The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-04-09

snip and even school scrip-notes OF hand OF shese
corporations, some interest bearing. They issued
State scrip at such rate that by May, 1874
So. 24O 900 OF this stun been taken up ana de-
stroyed and there Is supposed 10 be sl,5ooooo ofit
anoat now
AMUSING MINOR FRAUDS.
But these Dig theits are not nearly as amusing
as the smaller ones. One Tankersley, Speaker or
the Assembly. for instance. got the people OF
Clark county TO Issue 100000 IN bonds to the
ouacnita Valley Railroad, or which he was presi-
dent. he found a broker in New York who offered
him eighty per cent for these bonds, on condition
that he would get responsible bank to guarantee
the payment or the interest Tor dye years. Il
deposited with a bank $4,000. which was the IN
terest for i've years at six per cent; received az
once $50. 600 for his bonds and pocketed $4,000
BY TINS pretty transaction. The town OF Camden,
in ouachlta county, subscribed $4,000, which ne
also pocketed; ana he ran In debt Tor the lifle
work he did on the railroad and wnen ne had got
his money ran away himself TO Colorado.
Iu 1873 Faulkner county was formed out OF frag-
ments OF surrounding counties. This making new
counties was a custom OF the reconstructors.
They thus created new Offices. The new Faulkner
county had no debt 1t had no public buildings,
and has none yet, except an eight-by-ten Courf
House given IL by Methodist church. II contains
1000 people and has . property valuation OF about
$780, 600. Two young New Workers., Benton Turner
and Charles Landers, were appointed Sheriff and
County Clerk by the Governor. They collected
the first year about $4,000 in taxes, and
this being insufficient for their uses they
issued county scrip Tor $4,000 more.
they collected the taxes IN greenbacKs
and turned them In IN deprecated state scrip,
some of which they bought ut thlrty-hve cents on
a dollar. They sold onices, released prisoners,
engaged In fraudulent registration, and finally
they departed with their plumber, and the State
knows them more.
In Little Rock the Collector OF Taxes openly
engaged in brokerage, took out a federal license
as a broker, aud then drove thriving trade with
the citizens when they came to pay their taxes.
You must understand that all State and county
scrip was receivable at par for taxes. citizen
had to pay $50 Tor taxes, he might buy scrip at
thirty cents and pay 1t az par. But the Collector
bought scrip beforehand. when the market was
low, and made his own bargain with the
citizen. 1t is said he made his once worth
100000 year. His way 20 demand
a moiety OF the tax, but in greenbacks For this
ne gave a receipt in fall. Then he kept the green
backs, and turned into the treasury the scrip be
hau bought up cheaply. This atrocious form OF
swlndllng became universal that have been told
only one county tax collector In the whole state
has uniformly turned into the treasury the same
money which he received; and this when the al
lowances OF the assessors and collectors were SO
great that in some years IL cost twenty per cent
to collect the State revenue.
The reconstructors were wise in their genera
ton. They not only robbed at wholesale ana re-
tail, but they took care to preserve their own
premacy. The constitution OF lS6s gave the Gov.
ernor the Appointment OF almost all the local OH.
GERS even Justices OF peace and registrars
OF elections. The Governor, OF course. selected
his own adherents, and did not scruple to send
them from Little Rock, sometimes hundred miles
away into a strange county. So loosely was pusi-
ness conducted that when the new county OF
Howard was creaIed, In 1873. one Hawkins, an
niterate carpenter OF Little Rock. being appointed
County Clerk, began his career by having county
scrip printed before he even went down TO take
up his once. and issued the first OF this scrip in
Little Rock In payment for an ambulance to taka
his family 10 Howard county Scrip OF this county
Is now worth from ten to fifteen cents-and ne
wonder.
Again. in Little Rock the merchants got alarmed
ct the over issue or scrip in 1859, and tool
the plates from which sthese sninpasten
were printed from the Mayors ONCE and
destroyed them. But presently IL was dis
covered that no account nad been kept by tue
Mayor or the quantity prin ted and Issued, and to
this day, though $4,000 worth OF the stun haa
been redeemed, more comes In. and no man can
tell how much remains behind.
There Is q sm all bridge IN Eagle township, near
Little Rock, which cost TO build it $780, JacS
Agery. a colored man, was engaged 10 make some
repairs on 1t. He brought in bill Tor 5000; scrip
was then worth ten cents, and be received his pay
In $1,000, which the county must some day re.
deem at par.
Sam Mallory, formerly engine driver on the Erie
Railroad, became here general or militia aud
State Senator Ia 1871; was later made Commls-
sioner TO audit old militia bills, ana among the
accounts allowed by him and PAID was one ior
coHee mills at 81 apiece.
Meantime taxes rose, until IN PULASKI county, OF
which Little Rock Ia part. they we're at I'VE per
cent, and in counties seven and tnree-tenths.
Pulaski county scrip went down to ten cents,
school warrants were bought at SIX, and some arc
even now worth no more. Other counties were
but little better on aud the bookkeeping has
been such that 1t is lmpossible to tell how much u
really owed. In Pulaski county even the register
or bonds has been, as q public advertisement In
to.day's paper says, 'lost stolen" and the
bondhoders are now requested 10 come forward
and register their BONDS before the coupons shall
be paid
To return to tue railroads. Where their ems
oankments would serve as levees they were al
lowed levee bonds IN addition TO the aid bonds;
and, not content with this, In one case twenty
miles OF track having been laio on q road, &C.
cepted and the bonds received, the iron was taken
up and removed TO another road, wnere it sufnced
to OBTAIN from the treasury another $4,000 In
bonds.
why did not the people turn out these knaveG
This Will try 10 explain TO you In my next lettef
CHARLES NoRDRoFF.