Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1900-07-06

| The old Council held it's meetings in
the Mayors Office. where the law pro-
vides, and we had a very common set OF
furniture. On the accession to power oi
the new Council, costly furniture was
purchased and a new chamber was fitted
up by this reformed body, although the
schools stopped, and there in utter ex-
clusiveness, in furnishings not befitting
a town, in debt cur hard to beat
Council promulgated the decrees and
enacted the statutes that would make the
author OF Flush Times in Alabama, -
blush with conscience inferiority.
The old Council attended to improv-
ing our streets fair to all alike, and to
give the general public goo d roads into
town. | assert, aud cal! for the records
to prove it. that more money has been
expended on one block on Stellar street
than was expended on all the roads
leading into the town. The road down
Laurel Creek has been well nigh im-
passable nnd not u single dollar has
been put upon it from the corporation
line to the bridge, nearly a mile. Stone
| side walks were erected on SeSlair street
while the wooden ones, left in good con
dition by the old Council, are rotted
down, aud no repairs. The road leading
from Abb's Valley into Pocahontas at
Butts shop, during most of the winter,
was disgrace, and every wagoner in the
town will bear me witness, that they
avoided this route as much az possible.
The S450.00 left over from the previous
Council represented work done that was
never authorized by the street commit
tee, hence no voucher was issued, but
the Council that your correspondent
seems in love with receiving the benefit
of all old fines and collections, and true
to their policy. appropriated the full cred
it to themselves. where il should be
given to the old Council. We have had
two police Officers instead of the three
provided hv the charter, and the result
has been Il crippled police force Tor two
years.
wonlI not, Mr., Editor, consume
| space TO make answer to the unfair
statement given by your correspondent.
but is the stock in trade of certain set
In Pocahontas to claim for themselves all
the credit at the expense of others, and
this is true with certain members of the
| Council. whose mouth your correspon-
dent is. ! know this is not a matter of
public interest. but when these gentle
men went in they began their pharsai-
cal canting about their own word ,at the
expense of the previous Council. Some
OF the men composing this Council have
gone to distant fields, notably Mr..
Chalmers, who was the leading spirit of
that body, and Il fine business man. The
old Council handled the intricate ques-
tions presented to them with ability
and their financeering was unequealed.
| chorge that with all the difficulties
surrounding we reduced the debt of the
| town two dollars to the present Coun-
ellis one
To make this statement more pointed.
We reduced the debt 5000. They re-
| duced it fraction over $4,000 Your
correspondent only missed it So, 900.
Get your books and call on your Of
ficers and | aA willing to abide by the
investigat ton for feel confident that the
record you have made will compare with
the previous Council and will shut your
mouthes from claimiuig credit that your
own books show is net due you.
| Yours Respectfully,
JAMES =. BROWNING.
Pocahontas, Va.
| July ist., 1900.