Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1875-01-28
What Commissioner Alexander
has TO Say About 1t.

y ohm B. LOngleF record INV nam
used. The statements made in that ar.
ticle misrepresent me very much. From
my short acquaintance with you, L can
| not allow myself TO think that you
! would Intentionally make such false
| charges against me, therefore res.
pectfully ask you to give these correc-
| tions and explanations the same publi-
city that you have your statements
First, you state the amount of the bill
of John B. Longley for his first ten
months service ending September lst,
| 1872 and sa-. "This valuable servant is
also paid SI26 for Clerk of Board OF
! Commissioners. These same Commis.
| sioners have since decided that it is
entirely illegal and contrary to law to al
! low the Auditor one cent for such
service. Why don't they recover this
Sl26, which this plunderer has taken
from the peoples treasury" neither Mr..
| Hogue or myself was in the Board at
that time. l took my place in the Board
December 1872, and Mr.. Hogue one
year later. Mr.. VIM. Armstrong Jas.
Kinney and B. E. DUNCAN comprised
the Board that passed on the bill, aud
allowed that credit, with the balance
of the bill. This bill as allowed at that
time was the only statement OF an
Auditors account that we could find
| in the office, when his final account
was presented. IL this final bill you
| will notice there is no charge for SER
vices as clerk of the Board. The pres
ent Board is not guilty of allowing
Mr.. Longley for the above named
item. but did refuse to allow it to the
present Auditor. You will find the
records confirm the above. Second,
you bring my name in same article as
Treasurer and Commissioner OF the
Bridgeport Free Turnpike and charge
me with defrauding portion OF the
County; during my absence from home
in New Orleans some three years be-
fore | become Commissioner of the
County, some of the most responsible
citizens of Bridgeport without my
knowledge or consent had me ap-
pointed Commissioner or the Bridge
port Free Turnpike, by the County
Commissioners under the one mile act,
at the same leaving bond signed by
them in the Auditors office; as soon as
[ returned they explained what they
had done, and urged my acceptance,
much against my own will l finally
agreed to do so, and was made Clerk
OF the Board: under this one mile act
the Commissioners are authorized to
issue Bonds fol the construction of the
road, and are required TO report all
their acts annually to the County Com
missioners. The taxes levied to meet
these Bonds are collected ss other taxes
and when paid in can only be used for
the redemption of these Bonds. The
County Commissioners must see that
all Bouds issued by the Commissioners
of Free Turnpike are redeemed with
the same care aud over sight that they
took after Bonds signed by themselves.
The Bonds of the Bridgeport Free
Turnpike were made payable at the
County Treasury. When the first
Bonds became due the Treasurer re-
fused to nay them, claiming that he
had no register of them ald could not
tell whether the Bonds presented were
correct or not. met the County Com
missioners as soon as possible, and
they proposed to put the funds into
my hand to redeem these Bonds. Having
been Clerk of the Board that issued
these Bonds and registered them, |
hesitated about accepting the trust from
$4,000 to $4,000 of our Bonds were then
issued and coming due. Something
had to be done. After consulting the
other members of the Board | accepted
the trust, and proceeded as agent ap-
poiniedby theCounty Commissioners to
redeem the Bonds OF theBridgeportFree
Turnpike. Annually | presented the
redeemed Bonds to the County Com
missiouers had them examined and
compared with my account 10 them and
record male of my account on their
journal, and the Bonds DESTROYED by
the County Commissioner. When
presented nv final account at the De-
cember session of 1872 had not taken
nv seat as a County Cummiss: oner,
and did not intend doing SO, until my
final account OF the redemption of all
the Bonds of this road had been acted
upon by the old Board. Unfortunately
Mr.. Armstrong the retiring Commits
sioner did not come, and MI. DUNCAN
had not at 80 P. NJ, of the ist day of
that session number of persons were
in the office waiting to have business
transacted by the Commissioners of the
County. Mr.. Kinney insisted under
these circumstances that L should be
sworn in and proceed with County
business. | stated to him, that | want
ed to have the old Board pass on my
report before took my place as Coun-
ty Commissioner. He stated that "Mr.
DUNCAN and myself will act alone on
your report and have il so entered on
the journal" With this understanding.
| was sworn and Immediately pro-
ceeded with business. Mr.. Armstrong
did not come duling that session and
Mr.. DUNCAN did not come until even
ing. On the next day l presented my
report as Commissioner of Bridgeport
Free Turnpike also my final account of
redemption of Bonds, with Bonds re-
deemed amounting to over S2S.OO0.-
Every Bond, every Coupon issued was
presented and found correct, with a
receipt on each one from the person re-
ceiving the money. James Kinney and
b. +. DUNCAN acted on my report as
Mr.. Kinney told me should be done.
For this service of redeeming Bonds
falling due at various dates within
three years, asked the Commissioners
to allow me such compensation as they
considered the responsibility and serv-
ice worth, they insisted on me naming
the amount, refused to do so, and they
made the allowance. AT that time the
question was raised as to what fund the
order should be drawn on. l claimed
then, "a a Commissioner of Bridgeport
Free Turnpike, that said road had been
charged with like expenses that all
other Turnpikes in the county had, and
that whatever was allowed to me for
this service should be from the county
fund and not from the fund of our
Road, for the reason that the expenses
Of redeeming all other road Bonds was
paid from that fund. | claimed then
and repeat now, that l was appointed
three years previous to that time by the
County Commissioners as their agent
TO redeem these Bonds, aud having