The Treasury’s Call: A Deadline for Snohomish County Debt
An 1875 public notice issued by County Treasurer John D. Morgan warns citizens that the county will stop paying interest on outstanding orders drawn prior to the new year.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
NOTICE: I will pay all county orders drawn on the County Treasurer of Snohomish County, W.T. now outstanding, and drawn prior to January 1, 1875, on presentation at my office in Snohomish City. No interest will be allowed on orders drawn prior to January 1, 1875, after thirty days from the date of this notice. — John D. Morgan, Snohomish County Treasurer. May 22, 1875.
“No interest will be allowed on orders drawn prior to January 1, 1875, after thirty days from the date of this notice.”
Public finance was a chaotic affair in 1870s Snohomish, with county 'orders' often serving as a local currency. This notice highlights the transition toward formal municipal fiscal management, a struggle for administrative stability that local governments still wrestle with as they manage budgets and debt today.
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