The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1897-10-28

Will w 1uo tA0 A0NOA w pOOAAoA oAAO
same: Outstanding claims aggregat-
ing $1O,910.O7.
"a very small percentage of old tax
es due the county have been paid to
and imbursed by the present Board,
and portion of the receipts have been
paid to cancel the unlisted Indebted
ness of the county not embraced in the
above statement. It is the aim and
hope of the present Board by economy
and good management, to adjust and
liquidate the debt of the county which
they found to exist when they came
into power, and for which they should
not be held accountable.
81 wllknow state further that under
the present management the county
has been saved the payment of $749.O6,
found open on the books which had
been paid, and vouchers cancelled.
Also collected from ex-Reglster OF
Deeds 1854 due on marriage license.
Very truly yours,
"THOMAs N. HARRISON
Ex-CHAIRMAN BROWN ANSWERS.
:. Mr.. r. w. Brown, who was Chair
man Harrison's immediate predecessor
as chairman OF the County Board of
Commissioners, made the following re-
ply in last Sundays News & Observer !:
Halifax, N. c., Oct. 5, 1897.
Editor News and Observer
Recently Mr.. 7. N. Harrison, chair
man of the present board of Commits
sioners of Halifax county, published a
statementln the News-Reporter purport-
ing to defend the management OF the
"fusion" board of commissioners of this
county and explain why Halifax county
script was at discount. Mr.. Harrison
takes the News and Observer to task
for refusing to publish his statement
and charges it with perverting tho facts
and smothering the truth about the
matter. A knowledge of the whole
truth will show Mr.. Harrison himself
to be guilty of that fault, and the fall
ure of the News and Observer to pub
lish his statement was very probably on
account of its unwillingness to publish
perverted facts.
Mr.. Harrison tells the truth after a
fashion, but he does not tell the whole
truth. In TACT, he tells a very small
fragment of it, and that is 90 cunninely
chosen and stated that it makes an en-
tirely false Impression.
He states that when the Democratic
board went out last December it left
the county indebted $1O,91O.
Now, that is partly true. They did
leave outstanding bonds, unmatured,
to the amount Of T,847.26 only, but
nothing else. Why did he not state
the whole truth, give the nature and
correct amount of the indebtedness,
and say that not one cent of it was
then due? That 1t was divided into
ten payments running over period of
five years, and that the first OF these
payments did not become due until
nearly twelve months thereafter?
If he did not wish to pervert facts
why did he 80 state this indebtedness
as to make the impression that it was
past due, and the Democratic board
had failed to meet it, when in fact the
Democratic board paid up every single
cent OF county indebtedness of every
description that was due up to and In
Guiding the last of its service, and in
addition paid over to the "fusion" ad-
ministration 500 In cash?
He still furtber perverts this much
strained fact when he offers It as an
excuse for the failure of the present
board to meet the current expenses OF
the county In such a manner as to con-
vey the false impression that they had
had to pay it, or at least portion of it.
He well knows that this indebtednees.
even il past due, could not impair their
ability to meet current expenses, un-
less they had paid something on it.
They have not paid cent Of it. There