The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-08-23
THE REPLY.
To the Above Mr.. A. III. Green Makes
the Following Reply.

To the Above Mr.. A. III. Green Makes
the Following Reply.
/ Having heretofore announced my in
ltention not to be a candidate for
County Commissioner, believing that
course to be in the interest of har-
mony-I would not enter upon con-
| troyersy of this nature but for the
Iunfair and unjust attack of Mr.. Nor
ris upon the integrity of the Board OF
Commissioners. [ was present in the
| court house while Mr.. Norris was max
ing some of his Investigations upon
which the questions in the Apex News
are based and explained some of the
| matters to him.
! / take it. that very few will believ,
| that the questions were asked for any
other purpose than creating prejudice
against the board. If SO, why was the
information Withheld from the public
until the eve of a political fight?
If the truth was when Mr.. Norris
was after he would have answered
some of the questions for you himself
for / gave him full and fair infor-
nation regarding them-and l leave ii
| to any fair man-if it is honorable to
| make such reflections upon the lnteg-
rity of the board before making care
full inquiry about the facts and then
stating them all. For instance, Mr..
Norris could easily have obtained from
any member of the board or from Mr..
Allen the correct information about
the sale of my horse to the county the
expenditure of $500 at the County
Home for improvements, the false
charge that the county had purchased
mules from Mr.. w. G.. Allen and that
we were allowing Mr.. Allen to keep
his own private horses at the charge
| <Nfx al oh / civ ha-
low.
To take up Mr. Norris questions in
order:
Cd and go. 1t is we'll known to
| all, Mr.. Norris included, that extra
fees for attorneys and physicians have
to be paid from time to time by the
county The attorney is not paid to
| fight all suits by or against the coun-
ty nor the superintendent of Health
to fight an epidemic of smallpox. For
such things extra services have to be
provided at times and paid for. The
county in one year paid over $1,000 to
fight smallpox. The extra attorneys
fees alluded to were paid for drafting
the road law and fighting the recent
injunction suit over the assessment of
property.
| OF Has already been answered by
Mr.. Allen.
| (4.) No such sum as $3,497.25 was
ever paid to the clerk of the court and
| the report referred to by Mr.. Norris
shows plainly that this sum was paid
out by the treasurer upon the order OF
the clerk for jury tickets.
(5) Yes--the $40, 000-recent bond
| issue was used in paying Oft the noat-
| ing debt of the county-and this IN
| formation was easily accessible for Mr..
| Norris This floating debt was con-
| tracted in various ways-G) fighting
SMALLPOX. upwards of $2,000-(2) the
washing away of more than 4 bridges
| in the county by a great freshet Whlch
| consumed about $4,000 of the amount
named-(3) the recovery by the State
| from the county of $2,500-and "a
| the decrease in the income OF the
county due TO the transfer of the pro-
ceeds of liquor licenses and schedule
| Z & c.. taxes to the school fund
amounting to probably $4,000 per
wear. This debt accumulated in about
| four years and we could not prevent
| it.
co and %. The real debt of the
county is but SGT 1000, most of which is
of long standing. It is true $4,000
has been borrowed for the road fund
and $4,000 for the county account,
but this is not part of the perma-
| nent debt and will be repaid when the
| taxes are collected. The road law
| was put in operation in May, about
six months before the road tax was
collected. which rendered it neces-
sary to borrow on this account or to
leave the roads in the very bad condi-
ton into which they had fallen. The
| first year it was necessary to buy a
large number of mules, considerable
machinery and many shovelS and 9TH
er utensils; otherwise the debt would
probably amount to about three or
four thousand dollars. The way the
county taxes are collected, has render
ed it necessary for more than 25 years
to borrow some money for the county
each year and it generally amounts to
/ $4,000 or thereabout. and is repaid
upon the collection of taxes This
money has been regularly borrowed
and repaid for a great number of years
and does not constitute any part of
the permanent debt
The usual annual statement was
modified in order to save a very large
publishers bill and to furnish more
definite and classified information.
! For example, it would have cost lar
ger sum of money to have published
the amount paid each juror of the
S3497.25 by the treasurer during 1908.
The records show each warrant and
the accounts are periodically exam
lined and each item checked and veri-
fed Now which is better, to spend
several hundred dollars publishing
this long statement that furnishes no
information worth while, or to save the
money and publish a classified state
ment of the expenses in each depart
ment. so much for roads, so much for
bridges, so much for jurors, so much
/ for courts, etc, etc.?
/ GOLD. The county farm and
home are run together as an institu-
ton and cost about $3.50 per month
or IS. 400 per year. The average num-
Der of inmates in 1908 was 10. There
were also kept there a number of
prisoners, cripples, women, and others