The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1901-08-09
SECRETARY McVEIGH'S LETTER
In Answer to the Report of the Au-
diting Committee OF the st.
Francis Levee Board.
AUGCsT la1l.

/ AUGUST :. le0i
| Mr.. !, w Rhodes. Golden Lake. Ark:
| DEAR SIR:-Your report of the Auditing
| Committee was opened by President kiliough
| last Saturday. the 9th ult After had read
same. my first Impulse was 10 Sit down AZ
once and write to you. giving my opinion OF
| IT, but upon second thought concluded that
the wiser course TO pursue was 10 wait isr a
day or two before writing. a.. feeling as did
| then | would have inevitably said things TO
you that in cooler moments might regret.
| Had you been my most bitter enemy you
cosld not possibly have written report tnat
did me more injustice. | wish TO take up the
| whole matter in this letter and point out TO
| YOU the Inaccuracies in the report ana the
gross in justice you have done me
Upon page one d of the report you have
the following words to-wh:
I'VE have checked the Treasures books
| from the years 1915, 1896 and lsT aud mud that
ne has faithfully accounted for ali moneys
charged to him on the secretarys books His
balances for the years lot~, 1879 aud 1890 and
to May |, 1901. agree with the balances as
shown by the Secretary.
The above is a correct statement. and yet il
| the very next paragraph OF your report you
have the follow to-wit:
I On account of the poor system employed
| by the Secretary in keeping his books We
found il impossible TO thoroughly check
| them in the short time allowed us for this ex
| ami nation. He keeps no cash book and We
| found bis records incomplete. especially his
| land and tax books.
! You were able to check the Treasurer's
| books and find them correct, but were unable
to check mine, though II is q fact that his
books are but transcripts of mine. II my
books do not show condition OF keeping
| that would enable you to learn what had been
| collected. how could the Treasurer's books be
certified as correct2
You further state that "in charging the
Treasurer with funds received from the sales
of lands, in many instances II Is impossible
| to ascertain the number of acres sold. and IL
frequently happens that 1t requires diiigent
search 10 find the name of the purchaser"
Before writing that paragraph you should
| have. turned TO the land book, that is, the
record of lands owned by the ieyee district.
/ of the purchaser. description OF lands sold,
| price per acre. etc.
AS 10 what you say OF the method OF set
| ting with the boards levee tax collectors.
| that is, by charging them with the amount
| shown by the stubs of their receipts. | nave
only 10 say hat that is matter OF opinion.
| Mr.. II. p. Rodgers, our first President, adopt
| ed the plan on our first settlement with coll
| ectors. i was opposed to il at the time but
soon learned its value and heartily approved
of it when ! had had time TO see its practi-
| cal workings Had the committee doubted
| the accuracy of the Treasurer's settlements
with the Collectors for ISIS taxes days
! work upon the tax books OF that year, which
| were in your possession, would have shown
whether or not the settlement was correct
On page two 81 of your report there appears
| the following paragraph. which for conve-
| nience in answering | divide. You say:
| I'VE also find that some tax collectors sim
ply turn in such sums as they NAV collect.
| without furnishing an itemiZed statement
| showing the individual items collected
| This is gross error, as there ls not a
single instance of collector doing this.
The books are placed in his hands on the
| first Monday in October and are held by
| them until the Anal settlement with the
| Treasurer and their stubs show exactly
| what was collected, otherwise there would
| be no way of knowing their collections.
In this same paragraph you state that
charge collectors with. This is true TO lin.
| tied extent. We have tried to remedy il as
| much as is in our power and are still try
ing to ind an adequate remedy. In view of
| the fact, however, that the collectors in the
| past few years have been collecting over %
| per cent of all the taxes on their books, and
| that at least per cent more is paid through
| this office. | do not think there is cause for
alarm.
/ wish to call your attention especially to
the following paragraph on page two ~ of
your report, to-wit:
1T is impossible for this committee to
comply with section of the act creating
this committee, which says: Said committee
| shall keep record of all their proceedings
and shall report the same to the Levee Board,
| which shall show the number of acres of land
| belonging to the Levee district. NUMBER of
| acres sold by said Board, TO whom sold, when
sold aud the price received therefor as there
are no records in the Secretarys office CIV
| ing this information"
| You make the above statement, heraldiDg
! to the taxpayers of the Levee district that
have no records showing the lands owned
| by the district to whom sold, when the
price and description of same, when on
every day of your sitting you had be fore
you the record of all lands owned by the dis
trlct since its organization, said record show.
ing every piece of land that the district ever
owned, the book arranged in apprc pirate col.
umns. with the following heads:
Parts OF Section; Section; Township:
Range; County; Acres; Years Forfeited:
When Sold; To Whom Sold, Price per
Acre; Remarks. That book showed you
every tract of land sold by US since the
organization Of the Board, the date of
sale, to whom sold and the price per acre,
except IN instances where we made quit
claims for nominal consideration when
1t was shown that we had no title to the
land. You surely have not forgotten how
you found from that book that we quit
claimed piece of land to you for S. and
that you found it had been paid into the
treasury and duly accounted for by that
ofheer. In spite of your insistence that
no records are kept by the Secretary, as
you state In the last paragraph quoted,
let me assure you that your memory is at
| fault; such record is kept by me. The
last Legislature passed law requiring
secretaries OF levee boards to report to
the state land commissioner all lands de-
mated TO ievee districts since their organi-
zation and sold by such districts, to
1 NhOih suiu. WITH sOlu. etc. between the
| Sd and goth days of May last, with the
aid OF competent assistant. and by
working at night, | made exactly the list
required by law. and Mr. KilIough having
examined that list, and being satisfied
| that 1t was correct, joined with me in its
certifcatlon, and it was sent to the COM
missioner of state lands, who received il
| without criticism, and Immediately sent
1t out. or copies OF it, to the respective
county clerks as required by the act. Had
you stated that owing to the short time at
! the disposal of the committee, it was
| physical impOSsibility to comply with the
aw IN this matter, no objection could
have been made, but do most solemnly
| protest against your placing me in the at.
titude OF not knowing what lands the
district owned, and OF not being able to
show to whom we sold them. date of sale.
price. acres, etc. Your statement does me
gross and cruel injustice that did not
expect from you or any of your associates
on the committee
| You state on page two ~ of your report
| that Mr., Driver gave McNeigh & Bodkin an
| option Oh lands in Criitenlen and Pom
4 Eaf "a