The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1873-03-19
COUNTY FINANCES.
A Startling Exhibit of Pro1igacy and
Extravngance-Wha the New County
Commissioners are Doing.

A Startling Exhibit of Prof1igacy and
Extravngance-Wha the New Count 5
Commissioners are Doing.
! The condition OF the financial affairs of thil
county has come to be regarded durl0g the
past few years as being like those inscrutablt
mysteries which oppressed Dundreary-''one
of those things that no fellah can under
stand" With the epoch of Reconstruction ant
the new constitution came system of county
administration which It's fond authors doubt
less regarded as very good system, and
which may sill be, for all we know, very
good system-ln theory-but In practice
1t has certainly not proved particularly bril-
llant success. The new system consisted prin
cpally 10 the multiplication of offices and the
substitution of complicated for simple ad
minlstratIon; and this involved o difficulty
for, although there were plenty of men found
ready to fiji the offices, there could not be
found enough honest Radicals ITO go round,
| and the consequence was that some Of the off,
ces had to be filled by Radicals who, at least,
have not been 30 ingenious as to publish 10
the taxpayers any sort OF report OF what
they have done with the peoples money, and
who have walked into office. grown rich and
impudent therein, and walked out again, con-
| siderlug, no doubt, that they have been very
efficient and successful servants Of the pubic.
| OF all the financial mysteries Of the county
administration during the past five years,
those involved In the proceedings OF the last
board OF county commissioners would, doubt.
less, form as startling chapter as could be
desired, If there were any means OF gettlnS al
them. This might be done II walls could
speak; particularly the walls of the gloomy
little room In the Flreproof building, where
this trio of patriots were wont 10 hold their
meetings; but records of their proceedings
there are none, they having apparently adopt
ed the system of bookkeeping first introduced
In this State by Land Commissioner Leslie,
who boasted that he kept ''clean" set OF
books, because you might look all over
them ana never fad the mark of
pen anywhere. The present board oil
county commissioners, Messrs. G. l. Cum
nInpham, Louis Duuuemann aud W. Il.
Thompson, went into office on the 26th OF last
November and found The office In condition
of the utmost confusion. There were no
books of account, no records semenls,
no lists of claims, and no memoranda what.
ever, with the exception OF sundry piles OF doc
uments stuffed Into closet in corner, which,
on being raked out and assorted, proved to be
nine hundred and tweDty-elght claims against
the county, purporting to represent IN the ag-
gregate sl7l,377 IL. The suppositlon was that
most OF all Of these claims were unpaid, but
the commissioners had no official know
ledge as 10 which had or had net been paid.
and they accordingly, after making
careful record of these claims, with
memoranda of the condition In which
they were found. proceeded 10 adver-
tiss for other claimants against the county to
come forward and present their bills, with q
view Of getting some further Information as
10 the condition Of the county affairs. lew
holders of genuine claims came forward
and registered, but there are still hundreds OF
claims believed 10 be outstanding which have
been sold to third parties and OF which the
county commissioners have no record. AS
far as known, the "legacy of debt" lett behind
| by the late county commissioners amounts 10
about 5000, 900, which Is in itself sufficient
commentary upon their method OF conduct
inc business. The new county commission
ara have reduced the affairs of the OF.
fee 10 the most perfect system that
has been known eince the war. Their clerk,
Mr.. Duffus, who ls an experienced accountant,
has opened complete set of books, In which
eyery movement and transaction OF The
board Is clearly recorded, and 30 lar as the
proceedings of the board, since November
| 1872, are concerned, they are now In posi-
tIon In which any citizen who may be inler
ested can make an examination of every de-
tail, and at any moment. During that Time
the affairs of the county have been managed
skilfully and satisfactorily, important public
| improvements have been commenced, AM
cash has been paid for every dollars worth o.
| labor or material furnished the county. Witt
all this the disbursements of the board have
amounted to only SIG .495 90 which has been
| paid out upon one hundred and four bills duly
audited, vouched for and receipted. The gross
income of the county for this year is estimated
at about sl2O, 900, the three mills tax for coun
| ty purposes being calculated to yield slos,73s
81, and the road tax of one and eighteenth
mills being expected to bring in the remaining
SIG, 900 or SIT, 600. This amount ls ample fol
all the legitimate expenses oil the county, as
Ia evident from the above statement OF the
disbursements for about one.third OF year
and the fact that the former board with an In
come at least as large as the above, (and
| probably larger, for while the rate OF the
county tax has remained the same during the
past four years, the rate of assessment has
recently been lowered) has left deficit o1
5000, 900, Is sufficient to show at least reck.
rss profligacy IT, public expenditure, If moth
| inO wnrsn