Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1894-04-19
HENRY COUNTY FINANCES.

HENRY COUNTY FINANCES
EDITOR NoRTHwRsr.-Mr. Russell
in his review of the auditors state
ment published in the Signal, March
2Sth, 1894, seems to be very much in
elined to misconstrue the language
employed in said statement to suit
his purpose to gain a partisan, advan-
tage. The auditor Is willing to sub
init to Webster for the unbiased
meaning of words as employed in
language, but not to Mr.. Russell un-
til he has gained greater notoriety as
photographer than is now Rscribed
to him. The word resolved used
in the sense of determined, he tries to
torture into the meaning of the
phrase "a Preamble and Resolution, "
in order to create the impression that
the auditor failed to make a proper
record Of the levies. The commits
sioners' journal, however, shows as
completes a record of the levy for each
fund as was ever made in any pre-
vious year, including every record of
leyies made by himself when auditor.
The word estimate, in the connection
in which DIT was employed In the aud
itor's former statement, fails to come
up to his standard of meaning. 1t
was used in the sense that Webster
defines it, tO-wit: ''To Judge and form
an opinion of the value without meas
uring or tceSghigg an approximate
Judgment or opinion as to cost, and
this is precisely what the commission
ers had intended when the levies were
made for each fund. Mr. Russell al
so intimates that the auditors Ian
guage casts reflections on the com
missioners and places them in an un-
enviable position before the people.
He also indirectly charges the audi
tor with Understanding the intelli-
gence Of the citizens of Henry county,
because, forsooth, in a former article
he asserted that the finances and con-
dition of the various funds in Henry
county were imperfectLy understood
by the majority of the taxpayers.
This misapprehension of the auditors
meaning arises from the fact that he
ignores Webster and has set up his
own standard by which to judge the
meaning of words The auditor is
still firm in the belief that itisnotpos-
sible for the masses Of the people to
comprehend the true condition of the
finances Of Henry county from the
published statement of funds each
year, however intelligent they may
hn xxyitI ATVf rio nf tho no
ceipts and expenditures Of several
years with each other, and fair con-
ception of much else to be gained
only by special study of the situa-
tion, or by coming in direct line with
the management of the county finan-
ces; and Fulton county with far less fl
nancial complication and no bonded
Indebtedness, but on account of un-
bonded Indebtedness alone, held q
public meeting on the 14th inst, to
deliberate and discuss the financial
situation of the county, in verification
of the fact that only fair and unbi-
ased discussion will result in an intel
ligent understanding of the proper
means to employ to relieve the tax
payers of all unjust taxation. The
auditor, in his former statement
in speaking of unusual expenses, linn
tied the statement to the county fund
alone, and for work actually perform
ed by the treasurer under the CARRIER
law, and the recorder under the
contract of the commissioners for in
dexing records, and left all the 9th
er expense of the other funds out
of the account entirely, including
the collection of several thousand dol
lars for election purposes alone,
which is new expense since the ad-
vent Of the Australian ballot, and to
offset this statement Of the auditor
which applies only to the county
fund, Mr.. Russell includes in his state
ment the building fund, sinking fund,
road improvement, the management
of refunding the bonded debt, and
various irrevelant things making a
total unusual expense for 1890 of $25,
38050. The extra expense of the bond
issue was only q matter of manage
npent, and means that Henry county
was bonded in July, 1890, for $10O, 900
and only realized in return $96, ,975.
The heating apparatus was paid for
by invading local funds to the
extent of $4,560.88, as the building
fund was overdrawn Sept. 1st, 1891,
in the sum of 81, ,56088. The road i'm
provement was paid from other funds.
The commissioners time would have
been employed in other work for
these As days if there had been no de-
cennial appraisement, as was the case
in the previous and the succeeding
years. This work only added to the
other work that was done during this
time, but the increase of 25 per cent.
or $400 in the monthly salary of the
auditor for all work that was iecre0s-
ed on account of the decennial ap-
praisement, and the cost of books for
indexing of $49750, and books for
real estate appraisement, and com
pensation for appraisers of $1,579.50,
Is all properly unusual expense and
for which the county fund was re-
sponsible, amounting to $2,466.50,
which is all the unusual expense
necessarily incurred during the time
to which Mr.. Russell refers. The diff
ference between paying expenses from
taxes collected and in the treasury,
and taxes to be levied and collected
in the future, as was the case at the
close of business Sept, 1st, 1891, is
immense, and is surely in favor of the
auditors former statement that an
increase in the levy has proven to be
vastly in the interest of the taxpay-
ers. 1t is fortunate that the building
fund has surplus on hand that can
be used to relieve the county fund of
its floating Indebtedness by transfer,
and the general ditch fund surplus
to retire the overdrawn road improve
ment funds. If this transfer had