The Plymouth weekly Democrat., 1860-08-02
County Expenses. Again.

publican argued ali over and on all sides of the
county expenditures and the duties of the Board
of County Commissioners, in regard to the poor.
The first thin, he takes up is the Poor Expense.
We quote few sentences on this point from his
pen, and wish cur readers to pay particular at
tention to the argument contained III them The
itahcs are our own:
In order TO make tie case out as bad as posi-
ble be attempts to make the Republican COmmis
sioneTs responsible for the increase in the amount
expended for taking of the poor. Every
body understands that The Commissioners had rery
itie y cay control ocer this matter The bills for
keeping the poor were certified to by the township
trustees, and the Commissioners were compelled
10 allow them"
lie goes on to excuse the Township Trustees
and the Commissioners for the increase of the
expenditures, and then adds
" We would not, however, be understood "a advo-
eating reckless and indiscriminate course on the
part of public officers in this respect. We think
1t is their duty TO look to the interest of the tax
payers as we'll as the comfort and happiness of the
poor and therefore, highly com,nexd the action of
the Commissioners in endeavOrins to cnTtaiI the
expenses in this particular, notwithstanding the
petulant and unfounded complaints of We affidavit
editor. We shall not stop to argue the legality
of their action in the premises with the editor
His opinion about legal points, like our own, is
not worth much. The Commissioners examined
the law and came to the conclusion that they had
authority to do as they did Ii they erred, it was
an error of the head and not of the heart. But
IRE do not think they erred. If they did, they will
make it all right at the end of two years by i'm
proving the poor farm with the money they intend
10 make the Democratic xoficcrs disgOrge. Nhich
they pocheted i'll the shape of Illegal fees"
Here he commends the of the Commits
soners for taking entire control OF the poor, for
getting that he stated in the first quotation we
made from him, (what is true) that everybody
knew they had little nothing to do with the TAX
ing care of the poor. We leave our readers to
contras. these two paragraphs. The logical old
gentleman does not think they erred when they un-
lawfully took charge Of the poor, but SAYS every
body understands the Commissioners had very TT
tie if any control over this NATTER He saws they
will make it all right by making the Democratic
officers disgorge.' He docs not say word about
the amount that Fuller has already failed to ac-
count for Should he keep on a. he has commen-
ced, according to his exhibit the county will be
swindled out of between four and FIVE thousand
dollars. The thousand or more that Fuller has
failed TO account for, would go far toward building
n Poor House, when the poor Of the county
could be taken care of much cheaper and better
than they now But, they never say one word
about making the Republican officers 'dsgorge,
shown themselves to be basely and corruptly par
tial, by making Packard pay up Immediately and
letting Corbaley, who was Packard's predecessor
in the Clerks Office, go without paving what was
due from him when Packard went into office, be-
cause he (Corbaey) is brother Republican, and
they " we're afraid to push HIM, fearing that il
might break HIMup" We must say that we have
but little faith in the honesty of men that will let
politics control them in this manner For some
time We hoped, for their reputation and the
good of those concerned, that they would make
some arrangement about this matter, but if they
have the public has not been informed of it, and
the editor of the Republican said lie would not be
slow in making the matter known.
! Next he speaks Of the Auditors fees, and sait
that we knew that Mr. Mcdonald entered one o.
his allowances for $50 on the journal ~ So We
did know that such the case, as we only had
tuller's tcord or Say-so, for it, Though it may be
so. He then goes OH to speak of the extra labor
Mr.. Fuller had to perform We suppose he ha;
refer ence to his fling tie Road Receipts This, We
understand, was not thought to be legal, and Fu
Ter told them that, as he was not entitled to any
thing for filing them, he would be contented Will
half what he had brought in his bill for.
In speaking of the expense of the Commissioners
he says that it is well known that there was ma
/ jority of Democrats the Board, the first two
sessions and that the greater part Of the expense
for these terms. This is very easily accounted
for; and We have often heard the reason given for
the long sittings of the Board. When Fuller went
into the Office he was 80 ignorant Of the duties hs
had assumed that he bunglcd things most misera
bly,, and detained the Board at least twice as long
as it had been in the habit of sitting. He is, o
course, getting to be expert now, but his
bungling manner of doing business tas undoubtcd
| ly cost the county many dollars in the shape o.
Commissioners fees. He is n very slow man
and particularly slow about stopping that leak.