The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-12-08
A FULL INVESTIGATION
COMMISSIONERS WANT TO KNOW
WHERE THEY ARE AT.
MANY OLD BILLS ARE FOUND UNPAID
Then They Want to Know Exactly What is the
Condition of the County After Having
Been for Two Years Under
Fusion Ruiz.

1T being made to appear to the
Board that the finances of the county
are in some confusion. and it is neces.
sary to examine into the county affairs
in order to ascertain their condition.
upon motion of Commissioner Brewer. il
is ordered by the Board that Geo. w.
Thompson and Il. n Partin be appointed
as experts to investigate the affairs of
the county and make report to the next
meeting of the board"
During the campaign the News and
Observer charged that Wake county
was badly governed
1t declared that the men in charge of
its affairs were, for the most part.
either incompetent or dishonest.
In proof of this assertion it pointed
out the fact that the county finances
We're in such condition that nobody
could tell anything about them.
The Fusionists of course set up IL
great clamor of denial. and the News
and Observer asked for look at the
books.
The Democrats have been in now onls'
three days, but they have seen enough
to justify the passage of the above
order providing for an expert examina-
tion into the finances of the county.
What has the present board discover
ed, it may be asked, to make them sus-
pect there's something rotten in Den
markI'
To begin with. early in the campaign
the Fusion court house ring made the
boast that they had saved the people
S11 goo. Register of Deeds Rogers
gave out the information and with a
blare of trumpets the Fusion county
. convention announced it and passed
resolutions endorsing the county govern
ment for saving that sim.
Did they save it? ExCounty
Treasurer Knight told quite a different
story. His statement showed:
l. That the disbursements of Wake
county from December l. 1896, to De-
cember /. 1897, amounted to $40, 800. q.
and not SD, S34.S6, as stated, by Regis
ter of Deeds Rogers.
3 That none of the county debt bad
been paid except 5000 paid for building
bridges.
3. That the Fusion board had increas-
cd the county debt $1,000, borrowed
from the Commercial and Farmers
Bank
4. That the county treasury was en-
tirely out of money.
5. That the jury tickets for the lest
term of court had not been paid
6. That only a few poor orders to
outside poor had been paid and these
dependents on the county could not re-
ceive the money due.
T. That Wake county was behind two
months in paying the expenses of the
work house and poor house.
8. That there were outstanding unpaid
county orders to about $1,000 or $1,000.
8. That the costs of the September
term of court had not been paid.
10. That none of the counv bonds
had been paid.
These statements showed that Wake
county was in the ncighhcrhood If
about $4,000 worse off than when the
Fusionists took charge of the county S
affairs.
But it may be even worse than that.
At any rate the present board, com
posed of careful business men, has seen
some things in the past three days thar
make it fear that the worst is not yet
known.
For instance they are running across
all sorts of unpaid bills, some Of them
of long standing Some other accounts
appear to be mixed and uncertain.
In other words, things are in some
thing of tangle and the commissioner
very correctly have determined to find
ont just where they are at" before
they proceed further. They want what
the News and Observer has all along
been asking for:
A full square and complete look AT
the books.
They want TO know who is right Rog-
crs or Knight. They want To. know how