The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1904-09-29
STATEMENT OF THE ORDINARY.

slve Improvements that have been in
progress for year under the grand
jury sinstruchons, would readily realize
that higher tax rate must follow, but
since there seems to be considerable
copfusion, and a general demand for
information, | feel that | should, as
the servant of the people, lay the facts
before them.
The grand jury at the March term,
1903 after full consideration ofIexisting
conditions, and after had placed all
the facts before them as to the county's
finances, and after delegation of, citi-
zens had gone before them urging them
to do so, recommended that l buy all
necessary machinery and equipment
and put the county convicts on the
public roads, borrowing the money for
the purpose. l will state here in pass
ing that some of the men who are now
trying to raise fight on me were be-
fore the grand jury urging them to
make this recommendation.
stated to the grand jury at the time,
and also to mass meeting that was
| held at the court house during that
week, that it meant higher taxes, and
| my remarks were published iE the Mari
eta Journal and the Cobb County Cou-
rier of the following week If some of
the gentlemen who are raising such a
row now will look back at those papers,
they will find some remarks of their
| own that may prove of interest to them.
Under the above mentioned recon-
mendation, | proceeded to purchase
machinery, and got the chaingang to
work in the fall of 1908, and have up to
this time graded and macadamized
| about three miles of road. When the
time arrived for making the tax levy
for 1903 the chaingang had just begun
| work, and having no data on which to
| estimate the expense of the work the
levy made proved insufficient, and about
three thousand dollars of the cost was
brought over and is to be met out of
this years levy in addition to the work
done this year. The machinery was
bought to be paid this year, and so was
not provided for in last years levy.
The cost Of this work to date is about
as follows:
Machinery $4,000 90
Macadamizing 3 miles of road 100000
Tools and other equipment 100000
Total $l5,OOO.0O
! And this is the amount to be covered
by the tax increase.
1t will be seen from the above that
the cost of the work has been about
SO, 900 per mile. Intelligent inquiry will
show that this is as cheap as first class
work is done elsewhere.
Take the work now in progress in the
town of Roswell as an example. They
are building 2 3-S miles Of road very
similar to ours, at cost of about SILL
| 600, or about $4.625 per mile.
| Now, as to the tax assessments for
1904, as compared to those for 1903.
In 1903 there was an assessment of
25S to repay borrowed money. This
money was not borrowed to pay for the
new jail, but to pay current expenses of
the county, just as has been done every
summer for many years, not only dur
ing my administration, but prior to
that time. The new Jail had been built
and paid for, with the exception of
some additional cells that ! found il
necessary to put in. These. cells we're
paid for in January 1904, out of the
1903 levy
So the difference in the assessments
of 1903 and 1904 for the various county
purposes, except the road work, is ex-
planned by the above mentioned levy OF
25S to repay borrowed money. There
is no levy this year to repay borrowed
money, but the entire levy is made
direct for the various purposes.
| understand there has been some
criticism of our Sheriff ON cccount OF
the amount levied for board of prison
ers. l feel it my duty to state in this
connection that last winter when the
convicts were at work near Marietta
they were kept in the jaillat night and
fed by the sheriff, in addition to his
regular prisoners.
/ trust the foregoing is made plain
If any one don't understand it, shall
take pleasure in making any further
explanation on application at my office
ask the people to rot be carried of
their feet by wild statements of design.
ing politicians. Let each know all the
facts beforesindulging in criticism.
/ shall in the future, as in the past
submit to the will of the grand jury
When they say stop" it will be my
pleasure TO do SO.
Below | append the original grand
Jury recommendation in the convict
matter. Every grand jury since then
with one exception, mas made present