The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1850-06-08
County Matters.

County Matters.
We have, on several occasions during the past
year exposed to the view Of the tax payers Of this
county the reckless manner in which their hard
earnings have been squandered by the petty Of
fcials whose duty it was to protect them. For
these expeditions we have received our full share
of abuse, exclusively, however from those who
had their fingers deepest in the county purse
but as We have in every instance based our state
ments upon iieontroreiibie facts. they have sur,
vyed all attacks that have been made upon them,
and they are now accepted by the public a. faith
ful records of the affairs OF the county.
We make alluson to this fact for the purpose
Of impressing upon the minds Of the tax payers
of this county the truth Of another exposition,
equally prohiga:e in its character to anything we
have heretofore put FORTH which we are about to
bring before our readers in reference to the official
conduc, of our exceedingly honest, no party she,
! riff
! The law (Rcv. Stat. ?. AS, S Al requires That
the Collector the sheriff has heretofore been col.
lector) shall pay into the Treasury of bis county,
at the end of every month, all taxes collected for
the use OF such county in his hands except county
orders and jurors certificates This law was
passed by the legislature expressly to check DIS.
honest collectors in specializing with the public
money, and to prevent the depreciation Of county
orders. Sheriff Hurlbut, when he was installed
into office, took solemn oath to obey this law
( Has he done so Let the Treasurer's report made
to the board of supervisors, and which We pub.
lished last week, answer this question. BY this
report il will be seen that ever since Mr. Wagner
has acted as county treasurer lover six months
and during which time nearly all the revenues OF
the county were collected, Collector llurlbut has
not paid single cent into the treasury and, We
informed the old treasurer kept no books at ALL
that there is no proof on record that We can get
hold Of which would indicate that he has ever paid
dime into tho county treasury since his election.
I Aud all the funds the treasurer has had On hand,
| for the last six months with which to redeem
about 10000 in outstanding county orders, have
amounted to the enormous sum of one dollar and
ten crnt,i Is there any wonder then that county
orders should be fifteen TO twenty per cent under
| par And, as long as Sheriff IIurlbut is allowed
to use the county revenue to speculate with, it i.
his interest to depreciate them as much as pos.
sbe, as he is allowed to turn them into the coun.
! ,y at par.
! But we arc told that Sheriff Hurlbut excuses
himself in this matter upon the ground that he
had been ordered by the county court to pav the
interest on the county debt without first paving it
into the treasury; and that it absorbed every
cent he could collect, and, therefore, lie had
nothing 20 pay into the treasury Such an ex.
cusc may be satisfactory to those who have not Ia
ken the pains to examine into it's truth. but it
cannot be to those who have Let us examine it
/ for moment;
| The whole amount Of principal and interest of
the county debt which will become due on the lst
of July next, will be S3I6446. to meet this there
Is n tax Of si,92l.25 assessed upon the personal
property and real estate of the inhabitants of the
county every cent Of which is colectable Besides
this there is aroad tax assessed Of s3l8s.5s, ma.
king in all Ss,e59.s3, which, after deducting from
this the principal and interest of the debt due in
July next, will leave S4,se537. Allowing, then,
half the road tax to be paid in work, which we We
ry much doubt it would still leave sS,325Os. ex-
elusive of other county funds passing into his hand
for Sheriff Hurlbut to speculate with
We make these statements for the purpose of
showing to those democrats Of this county, who.
regardless of the interests Of their own party,
abandoned Mr. Hollowell, who has always been
firm, unwave-ing democrat, and who was the
regular nominee Of the democratic county conven.
ton, and fought for Mr. Hulburt, who run as the
wing candidate, simply, because, as they said, he
was such an honest man, while at the same time
they were ready to acknowledge that Mr. Holo-
well was cq6ally as honest and fully AS competent
Il man for Sheriff As Mr. Hurlbut
We shall, probably, have occasion to alludo to
this subject again, in future; although we are
aware that there is clique lowering around Mr..
Hurlbut, some of whom claim to be prominent de.
mocrats, too, who are around apologising for Mr..
HIS conduct, and abusing us for daring to expose
It, To these we would say that, thew are vel
come to their charge, but il they ever come be.
Tore the democracy Of this county, they must seek
their hind for supper. NJ
Temperance Movements.