The Florida star., 1902-02-21
To the People Of Brevard County.
Editor of The Florida Star.

For many years the board of county
commissioners of Brevard county, in
order to prevent the depreciation of the
county scrip, in cases of short funds, have
arranged to have all scrip taken up at
the banks of the county, and have
been paying interest at the rate of eight
per cent. per annum on school warrants,
and ten per cent. per annum on all other
warrants.
The present board are being closely
questioned, if not positively criticised, by
the last grand jury as to why the county
was paying eight per cent. on one class of
warrants and ten per cent. on another,
and why so much per cent. on all war
rants? And finding themselves in an en-
barrassing predicament, and no hole to
crawl INTO, have sought to lay the whole
blame for their misgivings at the door of
the county treasurer, in a public state
ment ito the people of Brevard county,"
| Had they confined themselves to facts,
and had the county treasurer and the
people of B=evard county been a set of
nincompoops, there might have been
hope of their statement excusing their
anu GIltlT
True, they did "seek to make particu-
lar and cheap arrangement with some one
bank to carry temporary shortages, and
to this end submitted the matter to the
various banks to bid upon, resolving to
deal with the bank offering the best terms
as depository"
Their intentions must have been good,
and certainly their resolution commenda-
tory, but their method was as slack as
their predicament unexplainable.
The office of county treasurer is crea-
ton of the voters of the county, not of the
county commissioners The county treas
urer gives a bond for the faithful perform
ance of his duties and a correct account
ing of such funds as may come into his
hands, and only so far as the passing
upon his bond and the auditing of his
accounts have they any control over him.
| They have no more right to dictate
where he shall keep the county funds
than they have to say where he shall buy
his grits.
| Now, n business men-and certainly
the office of county commissioner should
carry with it some business capacity
why should they ''seek some particular
and cheap arrangement for the carrying of
temporary shortages" with one hand, and
holding out a string in the other To not
only defeat their purpose, bnt to trip
them up, if not to hold them up as sub
jects of ridicule before the ''peOpIe of
BreVard county"
They got bid of seven per cent, and,
as might have been expected, with a
string attached to it," namely, that the
bank submitting this should be the
county depository" They also got bid
(which they have said nothing about
of eight per cent, with no "string at
tached to it, and yet in their statement
they would have the ''peOple OF Brevard
county" to excuse them in the dilemma
of paying an eXOrbitant interest as here
ltOfUre lelght per cent. on school warrants
and ten per cent. ON other warrants),
when they have on file an offer in re-
lspOnSe to their invitation for bids To cash
Iall county warrants of whatsoever class at
lelght per cent, the only condition being
that the warrants he properly drawn and
lOf legal issue.
|
sioners would have the ''people of Bre-
ward county" know of their county treas
urer that they had properly and urgently
limportuned his cooperation" to which
statement the county treasurer would
say that the first intimation that he had
of their seeking" was a letter through
the postOffice enclosing him a copy of
their resolutions, and demanding of him
to transfer the funds OF the county in his
hands To their designated "seven per cent.
with a string depository"
And vet, the county treasurer, treating
their resolution with proper consideration
and pOiiteness, consulted with his bonds
men and attorney to only find what the
county commissioners afterwards It and
which they should have found out at the
| beglnnlng-"that there was no express
statute requiring him to conform to the
action of the board" Then, and not till
then, did they urgently" mot to say in
solentlyl ''impOrtune his co operation"
| The present county treasurer has been
a citz n of Brevard county for more than
twenty-five years, and Notwithstanding
the imputation or slur of the board of
county commis>is toner's - perhaps not
maIIcInuSly intended-his record for the
best interest and welfare of the county
will speak for itself and, ne thinks, pass
| inspection.
With regard to the rate of interest
which the county is paying, even eight
per cent. for the carrying of warrants
Temporarily Is too much, and if the
county commissioners hal done their
seeking" in bnsness.like manner. with
no strings attached or promises which
they could not fulfil, they unquestionablv
could have gotten an offer of six per cent.