The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1902-11-19
PERTINENT INQUIRIES.

Editor of The LEADER beg to
hand you herewith copy of Sec
tion 1926 of the Annotated Code
of Mississippi of 1892 chapter on
Mississippi corporations. 1t
reads as follows:
1926. Statements to be published /;
penalty for Increasing expenditures
The mayor and board of. aldermen
shall publish on the first of October,
annually, statement showing the
amount of taxes and other moneys col
lected during the preceding year, Civ
ing each source of income, the amount
of expenditures in detail, stating for
what purposes made. The statement
shall show the resources aud Indebted
ness of the municipality at the begin.
ming of the fiscal year and at its close,
and it must be spread on the minutes
of the board. 1t there have been an
increase of taxation as compared with
the year next preceding, or if the in
debtedness of the municipality have
been increased during the year, unless
the increase be authorized by the cleo
tors as provided in this chapter, the
"uyOA 1Au Sud1l Uo ouSpcIlu-
ed from Office, and the governor shall
appoint their successors, who shall
hold until the next election and quail
f1cation of officers Hereunder. In
case of an increase of Indebtedness
not so authorized, the mayor and al
dermen shall not succeed themselves
or each other. In towns or villages of
less than one thousand inhabitants the
mayor and board of aldermen may
have the statement in this section re-
quired posted in conspicuous place
in the municipality or published in a
newspaper. Other municipalities shall
cause it to be published in a news
paper, if there be one therein; other
wise it must be posted in at least three
public places in the municipality.
The writer has looked in vain
for this annual report of the May
or and Board of Aldermen for
1902, all during the month of Oc-
tober. 1t is now six weeks
past due, and / think it we'll for
you to publish this section of the
code to remind the honorable body
of its duty to the taxpayers of
this city. | would also respect
fully call its attention to the fact
that the code instructs them to
render a detailed statement of ex-
penditures; not a condensed re-
port, such as was made in OctO-
Der, 1901.
Another point. 1t is we'll known
that the board passed an order
some time ago providing for the
borrowing of $4,000 to pay cur
rent expenses and that this was
done. Unless it can be shown
that this loan did not increase the
Indebtedness of the city, it is diff
cult to understand from the above
section, why the Mayor and mem
bers of the board are not liable to
suspension from Office, or how
any of them can succeed them
selves in Office, as several mem
bers of the present administration
are endeavoring to do.
By calling the boards attention
to these matters, | am sure you
will merit the good will of all the
taxpayers of this community.
TAXPAYER.
The above are certainl Y peril
nent inquiries, in view of the
facts and circumstances. Early
in October the editor of The
Leader inquired of Mayor Daugh-
try if the annual statement of the
board, then due, was ready, and
he said it was not, as he had not
then had time to prepare it. The
first of this week, we inquired
again, and he answered again that
it was not ready, but that he ex-
pected to have it ready by anoth-
er week.