The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-07-05
FINANCES OF
WAKE COUNTY
County Treasury IS Bankrupt
and Cannot Pay Orders.
NEARLY $4,000 BEHIND
HIS CLAIM, EVEN ADMITTING
ALL HIS FIGURES. NOT
MADE GOOD.
SCHOOL FUND USED TO PAY ORDERS
The Latest Figures by Register Of Deeds and
Sheriff, and the Admissions of the County
Treasurer, Show that Wake County
is Not Well Managed.

mcnt of the settlement Of the sheriff with
the Board of Commissioners. That 0tfl-
cia replied that it had not been recorded
but was in his hands to record. 10
gether we went over the statement ana
| wrote own III detail the figures he
called out for the various county, school.
road and State taxes. When this state
ment was finished, a request was made
for the amount collected by Sheriff Page
for the year 1896. Turning to his re-
cord for that year Mr.. Rogers gave the
figures in detail, adding later that he
did have the exact figures as to the
amount paid the State Treasurer. Ieay-
inc his office with the information fur
niShed. a note was addressed to the
State Treasurer for the amount paid for
State taxes. The next morning these
figures were published EXACTLY AS
FURNISHED BY THESE TWO OF
FICERS. They may not have under
stood the matter fully. Certain
ly not in what shall follow
will it be contended that they
desired to deceive. This statement
is given here because Sheriff Jones and
Register of Deeds Rogers claim that
those published last week were Incorrect.
If so. the mistake was made by the Off
Gals above named, whether through in
advcrtency or a misapprehension Of
what was desired-it is for them to say.
What the editor wanted to furnish his
readers and the taxpayers of the county
was the truth about county finances and
county management. The following facts
were in our possession:
l.. We knew that the sheriff had failed
to make Il full settlement at the meeting
III May as required by law.
> Wp know that when thprp was a
so-calle- settlement in June he paid less
none into the county treasury by
$4,000 lin round ~figures) than lie
should have collected.
.. We knew that the county treasury
was bankrupt and county orders had
been offered for sale below par, and
4. We knew that the County Treas
urer. without authority of law, had been
paying out the sacred money for the
public schools for ordinary county cx-
penses.
It was to get the official figures to
cSta biiSh these facts that the editor Of
this paper III person mot Il reporter, as
Sheriff Jones thinkS) went to the custo-
dian Of the official records to get the off
cial figures. AS to any discrepancies in
those figures as furnished then and as
furnished now. the Register of Deeds
'''''' hiS a - - lii'
last. Soon after they were published.
happening to meet Sheriff Page (who
knew nothing about the publication until
he saw it IN the paper he said that some
of the figures were incorrect.
The official statement of Register of
Deeds Rogers. while different from his
first statement, and the admissions of
officials confirms the material part of
our statement to-wit:
|. That the sheriff did not make a
full settlement as required by law. lack
ing S2,6o1.4S Of meeting his obligation.
! here IS no warrant of law for giving
him an extension Of time.
;. That, though he ought. from the IN
crease III taxes due. to have paid the
County Treasurer $1,000 more (accord
ing the Register of Deeds figures) than
was paid by Sheriff Page.
,. There is no pretence bv ANYBODY
that the county treasury can meet It's
Obligations.
4. County Treasurer Knight admits he
has used about 5000 Of the sacred
school fund to pay county expenses.
1t does not matter what else may Of
may not appear. these facts obtained
from officials of the party in power,
furnish an illustration of the ~incapacity
Of the present officers to have charge OF
the affairs Of Wake county. If some of
the ot~ficeholders had not caused it to be
spread broadcast over the State that the
present crowd had saved $4,000 to the
Wake county taxpayers. and that 81 ,O0c
more had been paid into the treasury
by the present sheriff than by any of his
predecessors the necessity Of exposing
the hagrant violations of law and short
comingS of the officials might have been
postponed until later in the year. But,
anxious to get praise not deserved these
men have illustrated the old saying;
ss&sssSMg ttNSes.sy~zz
"Ihcre was a man
He digged 4 pit.
He digged it for his brother.