AA TK CONCERNING PITT COUNTY FINANCES TheF usionists are circulating | Fer the yest ending Doe Gah eo, itsea:| Little the Democratic Treasur- throughout Pitt county a state-| Fer the year onding Deo thc 160, laste 7X ON Deeember 7th 1896, turn ment that the present Board of |?" 7** ‘ding Deo sth, 06, 8k ed over to his successor the County Commissioners during |7°! rT ™ vearsand$ months + gee0esis/sum of $2,255.26 for the Gen- the first year of theirterm sav-| It will be seen from the/eral fund and $6,472.52 for the ed the people $4 742.80, or|above that sixteen of the twen-|School fund making an aggre- in other words that their ex-|ty-two years show a smaller ex |gate of $8,727.78 that went in- penses were that much lessthan|penditure than the boasted Fu-|to the hands of J. A. Thigpen the last year of their Democrat/Sion retrenchment—and some/|the present Treasurer. ic predecessors. An examina-|of them not much more than; As a further evidence that tion of the records show that|one-half of the amount ex, end|the Democratic Board left af- the Democratic Board @uringjed by them —and every year/fairs in good condition, the the last year of their adminis-|that exceeded their amount/Fusion Board eould not have tration audited claims against|there were extraordinary ex-/met their expenses for their the county to the amount ofjpenses for public improve /first year but for the amount $18,346.64 and the Populist;ments. : turned over tothem by J. L. Board audited during their; To ascertain whether or not/Little, beeause they audited first year claims to the amount |the Democratic Board were eco|during that year 813,603.84 of $18,603.84. But it must be/nomical and faithful servants|while the minute book No. 5 takes in consideration that the/let us divide this amount of/of the Beard, page 170, under at Board, with the excep-/€269,445.58 by 22.and find what/the date of June 6th, 1898, tion o what was spent for repair|their average yearly expenses|shows receipts of previeus year Court House, have had only|were during the time they were|collected by the sheriff for Gen- ordinary routine expenses |in control, and it shows an av jeral Fund, for the sum of the county to look after |erage of $12,247.52 per year,'@11,226.67 and the Record of While their predecessors expend |r in other words 61,356.32 less|‘‘Offieial Reports’’ shows that ed $600.26 more for witness and|than the present Board. Dur-|the Clerk ef the Superior Coart jury tickets, which were in-|ing this period of more than 22/paid $967.27 for jury taxes, curred in the Superior Court, |years the Democratic Board ex|thus making the total receipts an item over which they had no/pended for public improve-|for the year of @11,498.94 or rontrol except to sudit and to|ments the following sums to-|§2,109.90 less than the expen- y by direction of the court.| Wit : ditures. If the Fusion Board Democratic Board also ex | Im 18% Repairs to Court House and Jail gse00%ihad not received the sum ef ed $801.22 more for bridg. | 1» 1882 Bu ing Jail y 7 88090 $2,255.26 from the fermer ganthe present one and Building Vaults 4 %000| Treasurer they could net have on they left office they turn, | aggregating gnouoo/met expenses and therefore d over to their successors the; Now if you will deduct this'would have inourred a debt of bridges of the county in a good|/$20,514.99 extraordinary ex-|$9,109.90. condition. The Democratic)penses from theentire amount; The Democratic Treasurers Board had the dam across Tar|aulivea by the Democratic|during their term of office were river raised about two feet high|Board for 22 years and then|required to file their annual er at a cost of $321.30 and re-|make an average it will be as-|aceounts, showing every item paired and put vaults in the/certained that the yearly ordi-|of money received or disbursed court house for the protection|nary expenses were $11,315 16|/by them, and toswear to the of the records and titles of the/thus showing that the Demo-jcorrectness of the same. But people at a cost of $3,441.98, |cratic Board expended fer or-|an ¢xamination of the original thus expending altogether forjdinary expenses the sum of|accuntfiled by J.A.Thigpen, the other than the eeetiay $2,288.68 less than the present|present Treasurer, for the fis- penses of the county the Board. cal Year ending Dec., 1897 and © $5,164.76. and ifthisamoun:| We desire also to call the at|the “Record of Official Re- was deducted from the ordina-|tention of the tax payers of |ports,”’ page 158 to 188, inclu- ry expenses it would leave a|Pitt county to the further fact|sive, upon which it is recorded balance in favor of the Demo-|that when the Democratic/fails to show that he ever re- cratic Board of $421.96. Board took charge of the coun-|ceived one penny forthe Gen- A still farther examination|ty in 1874 they found the coun/eral Fund, nor is it even sworn of the records show that Dem- /ty indebtedness to be $20,872.99|to, yet Aug. M. Moore and ocratic Boards were in control|every dollar of which was paid|John Thompson who were ap- of county affairs from Septem-|off by them, while no county!pointed as a committe by the ber 1874 to December 1896, a/in the State, during their ad-| Board of Commissioners to ex- period of twenty-two years and|ministration, had a lower ratejamine the same, rt the three months, and we find that/of taxation than the county of|same : under their signatures the expenses of the county dur/Pitt. as being “‘correct.”” Nor is jng that time were as follows:| It has been stated by the Fu-|there anyrecord in the proper of 98.05.7}Sionists during the present cam |fice showing that — dollar 695 00! paign that when the Democraticjever went into the hands of Board went out of office)the Treasurer since December in December 1896, they left|7th,1896,for the General Fund. the county in a bankrupt; Every statement contained condition. An inspection of|herein can be verified from the the “Record of Official Re-|publicrecords of the county ports” in the office of the Reg-|and the Democratic in- ister of Deeds, pages 87 and'vites every man in Pitt coun 113 will show that James L. toexaminethem for himself. For the year end! For the year For the year ending year end! 2 BE 38 a 3 Ri fie woas Se8asessssca5 E ceerurunnit tek eestttttttty SEEPRAEP 3 eRe 53 _ He Petittttt tts g8 RE iT -tototes Ei z 2 BReagauszeass] PEEECEEEEEEE ET re ee i