Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1878-10-26
MR.. S L. 0 NJ


Mr.. Joseph l.. Thomas fires himsel
OFT this week through the columns of HI
organ with much JUNCTION and guSto, IL
al article so very thin that it needs II,
reply; but. lest he might think it I'M
answerable. We will briefly allude 10 it
Tie nowhere denies or c~UutradictS .
assertion that his enmity to the present
county III and its clerk grew out o
the fact that the board OF equalization
raised mis- axes; and he nowhere dcnie.
that his attitude vas ALWAYS hostile tC
the effort which the people made tC
reducetheir county debt by compromise.
and the purchase of bonds ut the lowest
possible prices. These are the questions
under discussion ST lar As he is concern
ed AMI he cannot divert the attention OF
the public from them by hunting up old
grocery and printing bills.
Looking back over tbs condition OF
the county as ii WAS Il few wears =
with Il bonded debt IT one an., y halt
million dollars. and u warrant debt of
nearly fifty thousand dollars. our war
rants hawled about by bankers and
curbStone brokers at : yenty-tivc 10
eighty cents on the dollar. We tiud that
Il great change has come over our affairs
Now the bonded debt OF III. county is
seven hundred and fifty thousand dol
lars, At six per cent. instead OF ten rs It
formerly was; the warrant debt has
been wiped out. and our county warrants
are worth on hundred cents on the
dollar. Who has brought this about?
The faithful agents whu have wrought
the change are the men whom Mr..
Thomas is now lighting. and has been
lighting from the beginning. 1t is re-
treshing to have him doing publicly
what he has So long been doing sub
rosa. and t is decidedly refreshing for
such 4 man To ask OF the people that
they place their county finances under
his control.
Because the writer has sold goods to
the county IS other merchants have
done, and because. unsolicited. he has
been several times selected to do impor-
Ant work tor the county. and. further.
because the Intri.igencer does the print
ing for the county. he seeks To make it
sppear.that this paper has attacked him
tor selfish reasons. That assertion will
hardly be believed by the people of this
The writer has done tar more
gratuitous work tor the county than
work tor which he has been paid, and
the l~nte!ligencer is no iiessian, that
fights Tor pay. 1t fought just AS earnestly
democracy when s~lnglehanded it had
another democratic paper. as well as
the republican paper. both in league
with the Ambrose court, TO oppose, as
II does to-day. And. with or without Of
fetal pap, which t. this paper is a sec
Ondary consideration. is democratic to
the core. and has the back OF its hand
ready for all deSerters. tax-dodg-
ers. soreheads ard abusers OF the peo-
PIE OF Lafayette county. Mr.. Thomas
10 attacking the present court has in
some OF the work OF its predeces-
SOL. This, we suppose, he considers
tair. While he was looking for fig
iTes on poo house expenses he should
ave OOnct al the totals tor "A few Years
In ISL the expenses for this purpose
amounted to. =. 40 %; in 1872 they
were Ss.323 90; il 1873. S9.274 IS; in
9,7j2 10; III 1879, the first year
1t the present administration, they We're
to sj,3lG 81; in 1876 they were
70; and il 1871 they were So
II. The totals OF expenses Tor pub
Ic printing in the county might a.So
attracted his attention. but they
lid not. In ISL this item amounted to
S42a2 - in 1872 to 81 40 % in
.-13 to S2.U6l II; in 1874 to 1886 IS;
Il $50, the first year Of the present
to 1914 %; IN lo.6 to S>I7 IS;
md in Io11 70 Sis 7O-about enough
0 pay The wage Of one Of our compos-
rs. Mr.. Thomas hates the .'Prather
As he calls it. and would. We
oppose, return TO the plans OF other
he could, bat he can't il he
roHLi.