The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-10-11
The COUNTY FINANCES
County Debt $4,000 More
Than Under Demo-
cratic RuIe.
A FUSION LIE EXPOSED
Is EXPOSED BY COUNTY TREAS
URER KNIGHT.
SAYS THE COUNTY IS NOW BANKRUPT
Jury Tickets for the Last Court have Not Been
Pals and Only Few Of the Orders
Given 10 The Outside Poor
Have Been Settled.

Given 10 The Outside Poor
Have Been Settled.
Last spring Mr.. w. c. Stronach. the
last chairman of the Board of County
commissioners under Democratic rule,
had his attention called to statement
made by ]. j. Rogers, the Register OF
Deeds. and clerk of the Board of Com
missioners made under section T52 of the
Code. Of the receipts and disbursements
of the county from the hrst MONDAY OF
December. 1896. to the FIRST Monday OF
December 1897, the first hscal year Oh
the present hoard of commissioners, bs
which T. i. Rogers tried TO show thal the
EXPENSES of the county for the hrst hsc;.'
wear. ending on the first Monday OF l,e'
cember. 1897, amounted 10 only ct
S34 SO, and at once commenced TO lhNes
tigate the truth of the statement sec
ton 152 of the Code reads as folioWs:
1.-THE board shall cause to be posted III
the court house door within i've days
after each regular December meeting
and for Mt least four successive weeks,
the name of every individual whose ac-
count has been audited, the amount
claimed and the amount allowed. ana
also Mt the same time full statement
of county revenues and charges. showing
by item the income from every source
and the disbursements on every account
for the past year, together with the per-
manent debt of the county, II any, Wheh
contracted and the interest pald or re-
naming unpaid thereon. The board shall
also publish the said statement IN some
newspaper in the county, provided, inc
cost of such publication shall not eX-
coed one-half of cent word
This statement of Mr.. Rogers showed
the receipts for the said fiscal year We're
S42.9S4.17 and that disbursements We're
only So. 1874 $50 as above stated. and Mr..
Rogers and his friends give it out to the
people of the county that the present
board saved about $4,000 to the county.
Mr.. Stronach called upon Mr.. Haywood
Knight. the Treasurer of the county, to
ascertain the truth of the statement.
Mr.. Knight said he had nothing to do
with the statement and that it was in
correct. On the same day Mr.. Knight
made n full examination of the books IN
his office. aided by Mr.. j. @. Williams,
the clerk in Mr.. Rogers office and wrote
Mr.. Stronach the following letter:
Office of Treasurer n
OF Wake County,
Raleigh. n c., May 13, 1898.
Mr.. w. C.. Stronach Esq: Mr.. ARMS
tead Jones, J. Q. Williams and myself
have examined the books in my office,
and find that the receipts of Wake coun-
ty fund from all sources from Decem-
bar 1891 TO December l. 1897.
amount to S43,O21.0S.
The disbursements from December /,
1896. to December /, 1897, amount TO
$a2,99013.
Yours respectfully.
HENRY III. KNIGHT,
County Treasurer.
The false statement that the expendl-
lures of the county only amounted to
S27. S34.S6 has been reported, and the
statement is being daily made by }. }.
Rogers and the other Republican fusion
candidates that the present board saved
Sill 900 to the county, and paid the same
upon the bonded debt OF the county.
When the statement was made upon the
stump Mr.. Knight was again approached
and his books examined and after full
examination he wrote again to Mr..
StrOnach the following letter:
Office Of Treasurer
of Wake County.
Raleigh, n c., October ), 1893.
w. G.. Stronach. Esq.
Dear Sir: / have examined the books
i'm my office and find that none of the
county debt due ana owing at the time
the present Board of County Commis-
sioners came into office on the list Mon
day in December, 1896, has been pad
except the sum of 5000 which has beer
paid to the Kings Bridge Company foi
building bridges. The present Board oi
Commissioners borrowed for the coun
ty $1,000 on the 9TH day of July. 1893
from the Commercial and Farmers
Bank. and that amount has not beer
paid back to the bank. The COUNTY
Treasury is out of money now, and
have not paid the jury tickets for last
court. and only a few poor orders t.
outside poor given at the last meeting OF
the Board.
The county is behind two months il
paying the expenses of the work-housf
and poor-house. There are county or
ders outstanding. amounting to about
S1200, or 81 800, unpaid, and the costs
Of the September term Of the court have
not been paid. None of the county
bonds have been paid.
ResDectfullv yours.
HENRY FL. KNIGHT,
County Treasurer.
Mr. TT. T. Jones, the sheriff, has invi-
ted any one in his speeches to produce :
single warrant of the county unpaid. anf
has reneatedly made the wild and un
truthful statement that the county was
in better condition now than ever before
The county treasury is out of money
warrants are ont unpaid to the amount
of $1,000 of $500, two months ex
penses of the work and poor-heuse
amounting to 81, 800 or ST 900 remair
unpaid. the jury tickets for last montl
have not been paid. The outside poo,
who rely upon the county for actual sub
sistence have not received their usual al
lowance, and therefore must suffer fo
the necessities of life. The county ha
recently borrowed $4,000 from the banl
which has been spent and the court cost
for the last court has not been paid. al