The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1859-10-05
Columbia County Finances.
Facts and Figures !

Facts and Figures
Our attention has been directed to an ar
ticle in the last Columbia County Republican,
of nearly long column i'll length, in which
the writer attempts TO alarm and excite the
voters upon the management OF "Our Coun.
ty Finances !" To make out case, as he
appears very anxious, he tries his hand al
I ari;hmetical argument. In the last few
nnmbers he has been practicing upon this
mode OF making capital for his man Staiey,
and in his last, judging from the tone of his
article, he imagines that he has got the thing
TO perfection. He asserts, that from "the
documents" he finds the Indebtedness of
the county, in 1850, when John Staley was
elected Commissioner, Ten Thousand Tpo
Hundred and Fifty Dollars and Seventy fue
Cents. By glance at the OFFICIAL DoCU-
MENTs, we find the pecuniary affairs of the
county, in 1850, 10 be as follows:
Amount outstanding, Sl0,77IS4
Exonerations & CONS l,O77.l3-S9 ,6s4 2l
Due Treasurer from Co. 1877 l6
Balance in favor OF County, $7,7i7.05
| Here we find in favor OF the County Sew
ell Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventeen
Dollars and Five Cents instead of its being
| in debt Ten Thousand TWo Hundred and Fiftg
Dollars and Seventy ,fve Gents, as the writer
Of the Republican would have you believe.
John Staiey had this Seven Thousand and
some odd dollars as capital TO work upon
when he stepped into office. This is the
truth of the matter, and the figures are here
presented TO back it.
This does not appear 10 represent the
county as being in a "deplorlbe condition."
by any means. The story OF John Staey
finding the county head-over-heels in debt,
is not true, and his turning new leaves all
fudge. He (Staley) and the Republican will
have 10 turn several ieoveS before they can
make the voters of this county believe such
statements as they presented last week,
which were corrupt from top 10 bottom.
AS we have stalled before, in January 1850,
there was Seven Thousand Seven Hundred
and Seventeen Dollars and Five Cents ic
favor OF the county, and after John Staley
had financered in that year, in January
1881, we find balance in favor of the
county of only (5,9ll.O9) Five Thousand
Nine Hundred and Eleven Dollars and Nine
Cents This goes to show that there was
not as much money in favor OF the county
in 1851 as there was in 1850 when Mr..
Staley took hold OF the county reins and
| turned that Hnew leafn This Five Thou.
sand Nine Hundred and Eleven Dollars and
Nine Gents was subject TO exoneralons and
commissions, and after taking that off would
leave only FiUe Thousand Three Hundred and
Nineteen Dollars and Ninety nine Cents in
favor of county One Thousand Eight Hun
d'ed and Fire Dollars and Ninety.s,r Cents
(Sl,805 96) less than wher Mr. Staley went
into office. This does not look like turning
a "new leal' Immediately in favor of the
county. 1t is turning the leaf in the wrong
direction, according TO figures, and not mere
| assertion.
This same writer speaks very loudly upon
the present expenses of the county, and
compares them of 1851 with 1858, then
asks, we think for information, whether the
Legitimate business of the county warrants
this extraordinary increase of expenditure
For his information we would set out some
OF the necessary expenses of both years
(Is5l and 1852 in tabular form, which will
show clearly the cause OF this necessary in
crease Of expenditure