The Brookhaven leader., 1885-07-02
VNIII 1T
1. LETFNTHAL, JR., Secretary.
T he Court House.

{
At the risk of being termed 'irngthy'
| will ask your indulgence to submit a
few figures and facts, AMI then leave the
matter of expectancy of building Il court
house TO tn" tax payers of Lincoln coun-
ty.
In my last communities ton nciGcntally
mentioned that | might give the indebt-
edness of the county, its annr al expenses,
income, and amount of surplus after pay
ing the annual expenses to be applied to
eXtlnguishing the debt "f the county. !
can only approximate the annual eXpen-
ses, (as find it is almost imnossibie to
am governed by what find entered
upon the books in the ChanCery Clerks
office, and am Informed by the Chaucery
Clerk, that there are still some jury certif-
Gates outstanding that have never been
registered.
Now to the figures. The debt Of .Ae
county find to be as follows for l5si:
Outstanding Registered War
rants and Bonds .............s l3, 1928
General County Warrants issu-
ed in 1881. Observation-Disclosures. 9,>29.G
General School Warrants ISSUED
in lSs4....................... 7,53l70
Jary Certificates issued January
term of court 1881 ............ 1,253. IS
Jury Certificates issued July
term ofccurt lSS4 ............ polio
Jail Warrant. Observation-Disclosures. Loco on
Total indebtedness. ....,... S3:}, 9l2 90
The credits are as follows
BY State distribution School
Fund, is-4 S3,2l2 ca
Amount paid INTO county treas
AIRY hN tdX-co!lcCtOT.. ........ l9,1GO.0 90
Making Observation-Disclosures. 81, 339. %
Less p per cent cOnmiSSlOnS
county trca .urcr............. SOP, 16
Total net income. ..........S y, 3i3).ei
This 500, $50. II deducted from the tota!
debt leaves IL balance of INDEBTEDNESS
Of the county of the SNUG sum OF Sill,
3l6Ol From what / could learn FROM
the hooks. and from the Chauccry CLERK
of the prnhahie auount ct unregistered
warrants that are ont. it wonld he safe to
round numbers AT 81, 600. ] wish to call
the attention of the taxpayers "f the
county to the annual EXPENSES and the
small difference between the expenses and
the income, and what n small amount is
left after the payment OF current expenses
to he applied to the public debt. he an
nual expenses rs eWhCdIrd IN the items
General County Warrants issued, School,
.JuIY certificates, etc, fo"tS up
so. 5lS6 81. The entire income shows only
| 81, 9I2.62. Alter deductinG the expenses
from the income We only have left to be
applied to the outstanding indebtedness,
! 81 ,393.9S. a debt upon Us now, which at
the present high rate OF ~ mills is row
levied. it will take about NINE years I"
uay it eft. With these facts as they APP
pear uuon tire cOnnty's hooks, can any
! ore say that il Monid be wisdom or good
! financial policy to enlarge omr county
| debt uv iucMring debit OF s., GOA or SO
eco more ~ build Il court house at this
! time? Owing to the past two wears beng
I bad crop years and the low pIiCe That the
planters have received for cotton and the
| high price paid for supplies, or people
are i'll no condition to stand higher taAa-
ton. As | minated in my former COM
munication, the better plan seems 70 me
would he to in every way possible make
retrenchmcnts IN tho expenditures, end
ONLY MAKE snch improvements rs are
ABSOLUTELY NEEDED for the pnblic good.
| Fearing some critic may say this anti
! Gle is too long, | will not attempt I"
elaborate, as think the figures as given,
! shonld be satisfactory to ali, rs the figures
given are as they show ON books III the
! Chancery Clerks office, and being the only
means of information we have to take
| them as facts, whether they are palatahle
OF not. Respectfully, thanking yOn fer
the space in your paper for these lengthy
communications, assuring you that they
have not been prompted from any bur
the best of motives, with no persona! or
political object in view, further than the
heavy taxation affects me, with all the
other tax payers of the county may be
regarded rs personal,
TAXPAYER.