The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1899-09-16
The Grand Jury Report IS Some.
what FlOwery.

The Grand Jury Report Is Some
what FlOwery.
BY reference to the grand jury re-
port, which We publish this week, it
viii be seen that that body has cast
a liberal supply of bouquets at the
parish officials, simply because they
have been polite and performed their
duties under the law. We have no
particular objection to this periodic
bouquet business, as it seems to be a
sort of gallant custom INDUCED in by
all of our grand juries, and really
amounts to but little. We, however,
demur at the roseate off-hand style
in which they state the result of their
examination of the parish and school
treasurer's accounts.
According to their report the treas
urer has received since his induction
into Office $44, COS IS, and has dis
bursed $44, 1874 40, leaving a balance
in favor of the treasurer of $28 "a,
which as a public benefactor he has
advanced out of bis own pocket for
the public good!
Ordinarily this bombast would be-
overlooked, but under the present cir
cumstances it is out of place, for the
reason that it seems to be entirely at
variance with the facts. We are ut
terly at sea as to how the grand jury
arrived at their remarkable conclu-
sion, for they have not made public
their method of arriving at it, but We
suppose their opinion was made up
from data furnished by the treasurer
in his own behalf. The treasurer, of
course, would have been less than hu-
man not to make good report for
himself. 1t may have been very con-
venient for the grand jury to allow
the treasurer to take this labor off
their hands, but it was hardly right
for them to do so in the face of the
investigation requested.
Our readers are requested to exam
inc report which we publish in this
paper, showing the amount of money
received by ]. E. Dunn since his in
cumbency of Office as parish treasur-
er. By the showing made it will be
seen that the treasurer has received
$53.701 So, OR NEARLY TEN THOU
SAND DOLLARS MORE THAN HE HAS
ACCOUNTED FOR, according to the re-
port of the grand jury.
It will be observed that the report
we publish is itemised and specific in
every particular, so that if there is
anything wrong in it, it can be picked
outata glance and fully investigated.
The criticisms that we have made
of the treasurer's reports is that they
are all faulty and lacking in that mi
mute specification that shows where
his money comes from and where it
goes to. This has given rise to dis
to the public, and caused
uneasiness to a score or more of citi-
zens, who as bondsmen are interested
in Mr.. Dunn's statements of the par
ish and school finances. He has a
great way OF publishing two or three
columns occasionally of the names of
Tom, Dick, and Harry, Mary Jane
and Polly Ann, as parties to whom
money has been paid, which is per-
haps all right, as FAR as it goes, but
we are left altogether in the dark as
to where the money came from. on
account of the lack and incomplete
ness of bis public reports. If the re-
ports are correctly made out, this in |
can always be given in a
lew lines.
We shall insist that it is the duty |
Of the policejury and the school board |
to take this list as published and re-
luire Mr.. Dunn to- make a statement |
showing how he has applied each and
svery item of the $50, 7Ol So that
has been received by him. Let this
,tatements be made, and let it be
audited. and approved by
,he police jury and school authorities.
This has been the rule for many years,
md failure to observe it has caused