The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1898-12-01
A CORRECTION.

The Caucasian published state
ment Of Gates county finances
over the signature of Lycurgus
He her, Register Of Deeds for
Gates county. ltappears that the
article III question was false and
that DISPLACEMENT had been added
to and some of the original omit
ted. The Caucasian takes pleas
urc to- correct the statement from
II circular letter sent out bv Mr..
Hotter.
| To THE PEOPLE OF GATES COUNTY.
| II becomes my duty, AS your Register of
| Deeds, to expose the vilest conspiracy.
falschOods, SANDER and forgery ever per
petrated in Gates County
On or about the 14th Of October, 1893.
George J. Costen, Chairman of the Board
of County Commissioners and candidate
ON the Fusion ticket for re election and
William l.. Rogers, Treasurer of Gates
County and Fusion candidate for re cleo
ton, came into my Office to examine the
Records of the Board of Commissioners to
ascertain, as they stated. the aggregate
amount of orders issued by the former
Board of Commissioners for certain wears
and also the amount of County Taxes for
those years.
! assisted them in examining the records
and they made out "A statement showing
the aggregate amount of County orders is
sued each year from December |, 1892, to
December /, 1896, and also the amount of
orders issued by the present Board from
December /, 1896, to the present time.
| a INF of of tha
County Taxes from 1892 to 1897, inclus-
i've.
On the 18th OF October, 1898, George j.
Costen came into my Office and, at his re-
quest, ] gave him certified statement of
the amount of the orders issued by the
Board of County Commissioners from De
cember 1st, 1899, to December 1st, 1896,
and the County Taxes from 1892 to 1897,
inclusive, as shown by the Abstracts of
, Listed Taxables, less the amounts allowed
for insolvents. My inference was that
they wished simply to compare the
amount of orders issued per year by the
former Board with the amount of orders
issued per year by the present Board.
But it is now evident that their purpose
was to accomplish foul trick to deceive
the people, in order to injure the other
, Democratic candidates and myself in the
coming election. For if they had wished
to examine into the financial condition OF
the County for those years, the entire rec
ord of the settlements between the Sheriff
and the Treasurer, and between the Treas
urer and the County Commissioners, was
in my office at the time, subject to theil
inspection, which shows clean balance
sheet from year to year and every cent OF
the Taxes for the whole time is fully &C
counted for.
But to my surprise and modification, q
few days after the certified statement
above mentioned, had left my Office, false
and slanderOus reports were circulated al
over the county, to the effect that | had
misappropriated, and that the former
Board of Commissioners had failed TO &C
count for 81, SABA of the County Taxes
for four years. 1t is true that the differ
ence between the Taxes and the County
orders for those four years according tt
\ the said certified statement, was that iden
| teal sum.
= But that does not show that any part o.
the said Taxes have not been accounted
for
Because there are various items of eX
o pensc, such as Sheriff's~ commissions
: Treasurers commissions, Jury Tickets
&c, which are not paid by orders of lh
: son there is always discrepancy between
the amount of County Taxes and tn
amount of County Orders issued for an,
one year
The same is true with respect to tn
present Board of Commissioners. The sail
George J. Costen and William L. ROdger
l. are in position to know that such is tn
Is case, and their conduct in this matter
T utterly inexcusable.
~ We now come to the next act in the cor
u spiracy.
q John Brady, with a salary of $75 pc
d month and expenses paid by the Fusio
Board of Agriculture, ostensibly as a Eel
tiliZer Inspector, but really to adjust fl
" sion between Populists and Republicans
;: for ninety days during this campaign. hi
IT had printed and circulated all over theC oul
# ty what purports to be u copy of the ce
Costen, as above mentioned.
y That printed slip not only does not col
5. tain all the statement that | made; b,
u worse than that, it also contains, over m
signature, words and figures which d
. not make, as copy of the paper which
~ reserved will show.
ld am advised that the material alteratic
Of of paper over another signature lisa for
to cry; and state that the parts of the sa
printed slip, over my signature, whit
were not in my statement are as follow
Or tO-wit:
I'd l. ITO the Tax Payers of Gates Cou
i. ty."
d 2. THE following report is submitt'
for your consideration"
ds 3. Balance due County, $1544 "a
| did not state that there was any bs
ance due to the County and could not
state without stating falsehoOd, for II
record which have made with my ov
hand for the last eight years, shows that
the Taxes for the four years mentione
except a small amount involved in a ST
now pending in the Superior Court ha
been fully accounted for; and he vi
states to the contrary is Liar and Sla
derer.
The present Board of County Comm
sioners, majority of whom are Fusionis
and are responsible for the acts of t
Board, have by their mismanagement al
extravaganza accumulated a debt of Ov
Two Thousand Dollars against the COu
ty, most of which is a bonded debt beari
interest, and the presumption is that
Fusion bosses have made these false al
slanderous charges in order to divert t
minds of the people from their own sho
, comings and wrongdoings.
. But SANDER, conspiracy and forge
against public officials must not be toll
ated; and in this instance the guilty Pr
= ties their aiders and abettOrs shall
III prosecuted both civily aad criminally
the full extent of the law.
Iappcal to all honest people of Ga
v. County to set their seal of disapprObati
No upon such disreputable methods for pol
- cal ends.
may Respectfully,
an TYCJTRGJ-S HOFTER
lica- w IN A>A1i'
ents
to.
''s The Baldwin theatre, San Fra
cisco, caught fire last week and
- large Number Of lives were lost.