Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1898-02-09
chairman Stevenson to corker,


Mr.. Corker thinks he has found
an opportunity to roast the COM
missioners, and is out in last weeks
issue of his organ with an article
headed Change of Front" Be it
known Mr.. Corker has not changed
front. He has still to learn that
the self-evident absurdities so often
iterated to extract himself and col
eagues from the odium of refusing
to perform their duty in the matter
of making levy to pay interest on
the bonded debt of the county in
1896 has made "change of front"
on his part painfully necessary
that is if his reputation for veracity
or even common sense is worth any,
thing to himself or his friends. |
am ashamed to cucumber the col
umns of the BULLETIN refuting the
foolish assertion that the warrant
redemption fnnd of seven or eight
thousand dollars, levied in Septem-
Der, 1896, had become imperative
and could be transferred for inter-
terest purposes. Mr.. Corker even
asserts that $4,010 was transferred
to pay the interest due January II,
1897. His Board may have made
the transfer. If it had become in
operative for warrant redemption
purposes, as he still insists that it
had, it certainly was the duty of
his Board to make the transfer.
But as there was $14,994.28 of
county warrants still outstanding
on December 81, 1896, it would
seem "as plain as the letters on a
steamboat"-t use one of Corker's
trite sxpressions-the warrant re-
demption fund was not quite mop
erative. Was it imperative" be-
cause there was not enough of it?
No one is justified in the conclusion
that Mr.. Corker makes the state
ments above referred to knowing
them to be untrue in every material
sense. Over and over again he has
assured us that he satisfied attor-
ney Kingsbury that the warrant re-
demption money would be avail
able for the purpose of paying In
terest on the bonds. Does he re-
ally think faith is potent enough to
change mistake into fact2
1t is true that l attended the
"little meeting the other evening"
with few of the bondsmen of the
treasurer, and discussed, or rather
listened to Mr.. Corker discuss the
action of the Board ordering the
treasurer to return to the warrant
redemption fund the money belong
ing in that fund used by him to pay
the January and July, 1897, inter
est on the county bonds. Mr.. G.
has slightly overdrawn the conclu-
sions arrived at when he states that
"Mr. Stevenson assured them that
it never had been his intention to
force compliance with the order"
| spoke only as to myself, and said
that / had no idea, or wish, to in
volve anv one in a lawsuit. We
had an attorney to advise US in that
matter, and naturally followed to
the letter his advice. Mr.. Corker
seemed to be loaded with points of
law, and from his expositions | was
at the time in some doubt as to the
power of the Board to enforce said
order. 1t may be that 1.-THE letter
of the law killeth" in this case, and
that the IS, 400 levied by our Board
to pay back the money borrowed
last year on the interest account,
can't be paid back, and we will be
obliged to aid the Republican plan
of contracting the currency by lock-
ing up that amount and continue to
pay interest ON the outstanding war
rants another year.
T. R. STEVENSON.