Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1874-10-02
Republican County Ticket.
THE Truth. NOT FANCY.-In reply TO

more especially at Mr.. Eastine, the pre-
sent Republican candidate for County Com
missioner, it may be well and is but just
that the truth should be made known. In
that article it is boldly and shamefully
charged that Amos Vastine is throwing
open the lands held by the county TO specu-
latiOn.
Now, of the facts from which We draw
the records Of the county furnish the evil
dence, and there is no need of any resort
to political expediency or partisan fancy.
In the year 1915, when none Of the pre-
sent hoard of Commissioners, nor any Re-
publican, but only the fair Democracy"
had control Of the Commissioners office,
ias well as OF every other county office. J
twenty-five tracts of "lard belonging to
the county" were sold by the board of Com
missioners then in office. The taxes and
costs on these tracts aggregated $40 90.
They were sold for S5l1 80. as the re-
turns of sale now in the Commissioners
Office show. And yet, out Of this sum,
only Sis 80 was paid into the county
treasury; sum less than the taxes and
costs by $500 81, and less than the amount
Of the sales by 1888 90. Into whose pri-
vate pockets did this large sum go at that
timeY Not into Republican pockets.
And again, in 1861, another Commission
ers' sale of 1.-THE lands belonging to the
county" took place.
At this time, sixteen Of the choicest tracts
were advertised for sale and were actually
sold by the board Of Commissioners then
in Office, mo Republicans then in power, J
and, manifestly to close the doors to all fair
inquiry by the taxpayers and owners of
+" the lands belonging to the county," not
n single sketch Of return of the sale in
the shape Of papers fled, or records made,
was ever furnished by these 'pure Demo-
cratic Commissioners =
The only light we can have is what we
gather from The records Of the sales when
the county became the purchaser; and
these reveal only that the taxes and costs
on these tracts, actually paid by the county
when the purchase was made, aggregated
Sll4 %, and the Auditors report shows
that only $40 90 were paid into the trea-
sury. How much went into private pockets
here Something was surely realized out
of the sale of these tracts for otherwise
no sum whatever could have been paid into
the treasury, and we have seen that $40 90
were so paid by the Auditors report but
how much must be left only to conjecture.
Whose purity and integrity and honesty
prompted such marvellous dissemblance.
No return made Tracks all covered up !
And yet these were the most choice tracts
the most valuable of all ''the lands owned
by the county,
Who opened these 'lands to speculation
whereby large sums of money went into
private pockets p Manifestly not Mr.
Vastine, nor any Of the present board of
Commissioners.
But now, in contrast, LET us see what the
present and Republican board of Commits
siCners have done in regard to''the land, -
the paltry remnant Of the land" -"belonging
10 the county,
In 1873 the sales netted to the county,
after paying az costs and expenses, the
large sum Of 3, ,293 S., and this was under
the present and Republican board Of Com
missiOners.
And, during the present year Of 1874,
on the sales already made, the still further
and much larger sum Of $4,000 have al
ready been realized for the county and paid
into the county treasury by the present
board of Commissioners out of 1.-THE lands
belonging to the county," which were left
as worthless by the 'cormorants'' who
preceded them in Office. Besides, these
tracts we're all located outside Of tie cOun-
~.
How. therefore, does the management OF
the county Offices and the purity and hon
esty Of the present incumbents compare
with The former and the Democratic ad
ministration ? There scarcely needs n
word Of comment on the above statement
OF facts.
Under the Democratic administration
with the culled and trimmed tracts of "land
belonging 10 the county, only $40 90 for
the year 1867 and Sis 80 for the year 1S4S
we're returned into the county treasury
while for the tracts sold in these years the
taxes aud costs amounted to Sj93 u.
II will therefore be observed that instead
of the county treasury having been bene'
fitted by the sales Of the lands in question
under tie pure Democratic rule" o." there
must have been an actual draft upon tho
county funds to meet the expenses and
pay the taxes and costs, the amounts re.
turned being SO much below the sum OF
these. Need there be any doubt as to the
reason of the deep silence they have obser.
we'd in respect of the sums received at these
sales, or as TO the motive of their neglect
or refusal TO furnish any evidence of the ma
ture of their transactions IN these regards
Not so under the Republican administra
tiou of which Mr.. Vastine has been faithful
and Jealous member. The distinction con
sists in she handsome sum of nearly Sl1,'
900, which has already been paid into tht
peoples treasury over and above all ex
penses under the Republican administra
fioQ, while, under Democratic rnle, - not
enough vac PIT into the treasury of tbC
county 70 meet expenses and taxes and
costs.
If there be any honor - that sort Of dis
dnction, the editor CT the Democrat and
his associates are certainly entitled to the
greatest pre-eminence aud surely will bf
covered az ocpr with glory