The Placer herald., 1856-10-18
THE COUNTY FINANCES.
KNOW-NOTHING REFORM.

ina reign OF corruption SnOulu emu tHey LiNo
elected a Legislature and Executive, whose watch
word was Reform and the tulflment of that
promise will be demanded. d."-Piaeer Press, Jdn
i2th, 1856.
Fatal word, Yes "Reform" was your
watchword, not only in matters of State but
the same cry has brought the present County
administration into power. The fulflment
of that promise is now demanded. Can you
make clean breast of it, and stand before
the people acquitted! We shall see. We
have not heretofore gone into an exact COM
putation of the state of our County finances,
but satisfied ourselves by charging in round
numbers, what we believed to be true. You
deny our assertions and appeal to the record.
By the record then be you and your party
judged.
In the canvass of 1854, the then Wing
party, now know -nothingized, for the pur
pose of carrying their County ticket, and de-
feating the Democracy, charged ruinous
and extravagant expenditure of the public
money. AS the opponents of the Demo
cratic party commenced this fight, and
MENT," we propose to take them on their
own ground, and shall prove that with every
advantage in their favor they have failed sig
nally to come up to their promises, and the
expectations Of the people.
On the lst of June, 1855, the debt of the
county is reported 10y the Supervisors to be
S6O,524 81. Subsequently to that time and
after Whigeery alias Know Nothingism was
in power, we find from official published re-
ports, that to this debt is added Sl49S3 6S
by way of old accounts which had been pre-
sented to the board prior to lst of June, but
had been postponed for ac ion until the old
officers had retired We also find added the
sum of s., 5l6 81 interest on debt, making
total Of S7S,O25 10. We know that by
going into the figures presented in these re-
ports that we can reduce this amount, for in
the different accounts presented we find that
in the Treasurer's hands there was 1862 25
and in the accounts with the Sheriff and AS
SCISSOR we find some several thousand dollars
worth of licenses and receipts charged to
these officers; and it is reasonable to suppose
as they had been collecting sometime that
they had received a good portion Of the
amount of these receipts, and if so, in fair
ness the amount should be credited on the
old debt This debt, the X. Ms promised
soon to extinguish, but from the reports
published in the first seven months of their
term it appears they were adding to instead
of taking from it. On September Goth
1855, they report debt of S99,552 II and
en- the lst of January, 1856, they still have
debt of $9l, ,564 3O-This was decreasing
the debt with vengeance. Instead of S7S,-
O25 10 we have $9l ,564 80, an increase of
$13,530 IL, and we take them too at their
lowest estimate, for they must have tinancier
ed amazingly to bring it that low. as we will
show that if that low at that time they have
put new spurs on their feet since then and
have ridden the Horse of State at greater
speed than ever before.
The Board Supervisors of the County report
on the 10Th day Of May, 1855, the county debt
to be. e............ ........... SbO,oZ4 81
In their second report made on the
29th, Sept, 1855. they add to this
debt scrip issued upon bills for servi-
ces rendered by the old county Off
GERS, and for other expenses chargea-
bic to the old administration, the sum
of .................. 1888 6s
And they report the probable inter
est on the old debt to be. ....... 2.516 94
Making total debt of 7SO25 10
Without questioning the motives of
the Supervisors can by their own
figures reduce this debt. Their
port of 18th of May 1855 shows that
there was in the County TrCasurers
hands the Of So, ,G62 25. of which
amount S4l50 belonged to the Gene.
raj Fund and was ready to be applied
to the redemption of the above debt 4,l50 90
And after deductng it the debt is 1885 10
This same report shows an account
against the then Sheriff. and upon
which the county now has a judgment
against him. which is good of 800 1890 90
This leaves debt of 72,4S5 10
There is also another item which is
Just and should be credited upon this
debt it is this: Out of the General
Fund of 1853 and 1854, there was
paid the greater portion Of the cost
of the present Court House, and in
1865. we find there was collected
account of the Court House Fund the
sum sum of S3664 90. Now as the
General Fund had paid for the Court
House and thereby increased this debt
it is nothing but right that the Court
House Fund should pay it back this
amount then should go to the reduc
ton of the above debt . 1864 90
Leaving the debt, with interest. at 6SS2l 10
This same report also shows
counts against the Sheriff of S4, 600
worth of Foreign Miners Licenses,
and an account against the Assessor
of 44G Poll Tax receipts at SO each.
We presume that a large portion of
these receipts were accounted for by
the old officers in cash; but will
claim nothing from this source, bat
take the debt as it stands above: and
we defy any person to find misstate
ment in the account The above then
being the debt. we will now take the
figures of the "Placer Press of last
issue, as far as they 90, and own.
to ascertain the present debt
The Press" sets down the debt of
the COUNTY ON the 2nd day Of June