The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1904-01-14
The STATES FIRAN Is.
THE MEANING Of the STATE TREAS
UREfS CONFIDENTIAL" LETTER.

In Your is-ue of De. ION :".
hzh Nh editorial o. the nditi N oi
the State Treasury in VII h you
copied from the News aud o serve
I. nat the Auditors report w"u d
how - in which the News and OBJ
server said:
The total receipts and disburs~
,u.pts of thu state for the flea
wear end ng November both, 1903.
were gwen out y. sterday from the
office OF the State Auditor, who has
Just completed the work of balanc-
ing the books
The ret re. ipts for the year JUS
closed were $2,269,638 So. Adding
10 this H. balance on hand Deem
Der LIST, 1902, makes Il total of 81,
322,O42 so The disbursement S
have amounted TO S2,2Ol .6O' 81.
rnis leaves a balance on hand now
of $12O. 438.l9 fine showing. eon-
slderIng what has BEEN accomplish
ed during the year, as we'll as the
fact that the S22",OOU borrowed las
, ear has been paid back in full.
The evident intention of this
piece, as you show, is to make it
appear that the State financially is
in fine shape. In your editorial
you show instead of being / fine
shape there would be real deficit
OF more than half million dollars
if We had borrowed no money last
spring and had paid the school and
pension appropriations before this
report had BEEN made. The pur-
p,se of this is plain; the next cleo
ton will be held before another re-
port is made and of course all that
is said about the States finances will
be based on this report and if any
one should undertake to quote from
The figures in The Republican the
reply will be the old stock argu
ment of the Democrats, "thats a
radical lie" Now it 80 happens
that since that editorial was print
ed, a copy of secret circular letter
has been handed to me, which the
State Treasurer has sent out to the
different sheriffs Of the State. Here
is that letter just as it is:
TREASURY DEP \ RTMENT.
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA.
B. r. LACY, State Treasurer.
Raleigh, Nov. 20, 1908.
CONFIDENT
Dear SIR
To thosr, sheriff5 who are comply
ing with the law, this letter does
not refer.
On Dec. 18th, DIR. Dixon, tn
Auditor, will send out pension war
rants for S2Oo,O"O. On Jan'y LIST,
the State owes $75,O0O interest on
her 4 per cent. bonds, that must be
paid to keep our credit at its present
high condition. The school war.
rants for 100000 will be sent out
in Jan'y. Besides those large
amounts it takes about $4,000 pei
month for the maintenance of the
colleges, asylums and institutions
and State expenses, making grand
total that will be due before Feb,
1st of at least 100000 I have
less than One-flfth that amount tC
meet it with. I therefore write
fully and frankly to you to show
you the necessity of pushing your
collections, and also carrying out
literally Sec. "a, page 80 of the
Machinery Act. I am satisfied OF
your patriotism, and feel sure tina,
all | have to do is to let you know
these facts, and to remind you tina,
the law requires you to settle
monthly. Therefore, I expect yet
to exert yourself in collecting anC
also by sending it in monthly. DE-
not wait until you collect a large
amount, but obey the law by send
ing in what you collect each month
Yours truly,
| B. r. LACY,
Die. B. r. L. State Treasurer.
Why should this letter be marked
"cOnfidential?" I voted against
Mr.. Lacy but he was elected, anc
having been elected he is as much
my servant as if I hal voted for him
Suppose I was one ola firm composed
of four or five parsons and we want
ed to hire bookkeeper, a clerk, ar
Overseer, or anyother kind of ar
employee, and I should want one
man, while the rest of the firm
should want some one else anG
should out vote me in the matter
and hire him, he would he just a.
much my clerk, or bookeeper, OF
overseer, as if he had been my frs
choice. Just so it is with every
State officer, or rather with ever,
officer in the State, from coroner. t.
Governor. This being so why
should these circular letters b,
marked " confidential''? The money
the sheriffs collect is as much min,
and every other tax payers as it il
anyone else's, the extravaganza o.
waste of our money, if there is any
falls ON all alike. The debts ths