Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-10-25
The Truthful (?) Twins
and the Napoleon Riv-
er Bridge Bonds !

Signal and its twin the Advocate, tell their
readers that the County Commissioners ttte-
oalIy stole the money from other funds to
pay the Napoleon river bridge bonds. These
papers know that very few voters in our
county are supplied with law books, and
think that many of them will believe their
lies rather than to go to the trouble of inves-
tigating the facts. ..
To show how barefaced these papers lie for
political purposes, we will quote section SIG
of the Revised Statutes of Ohio, which reads
as follows:
Sec. S76. The County Commissioners shall
have power to transfer any unexpended bal
ances of any funds, raised for the purpose of
erecting public buildings, remaining in the
| treasury of their respective counties, to any
other fund, or to any other purpose for which
money is needed by such county; and in case
there is fund in such treasury that has been
levied and collected for a special purpose,
and such fund, or part thereof, will not be
needed for such purpose until after the time
fixed by law for the next payment of taxes,
and any of the other funds of the cuunty are
exhausted, the Commissioners may transfer
such special fund as is exhausted, and reim-
burse such special fund out of the taxes lev
led for such other fund, as soon as the same
are collected.
There were $4,000 6per cent. interest bear
ing Napoleon river bridge bonds issued dur
ing the time from April Sth, 1879, to July 27th
and became due on April 1st, 1889. These
bonds have all been redeemed according to
the bond register is the County Auditors Of
fee, pages l, 9 and 3, as follows:
$4,000 on May 10, 1883, by order 1896.
$4,000 on October 16, 1885, by order 1850.
$1,000 on October l, 1886, by order 1924.
$4,000 on October 81, 1886, by order 1871.
$4,000 on July &c, 1883, by orders 1925,
1927 and 1923.
By sometimes borrowing from other funds
and paying these bonds before due, the coun-
ty has saved over 5000 in interest. This is
called bad fnansiering by the unveracious
twins. In the attempt to make the people
believe that there will not be money enough
in the county treasury to pay the interest on
outstanding bonds, the twin editors of the
Signal and Advocate produce good many
figures and arguments which show that their
brains are in deplorable condition of ignor-
ance in regard to the understanding of public
finances. The order books in the county
auditors Office show that the money received
for the various county bonds was certified in
to the following county funds: The 100000
for court house bonds dated May 18, 1880, in
to the county building fund.- the $35,OOO for
court house bonds dated February Z, 1881, into
county building fund. Of the $4,000 re-
ceived for court house and bridge bonds $780,
600 were certified into the building fund (see
orders 492 April 10, 1882, 493 April IT. 1882
and 499 May 1, 1922 and $4,000 we're certi-
fed into the county bridge fund (see order
500 May 2, 1892 These funds having re-
ceived the benefits of the foregoing bond
sales, and the county commissioners having
made the tax levies for the funds partly for
the purpose of paying the interest coupons
when due, the interest must be paid accord
ingly in compliance with the provisions of
sections 874 and 875 of the Revised Statutes of
Ohio. The sinking fund is not created for
the purpose of paying interest on these bonds
and cannot lawfully be used in that way. The
bond register and order stubs in the Auditors
Office show how the interest should be paid.
(see order stubs 1927 b, 1890 b, 1880 b, and
1444 b, J; but as the building and bridge funds
will have ample funds to pay the interest
when due, the small amount of the sinking
fund is drawn into the argument for no other
purpose than to deceive the voters.
Now, fellow Democrats, the above are
facts, not perverted figures to deceive you for
political effect and individual or party gain,
as these twins are indulging in semi weekly.
You have listened to their deceitful walls be-
fore, and humiliated your party by electing
Republicans to Office instead of men of your
own political faith, in every instance of which
you have been sorry after its consummation.
Are you again willing to allow yourselves to
be deceived? We think not. VOTER.