Los Angeles herald., 1892-04-24
LETTER BAG.
Expert MOOre's Explanations.

Expert Moore's Explanations.
EDITORS HERALD: 1 find, on my re-
turn from Anaheim, whence l had been
called on urgent business, an article in
your issue of April 21st, headed "That
Lost Money!" supplemented by another
editorial in the issue of the 22d, in which
you have done me great injustice, un-
Willingly, perhaps, but nevertheless a
very great injustice and feeling assured
that no great and powerful newspaper
can afford to do an injustice
to the humblest citizen, especially
when that injustice is based upon error,
and can be corrected by mere state
ment OF facts, will hesitate to give as
great publicity to the statement of facts
as was given to the article itself. With
these views l will tate up the items
seriatim.
''As far as the expert accountant is
concerned, etc." "the Taxpayers
association" was formed and the men,
bers were assessed to furnish the ex-
pert accountant with the funds to fight
the claim. "rhe whole business ended
in tizzle." The facts are these: The
| Taxpayers association was formed and
I made it this proposition which has
been published in the HERALD, that if
the. association would raise sufficient
funds to pay my assis stants that would
not ask it to pay me q cent for my SER
vices till the matter was fully probed
and then would look to the liberality
OF the public for my pay. Under this
proposition the association raised 1915 80
and have paid my assistants and other
expenses 1923, leaving a difference OF
$247.l paid out of my own pocket,
when shall have paid an item of
$6O.75, now in litigation, for which
am personally responsible. In addition
to this have worked ninety-three days,
for which / would have received from
any one else $3.50, for which / have
never received one cent, nor made any
demand for any. AS to the
correctness of these statements, l
refer you to Joseph Mesmer, w. T.
Kendrick, Judge Dunnigan and other
members of the executive committee OF
the Taxpayers association.
| AS to the whole business ending in
a fzzle, 1 would respectfully refer you
to Mr.. Aaron Smith, the honorable
board of supervisors, the county auditor,
treasurer and clerk, and number of
. others l will not mention now. The
failure of the association to furnish
money to pay my assistant has re-
tarded the investigation. but am still
at work at it every day l am not en-
| ployed on private accounts, and not be-
ing bloated bondholderI am compelled
to stop the investigation for which am
ant out of my own pocket, from time to
time to make bread and butter for my
family.
When the grand jury made their re-
port last January, on the superintendent
of county schools, showing difference
in the school fund of about $4,000 as be-
tween the treasurer and superintendent,
which amount was taken out of the un-
apportioned moneys by the board of
supervisors and passed to the credit of
the school fund to make good this differ
ence, which added to the $11 800 taken
out in the same manner in 1889 upon a
report made by Blackman to the board
of supervisors, making over SIG, 900.
! And when the Blaekman report could
never be produced to show when these
errors occurred, and the report made by
Miss Quinn and Mckinsey failed to point
out single dollar of the discrepancy, 1
was led to believe that the whole matter
was intended to come up as O steal of
about that amount. Hence I deter
mined to undertake work on my own
account, for which the county had
already paid Blackman about $500 or
500 and the last experts about $500 to
determine what had become of the $l5,-
600.
In the prosecution of this investiga-
| ton / wrote to several school boards in
the county to this effect: That I was
making this investigation on my own
account and without pay, for the pur-
pose of determining where this differ
ence arose, and that in the event
should find errors whereby they would
1914 per cent OF all they might recover
| by my work.
This is the kind of communication I
sent to the city board of education in
| the early part of February, which is
now on file with the board. The board
failing to meet for some time after send
| ing the communication, one of the men,
bers told me to continue my ineestiga-
ton, he assuring me that the board
would accede to my proposition.
But before the board had taken any
action I had found this $4,000, and
went before them and told them of it,
and at the same time told Mr.. Friesner
when had found it, and when the mat
ter was referred to the committee OF
ways and means called on Mr.. Crowley,
the chairman, and told him if he would
call the committee together l would
come before them and show them the
whole matter.
I also told Mr.. Robinson, Colonel Ban
bury, Joseph Mesmer and many others.
I was not concealing it, as your article
would infer, and was not too modest
TO ask 331a per cent in black and white
! for such services, of what l might
find, when it was lost to all
! intents and purposes forever from