Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1883-11-02
That 5000 Loan.

In regard to the charge or insinuation made
in the last TINES that the SIS 900 borrawed by
the Commissioners, of whom the Independent
candidate for sheriff is one. has been squandered
we would state in simple fairness that it was
borrowed<nnder an Act of Assembly,tp pay ju-
rors, state Witnesses and bailffs for money al
ready due them, so that thereafter they might
be paid in cash, and that all such arrearages
have been paid The law which authorized
this loan and its disbursement, and which at
the same time provided for the appointment of
Treasurer, is ample for the protection OF the
taxpayers The treasurer alone is authorized
to disburse funds. He is not member of the
Board, but their appointee, and he is requir-
ed to give bond, to be approved by the Judges
of the Circuit court. for the faithful discharge
of his duty.-Ndrylaad Independent.
The above article, which discusses the
question we raised, with fairness and
decorum, and which is evidently the work
of the attorney to the Beard of County
Commissioners, who is especially well
qualified to speak in this matter, is entitl-
ed to equally fair and decorous consider
alton at our hands. Upon the slightest
reflection it will appear to our contempt
rary that the explanation he gives of the
matter is by no means satisfactory one.
The arrears which were due to jurors, State
witnesses and bailiffs at the time the mo-
ney was borrowed (previous to the Febru-
airy term 1882 was limited to the amounts
due such officers for the preceding July
and November terms. If we look at the
statement of the commissioners for the
WON oJ,nr I,,a o0tl 1891 VIC find tb of
the sums levied for the officers in question
for the whole year preceding such levy.
which included two unusually long jury
terms, amounted in the aggregate to So
641 90. Now, taking this sum as basis
from which to estimate the arrears due
for the half year preceding the borrowing
of the money (Which is not fair estimate,
because the November term of 1881 which
was the chief source of expense is known
to have been an unusually short one) and
we have 81, $50 95 as the arrears then due
So reckoning the amount of arrears accord
ing to that manifestly excessive estimate
and we have, according to our contempor-
Egs showing. balance Of Sa119 L..
we find, however, upon an examination
of the law, that, in addition to the arrears
to which our contemporary refers, the act
authorized the commissioners to borrow
''from time to time as it may be necessary"
an amount sufficient to pay said officers,
jurors &C., their allowance in cash adur-
ing the balance of the year 1882" not to
exceed $4,000 in ali. And we find also
that the sum of $4,000, levied in 1882, is
under the act to be applied to the payment
ofjurors &C., for the year 1888, being levi
ed in advance under the direction of the
act. Taking all these things, which our
contemporary overlooked, into considera-
ton, however, and still there is room to
suspect that portion of the $4,000 loan
has been Incorporated. According to
no fair estimation that we can make can
we arrive at the conclusion that the sum
of $4,000 was expended for the payment
of Jurors, bailiffs and witnesses during the
year and half preceding the 1st of Janu-
airy, 1888. The terms of court during that
period as we'll as since, are known to have
been unusually short, and during the year
1882, the compensation of said officers
was reduced 90 per cent. So that there is
at least room to suspect that a portion of
said loan has been misappropriated.
But this was not the burden of our COM
plant. We complained that no account
sohatecer had been given of this fund.-
Nor has any been given although the clerk
of the board is specifically required by
'>>the act of 1882 to make "a full and detail
I'd report of has receipts and disbursements
nth the uouchers Aereete' to the county
commissioners within thirty days after
g. ch term of court. under penalty of los
20 %<fs office; and the county commission
Re required by law ITO make out nd
publish annually in two newspapers pub
lished in their respective counties, a de-
tailed, minute and accurate statement of the
expenses of their said counties, specif ying
therein each particular item and for aohat and
to a'hons paid"
So, to say nothing of the action of the
commissioners in disregarding the letter
and spirit of the law in borrowing the
maximum sum allowed by law in Advance,
the people are at least entitled to in ae-
count of how it was expended. It is next
to impossible that the pay of the officers
in question for the time specified should
have amounted to exactly $4,000, because
that was the highest possible estimate
made by the trainers of the law; and ac-
cording to our judgment, from the best
estimates we have been able to make, it
did not much exceed $4,000. We reiter-
ate. therefore, that the failure of the pro-
per officers to make the lawful report con-
corning this loan raises painful suspicion
in the minds of the people that a portion
of this money has been misappropriated.
How are the taxpayers to proceed against
the bond of the treasurer, until they are
informed of his defalcations, as required
by lava The painful suspicion which
exists in the minds of the people that an
examination of the county books will
make grave disclosures, rs not in any wise
removed by the explanation made by our
friend.
Eyes'y Democrat in Charles county should
go the polls on Tuesday and cote the Demo-