The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1903-02-26
Port Gibson, Miss. Feb. a4lh. 1908

Port Gibson, Miss. Feb. 24lh, 1908
Editor Reveille:
In view Of recent articles appearing IN
your paper, attacking aud criticising the
ipancial statement made by the board Of
mayor aud aldermen, aud assailiug the
legal right Of the present City Council
TO represent the town, Il Is deemed best
that some defence be made, SO that
neither the statement nor the articles
referred 10 may mislead any one.
II has not been the desire or intention
ofihe Board to Withhold any Of its actions
fromlhe public. The meetings are pub
licly conducted and the proceedings
published IN detail. Each member Of
the Board knows that the financial state
menl was not kept back with the idea
Of corcealing anything concerning the
condition Of the towns finances. We
did not have the report Of the Treasur-
er for the month Of September, 1902, and
until the Clerk could get the various
balances, il was impossible TO make q
statement. Finally, after the delay,
the statement was made mp 10 February
Ist, TO show the status Of the treasury
to AS late a day as was possible.
As to whether or not the Board will
have statement made for the true 6sal
year (Oct Ist, 1907, to Oct. Ist. Ioo2),
will appear after the regular meeting
next week. II Is right aud proper that
these statements should be made; the
people are entitled TO have them. and
the intention OF The Board was that one
Tor the past year should have been pub
lished some time ago.
However, the citizens and taxpayers
need not fear that the aclious Of the
present council are invalid. In the first
place, the statement for the past fiscal
year would not show an increase in the
Indebtedness Of the municipality. Sec.
ondly, our town Is not subject to the pro.
visions Of Chapter 90 Of the Code, 1892,
requiring statements to be made on Oct.
Isl. and providing penalties for an IN
crease OF Indebtedness After The Code
had been arranged, upon the application
Of certain towns Of the state, Section
soss was inserted in order 10 permit any
municipality to operate under a charter
Of its own and not be subject to the pro-
visions Of Chapter 60. Mr.. II. c. Noun
ger saw the original copies of the Code,
and states the above TO me. Further
more, II it is admitted that the above
two reasons are faulty, and that we are
de facto officers, our actings aud doings
in and about the towns business are
perfectly binding aud effective. A de
facto officer is presumed 10 be de jure
aud bis official acts legal until the re.
verse is shown.
As to the fines aud costs, will say
that the board had Mr.. H. w. NJ. Drake,
who was then not a member Of the
board, to check the books up to January
77lh. 1907, aud very little was found to
be due from that source. The finance
committee also checked these items dur
ing September. 1909, (for the purpose Of
the statement to be made), with practi-
cally the same results as we're obtained
by Mr.. Drake. The marshal made ont,
for the committee, list Of all persons
who had been fued, for the first nine
months of last year. Fines and costs for
the three preceding months are shown
on the Mayors docket. The tabulated
statement is in the Office, the docket is
In the Office, and any citizen is welcome
to examine either or both. Mr.. brakes
report is on file, also, and is open TO in
spectiou, as, in fact, are all the books.
Under our past system Of collecting
6aes, there Is necessarily some loss be-
cause we have not imprisoned culprits
regularly in default OF payment. This
had always been the rule here, and, as
the Reveille knows, the board has, on
several occasions, released prisoners, to
avoid paying jail fees. We now have
what seems an excellent system Of col
lecling. The marshal Is charged with
each fine aud this costs, and the amounts
imposed appear 10 each months meet
ing.
As to the item Of s2So2, appearing in
the statement published last week, there
seems to be a Misunderstanding The
explanatory note to the statement, made
by the clerk, correctly states that STso6
was outstanding and for permanent i'm
provemeuts, as the warrants for the pay
meut of this amount were not paid until
alter Feb. Ist.
r. B. ANDERSON.
Mr.. Editor:
peferrfuo 10 certain articles apnearfnp