The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1883-06-30
MILAN EXCHANGE
AN OPEN LETTER.
DIE, rENx.. JuNE 21. 1853.
Editors Trenton Globe:


For months past you have been dis
cussing the financial status Of Gibson
county. The short -comings of the
County Court seem 10 have created
the necessity for your laborious efforts
in this direction. The Court is to
blame or il is not to blame. In other
words, your statements are true or
false. Iftrue, as editors of county
newspaper, you have done nothing
more than your duty. If false, you
have, 10 the extent Of your influence,
injured others and have failed to bene>
tit yourselves. l think every public
functionary, municipal, comfy, state
or national, should be willing at all
times to have his official acts or re-
cords investigated; and you, as edi-
tors, have a perfect right to suggest
investigation, improvement, amend.
ment etc. While this is true, it is
also true that officials.-county courts
etc.-have an equal right to criticise
or investigate any statement, and es~
pecially any public statement made
concerning them. We therefore pro-
coed to notice some of your assertions,
the truth or falsity of which we subs
NIT to their Judgment of an honest
public. We quote from the Globe of
April IA, 1883. "The practice which
prevailed in the county for long
time, was to keep lot of blank war
rants on hand, and when an appropria-
ton was made by the court, to fill
these out and deliver them to the par
ties in whose favor the appropriations
had been made, requiring such person
or persons to sign no book nor give any
receipt whatever to show that they
had drawn their warrant. No record
of the warrants issued was kept. show.
ing the number, date and amount of
the warrant, and to whom issued
You further say that "warrants
doubtless were duplicated time and a.
gain, and that the county has perhaps
paid thousands Of dollars which she
never owed.c Now these are very
broad assertions, and quite serious
charges against those officials who
tolerated this practice which prevail
ed in the county for long time"--sc
serious that. if true, the parties char
ged are guilty of an offense that ranks
among the highest official crimes.
lam forced to the conclusion that nc
sane man. unless he is DISHONEST
would make such charges against hi'
fellows without having in his possession
sufficient evidence to establish the
truth of the same. But, if these
statements ARE true, then you are
correct in saying that neither the pres
ent Chairman nor any other man car
know or "even approximate the In
debtedness of the county"
However, let us to the facts in the
case. am prepared to say that pri'
or to the late war it was the practict
to issue warrants, record them, and tt
require the parties to whom issued tt
receipt for the same. If this rule hal
EVER been departed from, and the
"looseness" spoken of by you, waI
ever practiced at all in this county
you will confer a benefit, not only
upon me, but upon the citizens of the
county at large, by telling us wher
and by whom it was done. Please give
us the dates and the names of the
guilty parties. You certainly have
this information at hand-Give it t.
the public. The charge of "duplica
ting warrants time and again" is {
grave one. Now, as regards funding
we quote from the Globe of June 16
1888, as follows: awhile Judge Bigg
may be excusable for not having takel
up the old county warrants and issueC
new ones in their stead, yet constan
refusal ID do this will be inexcusable.
! was not aware that the voice o
Globe was the voice of tn
people, or of the County Court which
alone has the right to order the fund
ing of the county warrants. Tn
Court has never suggested nor hinte,
that it desired such a thing. Neithe
has any man save the Globe only
Yet you assert that 1 am "inexcusa
BILE" for failing to obey-not the vote
of he people, nor the voice of tn
Court, but the autocratic voice of tn
GLOBE. l desire to remain "inexcu
sable" for such offensesW. When
ever, in its wisdom, the quarterl,
court deems it necessary TO fund tn
warrants, 1 am perfectly willing Il
discharge my duty in regard to tn