Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1869-02-05
Letter to Mr.. Williams.

your tecOiu aS NOuhtI AiS"S"N'' A"'
communication SO utterly ignored every
vital point, that ] am led to address you
a few words on the subject.
You occupy your letter mainly with
the statement of what john DALE charg
ed you with at Trimbelle and what you
replied, and further with showing that
Mr.. Morse had no bushes to attack you
for holding tax sale certificates Illegally,
because he was one CT those whom you
illegally favored, and close with thanks
for the confidence reposed in you by the
people.
If the people, Mr.. WILLIAMS, had
known what you had done-if they had
generally known that you let Mr.. MORSE
and others have tax certificates on which
FIVE months interest at 25 per cent. had
rightfully accrued TO the county, without
charging them this interest-if they had
known that you kept large amount of
county funds drawing interest for your
PEI sonal bencfit--if they had known, as
is the fact, that for four months previous
to the election you were hardly in your
Office at all and had no legal deputy
there--if they had known and believed
as they now know and believe, you
would have no cccasiou for thankfulness,
for you would have been buried ly de-
feat SO disastrous, rs TO have left only
Odium where now you claim honor.
II was your opponents that elected
you, Mr.. WILLIAMS. The attacks on you,
though grounded or facts, were so vio-
lent in spirit, so defiant in manner, that
they defeated their own intent, and in
stead Of carrying conviction Of your un-
fitness, they aroused sympathy in your
behalf You give the history of the
TrimbeEe meeting. Why did not you
give the history Of your Prescott meet
ing! You came in here with the Fri
umphant bearing of conqueror-you
left the next morning with the chagrln
of defeat. Yen were not abused. The
charges against you were fairly and
plainly made, and you answered not a
word, because the proof was ready, and
confession was the only answer you could
make.
You arc elected, Mr.. WILLIAMS, but
the charges against you remain unan-
swered.
Let us look them over.
1st. You kept large amount Of tax
certificates in your Office for months and
then delivered them without collecting
for the county the interest which had
rightfully accrued. No matter whether
you gave them TO Mr.. Morse, Richard
Roe, or kept them yourself; in either
case the at is equally crlpable.
ID. You shanefully neglected your
office, leaving it large portion of the
time without any legal representative.
Any of the other Co. officers know this
very well.
Sd. When the Co. Board met last
Summer to levy the tax for tho ensuing
year, you deceived them, either purpose
iy or otherwise, about the state of the
County finances. If purposely it was a
crime. if inadvertently, it argues your
incompctency. You represented that
the county was just about solvent, and a
tax must be levied for the current expeu
ses of the ensuing year. Relying en-
your statement the Board levied tax,
and vet before cent of it was collec ted,
your report showed nearly $4,000 cash
in the treasury. Thus at this time of
great monetary stringeDcy, with wheat
at half price, every one pressed to meet
their liabilities, we arc needlessly COM
PEELED to raise large county tax. Why?
Does il not look, Mr.. Williams, rs if it
was because you hoped to have the
money TO use for your personal benefit !
4tb. The interest question. During
your term Of Office you have kept large
amount of county money at interest, in
bank ard in private individuals hands,
and pockeied the proceeds. Was the
money yours, Dir. Williams? Certainly
not. You were an agent of the county,
its paid officer, paid to transact the bust
ness of the treasury, and if the principal
belonged to the county, does it not follow
that tho interest does also. If you had
been a faithful officer Mr.. Williams,
would you not have informed the Co.
Board of the amount of surplus money
in your hands, and let them invest il SO
as 10 be Of the most service to the conn.
ty? You are shy about stating the
amount of interest YOU have received.