Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1904-12-07
$4,000 Surplus.


Among them it asks the Town
Council, in effect, if the statement
made by me to them as of Oct. 9,
1904. is correct.
DO they answer so clearly that
no one can be misled or have diff
Guilty in understanding them"l
May | ask you to bear with me
= little as we look over this answer.
Blu; first let me apologize to these
gentlemen for being so uncouth as
10 publish without their consent
statement made To the Town Coun-
eli of the condition of their Treas
urer's accounts, after said state
ment had been adopted by said
Council as part of its records.
| was green enough to think |
had that right. but il | have over
stepped the bounds of "propriety"
| most humbly beg their pardon.
My recollection is that asked that
night if there were any objections
TO the reports being published, and
the answers from several members
of the council was that there were
none. The Mayor says ! did.
As a gatherer of items for the
Battletown News have often gone
To the Recorder for items from his
minutes. and he seemed delighted
to furnish them. Besides | am
Just fool enough to think that the
records of the Town Council are
public property-open to the in
spcction of every citizen.
| am in favor of dry town and
would like 10 see this town as dry
as a bone, but | would be willing
TO let the question OF wet or dry
be decided by three disinterested
competent persons deciding as 20
which statement is the more gar
bled.' and misleading. theirs or
mine ! must confess that ! am
more than surprised at the attitude
of these gentlemen.
was employed to make state
nent of the condition of the Treas
urer'S books; | was not asked To
make any statement of the debts
of the town; the Treasurer's books
show no debts. The Treasurer
stood by and agreed TO every figure
except aS TO the item of Cash
from Fire Co., which item ac-
cording to previous settlement,
made by committee of the Coun-
ell, was three kundred and Sirty
.fr, dollars. The Treasurer said
1t should be S265. | adopted his
figures and so reported to the
Council, they admitted that he
was right and | think turned back
to their minutes of January last
where they had 1865 and changed
it to S265.
Now If my report was garbled,
misleading, and Incorrect, why
receive it and pay me for it!
Yes, Jones knew that part
lS940.52) of that balance was un-
collected, but out of courtesy to
the Treasurer and the Town Coun-
cll did not publish that fact. |
thought then and think now it is a
very bad state of affairs not To
nave the taxes collected up better,
but thought that was the Treas
urer's business and not mine.
take it that the County Super
viSorS never ask the County Treas
urer whether he has collected the
taxes or not. He says they do not.
They, the State Auditor. the
various boards School, road, etc. J
draw on him for what the books
SHOW they are entitled to, as of
July lSt of the year following the
year in which the levy was made
the time fixed by law, | believe,
Tor him to make final settlement.
would like to know by what
business principle these gentlemen
nave right to deduct the uncol-
'ected taxes from the balance in
'her Ireasurers hands.
would like to know by what
legerdemain they expected me to
inject into report as of Oct. 9th,
l9O4' S649 of interest due Jan. 1st,
100, or salaries to become due. or
warrants issued thereafter. The
lreasurer's books showed none of
these things.
would like to know how these
gentlemen can make a statement
as OF Jan. 1st, 1905 (for that is
really their statement, showing a
balance of $I22.3s and wholly ig-
more the 1904 taxes of 1882. IS