Gloucester County Democrat., 1894-08-16
THE COUNTY TAX"

There is very little public or private sat
isfaction in word contention with one de-
void of the courage of his convictions; or
whose natural cowardice aud little partisan
ships lead him to mis-statement of what
has been made as plain as day.
We have charged that the so cent
tax rate for County Purposes is the
result of careless and extravagant expendi-
ture of public moneys. The truth of this
has been demonstrated by three years of
administration of county affairs, and the
feeble attempt of the editor of the Constitu-
tion to direct attention from this fact by
the injection of personality that don't be-
long in the case, and lofty pretension that
our charge of extravaganza carried with it
an implication of public robbery, demon
strate that he has knowledge of the truth Of
the situation, and further demonstrate his
own inability to rise aboye little partisan
ship and render true public service.
Webster defines this much-used word
" extravaganza just as we applied it, and
not as Bro. Barber seeks to construe 1t.
"Extrsvagance-Excess in expenditure of
property; the expending of money without
necessity, or beyond what is reasonable or
proper"
In the first year of return to county ad-
ministration by the Republicans, after three
years relief, there was not single unusual
county expense in view-an expense that
had not been met out of $4,000 appro-
priation-yet $50, 900 was appropriated, out
of which $4,000 was to apply to new bridge
debts-brid2es that had never before been
a charge on the county. One Thousand Of
that $5 900 was applied according to agree
ment, the rest went, no one can tell where.
Expenditures made extravagantly are al
ways the most difficult to trace
When the editor down the street asserts
that the committee on appropriations was
not partisan committee" he takes a
sneaking avenue away from the truth. Such
statement is reflection on the men
tai capacity of the Republican members of
the Board, that they ought to resent. We
will admit that the Republican majority of
the Board, does not act like partisans imbued
with desire to render the most valuable
public service at the least possible cost; but
rather like partisans whose noses have been
for three years held just near enough to the
trough to make them hungry, and now,
without thought of consequences to the tax
payers, their party or themselves, are trying
to see how much they can push out of it.
We deny that we approached this ques-
ton with any idea of obtaining partisan
advantage Of any kind, but it seemed neces-
sary for some one to speak, and as the Con-
stitution only sees wrong-doing or extraya-
rance in political opponents, we were driven
by our duty to the public to enter protest.
In view of the fact that the Constitution
went boldly on record two years ago as q
champion of economy in the use of public
money, even to the extent of defending an
action of certain township assessors in rails
ing the county tax rate when it was NOT
necessary Can act which we still believe was
a violation Of the most sacred obligation Of
their office, we expected not only encour-
agement and cooperation IRON that moth
eaten quarter, but also from all his assis-
tants in the outlying townships
But we are not afraid to wage this war
fare alone, and when the balance is struck
at the end of this fiscal year, we venture
the prediction that the people will learn
the truth Of this charge of extravaganza. in
an official way.