Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1872-03-15
rHR BARSAcLRs.
Our County Finances.


Nov let Payne trump Reid with say 500.
600, or acknowledge his inferiority a. sue
csssful radical bsrnscle and Court House
rat Union.
Il is all very well for the Republican
organ 10 jss, over these matters, but the
public 10 in . more serious mood. The
Management Of our county affairs could not
be more corrupt than ia now the case. If
the charges we have made were not well
founded, we would soon see the barnacles
on the rampage. They desire no excitement
raised on the subject. They wish affairs to
pass along quietly without any farther ex-
oitemens than can possibly be avoided.
Their nests are snug, pleasant, and we'll
fealhered, and will be occupied up TO the
last moment. We would be pleased to see
the organ come out and deny some Of our
assertions, if it has the hsrdihood to pro-
nounce them false.
For the last fifteen years the people Of
this county have been paying heavy jail
taxes, and have paid out money enough to
build half dozen such jais as we nov
have, and the question naturally arises
Where has oil this money gone tOH Last
fall Q tax was levied Sufficient to pay every
dollar of the countys Indebtedness, primer
pal and interest, and to leave surplus o.
ltiftytsro thousand dollars. What is to be
done with this large amount? The recon
meudstion to levy this enormous tax was
made by Dave Ried, county treasurer, and
was approved of by Circuit Clerk Hodges
What object does the Court House Clique
have in getting such . large sum of money
on hand? Taxpayers have RICH,
TO enquire, without being asked
whist are you going to dc
about it?" In regard to the matter o.
Beardsley's Eleven Hundred Dollars, and
Reds erAsures to set it right, We think we
have sufficiently ventilated it. Every body
is convinced that there was something
wrong 10 that matter. Just exactly what
it was canno. now be definitely arrived at
But it is quite certain that Besrdsley die
not pay over that money until he could nc
longer hold it, and it is equally certain thai
Ried doctored his books for some purpose
of his own. Neither of them possesses tn,
assurance TO come out and deny these facts
On the 9th of July, 1870, the county Dor
rowed Of Mitchell & Lynde the sum of thir
teen thousand dollars, at the interest rate
of ten per cent, for which q note Was giver
payable on or before the 6rst day of Jous
1871.
Somewhere about the tenth of Sep,em
Der, 1870, the sun of one thousand dollar,
more was borrowed by the county of the
same bankers, at ten per cent, for which /.
note vas given payable on or before the
first day Of June, 1871.
And 10 Oe;ober, 1870, three thousand
dollars more we're borrowed Of the same
firm, on the same terms, and payable on 0,
before the same date.
The total amount OF these loans payable
on or before the frat day of June, 1871
was Seventeen Thousand Dollars, all a. tbs
interest rate of ten per cent.
On Friday, Dec. 18th, 1870, the Board o
Supervisors passed 9 resolution ins,ructiu 2
the town collectors to pay over their collec
lions to the County Treasurer at the eArlies
possible date, in order chat the heavy inter
est on this large sum might be stopped, snt
saved to taxpayers. The to~n collector
paid their money over to Risd as directed
bu, instead of paying Of the notes on the Is
Of January, 1871, as he should have done, il
order to stop the interest, he allowed th'
notes to run on until the first Of June, anC
we have abundant grounds for cbargiBi
that those mites haze not yet been paid
off, And all this 10 the face 0
the fact that taxes we're levieC
&c . sufficient amount last fall TO pay of
every cent Of our coun,y indsbtedn ness, in
GLIDING principal, interest, and that ever
lasting jail debt, but to also leave . surplu
Of .tifty tro thousand dollars. Is it no
about time for ax.psyers TO begin TO wax
up aud ask = few qOestiOns7 Are We II
place ourselves entirely at the mercy of tn
court house ring2
To conclude on this subject OF count
finances, we reproduce the following let,e
from a responsible and well posted gentle
man, just as ii appeared in our issue of las
evening.
EDITOR ARGUs.-I see in the report OF th
finance committee made 10 the Board o
Supervisors at she September term, 1871
that the committee reported they had exam
ined the account and repor, Of d. o. Relic
county Treasurer, and had received Of ID
Treasurer, vouchers Is follows, viz:
County orders $47 1913 Il
Jury certificates 3,547 81