The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1904-10-27
THAT SURPLUS FIASC0.

lhAi blNA LbS IiaoNV,
The Republican county committee
has employed W. o Atkeson to pre-
pare campaign material to be used
the last two weeks before the election.
In order to earn his money he just
had to find something, and his first
installment appeared In the Bates
County Record last week, In the form
OF the balances taken from the pub
lished financial statements for the
past i've years. He chose to begin
his comparisons Oh the statement for
May, 1899, because 1t showed the
biggest balance OF any year, and
consequently answered his purpose
better. He could have started with
the 1898 statement which showed a
balance OF 500, 547.75 or $7,240, %
less than the one he selected, show
ing at the very start his determine
ton to be unfair and manufacture
campaign material.
The following is the showing he
evolves:
Balance in treasury Mayl 1899, si3,7ss %
I" " 80 1904, "a 5s5 gG
A difference OF SO, 1873 90
Then he says the funds are practi-
cally exhausted and claims that the
total surplus has bean expended land
the county is practically bankrupt"
Mr.. AtkesOn well knows, as does
the editor CT the Record, that during
the summer and fall months there is
very little money coming into the
county treasury al1 the necessary
expense has to he met by the surplus;
that the taxes are all collected In the
winter and spring and the treasury
is thereby replenished. Consequently
the revenues in the fall always run
low. This has been the condition
from the foundation OF the county
and no one has been 80 silly as to
raise that question, audit would not
be raised now, except as it shows the
extremes to which the opposition is
forced to manufacture campaign lit.
erature.
The only pith in Mr.. Atkeson's
showing is that $19,19S 90 OF the
surplus has been expended in five
years. The financial statements as
published, which shows this surplus
so accurately, sets out in detail to
whom and for what purposes every
tOffHr Of this money was paid and II
Mr.. Atkeson or any member Of the
committee that employs him, will
point out where one dollar has been
illegally paid, the members OF the
county court can be held criminally
liable. 1t Is not wise OF the county
court to horde up an unduly large
surplus in the treasury that does no
one any good, and when such a con.
dition arises the court very properly
builds a few extra bridges, which is
always OF direct benefit to the county
and the people.
In the past Ave years, which covers
the period Of Mr.. Atkeson's efforts to
show there is something wrong with
the county finances, occasion for ex-
traordinary expenses has arisen,
which in themselves fully cover the
$4,000 expenditure he complains
OF. The people in that time voted a
$4,000 court house, and provided
that It be paid for in three years, by
q levy Of Is cents on the 800 valua.
ton. The assessed valuation oil
Bates county for the period covering
those three years, was little above ten
millions OF dollars. II il had been
just ten millions and every dollar Of
the taxes collected, it would have
amounted to only $4,000, leaving
the court to pay $1,000 out Of the
balances In the treasury, besides for
the extras in the work and furnishing
the house when. completed. This is
exactly what happened, and the fol.