Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1874-10-23

! SOME LEAKS OF THE COUNTY TREAS
UEY UNDER DEMOCRATIC RULE-That
the county Of Northumberland has annual,
ly lost for many Of the latter years of the
Democratic administration Of the county
Offices especially OF the County Commits,
sioner5' office-very large sums Of money,
there can be no doubt But little reflection
is required to form some estimate Of the
incalculabe magnitude Of that loss. One
duty, indeed, was always faithfully and
most vigorously performed by these Demo.
cratic officers, and that was the leVyinC
and collection of large taxes. so far as the
taxpayer was CONCERNED, though they were
not always so exacting in turning into the
treasury of ths people the moneys which
fell into the hands Of the fayorite tar
F, gdtberG. When in ;he hands OF the latter
their zeal and yigor very frequently aha'ed.
! For evidence of this, we refer to the large
number of delinquent tax-co!ectors Of the
county who, for many years, were suffered
/ to hold il their private pockets moneys
, they had collected from the hard-toilng
and brow-sweatiug masses Of the taN-pay-
Crs. Rich or poor, the latter must pay.
! But for what: Only that the tac-gatitrer
may be benefited The latter was signal
! ly, and we might say, corruptly benefited
in al least two known ways: one. by that
/ he was permitted 10 collect large sums for
/ which he was not 10 account in anv man
ner whateyer-Secause he was armed with
all the severe authority of the tax law to
/ collect on his duplicate much more than
he stood charged with on the Treasurer's
books, TO whom he was required by these
! Democratic Commissioners TO account Galy
! for ttjS short charge or count; and the other
was by that, in many instances, some spe
cial favorites were suffered 70 retain in
their possession large proportions of their
whole duplicates until il suited their con-
yenience 20 pay over; and to such an ex-
tent was this carried, that when the Re
publicans came into power, less than two
years ago, they found that many thousands
of dollars had been thus left in such hands
instead OF finding all lhs-the short counts
and delingucnCics Of tax-colleCtors alike
in the peoples treasury, where alone it all
Justly and lawfully belonged.
To say exactly how much the short
chargca OF all the several duplicates Of the
county, during the long number Of years
the Democrats were in power in the Coun-
t. Commissioners Office, amounted to, is
utterly impossible at this late day but if
any estimate or conjecture can fairly be
made from the errors, or frauds, detected
in the twenty-five duplicates which came
10 be examined under the Republican ad-
ministration, the amount pf loss TO the
county and tax payer alike must have been
very, rery large indeed from this source
alone: because fair calculation would re-
quire that to the sum Of 81, 7U7 81, which
these duplicates were short, must be added
TIE same relative proportion as TO the
balance of the large number of duplicates
Of the whole county, and that sum must
then BE- multiplied by all the great number
of years OF the Democratic rule in the coun-
ty affairs. Is it any wonder the county
debt was not paid off under and during the
official existence of Democratic power ? Or
that large flocks of hungry political vul-
lures were able to subsist and grow fat un-
der that power ? Or that the rates of taxa
ton were always high, and the collection
from the f1r-pGger was always rigidly eu-
forced
Bat, besides, to this large sum must also
be added the profits made out of public
contracts, high ex.SheriH1s bills, exhorbi-
tant ex- x-Prothopotary's bills, large exon
Grafton lists, sales Of county lands with
out rendering any account or filing any
list of purchasers, OF OF the amounts re-
ceived by these Democratic Commission
ers, the amounts los; = failing TO require
a strict and timely account from delinquent
tGr-o0Llectors, &c, Sc Who, then, woula
return TO Democratic rule in the county
finances by electing Harrison Henrie Coun-
ty Commissioner with such dark record
against his partiZan associates, and with
such suspicious relation as we have else
where pointed out between him and those
who arranged for such gross frauds upon
the peoples treasury - such deplorable
prostitution of the high trust and important
powers incident TO that Office ? Why not
endorse the honesty, efficiency and econo-
my which our Republican officials have so
far always exhibited in SO cIoudless lnan-
ner, and which have enabled .hem, in the
short space Of less than two years Of their
power, TO utterly extinguish the large
county debt 80 carefully fostered as if a
blessing by the Democratic officials, and
simultaneously to reduce taxation? Let
us see
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