but below will be found separate figures showing what these properties were assessed at:

The regular county lev^' in all for 1881, based upon the above valuation is $1 on the $100. In addition to that levy there is assessed the same year a ta.\ of seventy cents on the $100 in Locust Creek township, and in Benton township fifty cents on the same valuation to pay on railroad bonded debt of the townships. Jefferson township debt remains in stain quo, no effort being made to raise means either to pay principal or interest, and the Brookfieldians are doing nothing towards paying the bonded debt of Brookfield township.

Compromise

An effort was made by the several townships to compromise their bonded indebtedness to the railroad companies some three years ago, and a proposition was submitted to the voters of these townships to pay fifty cents on the dollar of the principal and interest of their indebtedness. The debt stood as follows:

The proposition of the three first townships named carried nearly unanimously, the election having been ordered for the twentieth of September^ 18Y9.

The County Court subsequently made A. B. Jones, county clerk, the financial agent of these townships to negotiate with the railroad company for a compromise upon the terms so unanimously voted by the people of the townships. Up to the first of January, 1882, the railroad company has declined to accept the terms of compromise, demanding the entire subscription, principal and interest. Just what the outcome will be is hard to determine, and a costly suit seems by no means improbable.

The threatening of the railroad company to commence suit and force the payment in full of the township bonds and interest, aroused the people of those townships to action, and a meeting was called to come off at Linneus, Saturday, June 10, 1876, to take action in the matter, appoint committees, and look to the engaging of counsel to defend any and all suits which might be brought by the railroad company or the holders of the bonds. Also to see the County Court and request a halt on levying a tax to pay interest or principal. This last object was eft'ected. There were a series of meetings held by the committee of three from each of the townships joined to make the contest. These were Benton, Grantsville, Locust Creek, and Jefferson, and Brookfield was invited to cast her lot with the same. The committees met June 24, July 10, August 1, August 12, September 2, and October 7, 1876. Money was raised to pay attorney fees, and the sum of $3,000, proposition of W. P. ILill, was agreed upon as the amount to be paid on winning the suit. Hon. Samuel Glover and Willard P. Hall were consulted, also Judge Burgess, C. L. Dobson, and others. Meetings of the committee continued to be held all during the year 1877, up to April 27, 1878, when an address was issued to the people of the several townships interested, setting forth the action of the committee, and a series of resolutions was attached asserting a declaration of action in regard to botii paying the bonds and putting men in office who were not pledged against ^^^^ robbery. It is not necessary in this work to give this address in full, or the resolutions attached, but simply give one paragrapli which expresses the views and sentiments of those engaged in opposing the unjust demand of the railroad company and bondholders. The paragrapli reads: " * " * We therefore firmly plant ourselves upon the only true and fundamental principles underlying this whole question of taxation; viz., The sovereign power of taxation can only be invoked in aid of objects and for purposes that are public; that belong to the people and are of the people, and not in aid of private enterprise. That ever since the beginning of our government, up to the present time, tiie principle has been firmly maintained by all the courts of the land, that a tax levied in aid of private enterprises, such as mills, manufactories, etc., is not within the taxing powers of the government, and are therefore unlawful, and that to enforce such tax is but usurpation of power, of plunder and robbery, as some of the best judicial minds of the country have characterized it."

That we recognize the fact that we, the taxpayers, are the power behind the throne; that no man holds position, either judiciary or executive, except by this same power, and as to the end of obtaining such reform as the necessity of the case imperatively demands at our hands, we further pledge ourselves that we will support no person for any official position in this State who will not pledge himself to support and maintain the principles herein annunciated."

This is sufficient to show the feeling of the people in the matter of paying these bonds subscribed. There is no question, whatever, that if the railroad company had fully and faithfully carried out their contract, the people would have paid these bonds, but a broken contract invalidated them if not in law, in justice and equity, and pever should be paid.

The meetings continued on through the years 1878 and 187!), and then fell through. Locust Creek and Benton are paying a tax to take up bonds by compromise. Jefferson and Brookfield will do nothing, neither paying interest nor bonds.

As before stated, the compromise offered by the townships was refused, and the railroad company offered their proposition. The best being an extention of time, and not much discount, in fact bonds for principal and interest for nearly the full amount of the debt. Below will be found a concise statement of the township's railroad debt, taken from the Linneus Bulletin^ of January 26, 1882, which, being from the records, is official. To this statement is added the comments of the editor, T. E. Brawner, who is conversant with the situation, and who seems to agree with the writer of this history, that a lawsuit is probable.

Bulletin''^ statement: We desire as briefly as we can from the data we have been able to obtain to show the taxpayers of the three bonded townships, Benton, Locust Creek, and Jefferson, the present status of their indebtedness.

Dear Sir - For myself, and as attorney for others, I control the following amount of indebtedness of certain townships of Linn county, Missouri;

"In lieu of either of the foregoing propositions there was submitted to General Henderson a proposition in substance to compromise at the face of the old bonds, and issue six per cent twenty year bonds therefor. Had General Henderson accepted this proposition, and the people have ratified it upon a vote submitted for that purpose, the indebtedness of the several townships when compromised would have stood as follows:

It is believed that the proposition submitted to General Henderson was the extreme of what the people would vote, and hence his propositions have been rejected. He refuses to accept the one submitted to him, and there the matter rests, with a strong probability of suit for enforcing collection. If, upon suit, judgment, and mandamus for the necessary levy, we intend to pay, it would be much better to compromise at any terms, for necessarily with every judgment follows heavy costs, but if the people stand firm and refuse to pay the tax when levied for such judgment, it is believed we can effect a more satisfactory compromise.

The total township debt as it now stands is $144,000. Should the offbr of compromise be finally accepted, the net amount of the debt would be $85,707.35, less cash on hand as above stated.

Tax Levy And Costs Of Collection

The county and State assessment, which had for years been fifty cents, is now forty cents on the $100 and there is a past indebtedness tax of ten cents and a township tax of ten cents making the total county assessments $1 on the $100, excepting local township school tax which is left for them to vote extra if they wish, not, however, to exceed sixty -five cents on the $100.

County Debt

Linn county stands in an enviable light as regards her indebtedness. Economy has been the guiding-star of her destiny thus far, and if she has not all the surroundings she should have, she at least has kept out of debt and not mortgaged her future. That it is time she placed herself more in advance may be true and she is now able to do so, being so nearly out of debt and both rich and prosperous. On the first day of January, 1882, her bonded debt is as follows:

Linn county has no floating debt and the above bonded debt will be canceled the present year, a levy of one mill tax having been made to meet it.