The Breckenridge news., 1905-11-01

county. The balance was applied to
the bonded Indebtedness of the county
The records will show that the bond
ed Indebtedness of Breckenridge county
when the Republicans came into power
was $40, 200. In 1888 it was so, 323
In ten years the Democrats reduced
this Indebtedness 1923.
What did the "Robber' Repub-
licans dor READ, AND EXAMINE
THE RECORDS. In seven years they
paid off TWELVE THOUSAND DOL
LARS OF THIS INDEBTEDNESS,
leaving of these bonds only 81, 200 to
be paid. This is an average of $l,714
per year
In addition to the payment of these
bonds we find that the Democrats, when
they went out of power In 1894, order
ed that claims amounting to 81, 21S be
paid out of the levy for 1895. This
amount the Republican administration
paid for the Democrats.
About the close of the Republican ad
ministIation, the east abutment OF the
Stephensport bridge sunk about five
feet, and there was danger of the
bridge being lost Owing to high water
some of the bridges between Stephens.
port and Cloverport were washed away
and had to he rebuilt. This necessitat-
! ed tho raising of sum of money, and
an expenditure that had not been an
ticipated, when the county levy was
made toI that year, and the Comr. x
Recr. of taxes was authorized to bor-
row sum sufficient TO rebuild and re-
PAIR these bridges. He borrowed So,
600 and gave the bonds of county for
that amount This Increased the in
debtedness of tue county as shown 10y
the Comr. q Recr' report of the sum
of $40, 200. and this was the amount of
the bonded indebtedness of the county
when the Republicans went ont OF power
When the Republicans went out OF
power they TUNED over to w. X Barnes.
Comr. q Recr of taxes for Brecken-
ridge county, the sum of about 50, O00
rs shown by Mr.. Barnes report record
ed IN sheriff's settlement book page
----. Had the Republicans been
permitted to use this money they
would have paid all of the 50, 600
borrowed by them except about $3.50
and left the bonded Indebtedness of
the county s., $50.
That part of the tax called the
sinking fund is intended 20 he used
for paying off the bonded Indebted
ness In the settlement made for 1902
page 2;6 of sheriffs settlement book
the sheriff Is charged with SO, l!3. For
1903, page IL, he is charged with 50, 2l3
For 1904. page ~, he is charged with
50, 2j7 making So, js3, for the three years
What il will be for 1905 cannot he
known until the settlement is made
The reports made by our Comr. az
Recr, W. X. Barnes, show that in
these three years he received other
funds in his hands than the amount
derived from taxes. His report made in
October, 1902, page 33S, shows that in
Guiding the amount paid him by the
sheriff he applied to the sinking fund
50 322. His report of April 1904, pa e
366, S3. and his report of April,
1905, page 399 81, j06, Uaking in all
So, 045. Add to this 50, 2l3, sinking
fund tax for 1903, and we have $40, 25S.
If this amount had been applied 70 the
public debt, together with the amount
turned over to him by the Republicans,
the bonded debt would have been liqui-
dated and surplus left in his hands
Instead, however of the bonded iudebt-
edness being paid we find that only
81, 90 has been satisfied and balance
of Sc 100 is still unpaid.
What has become OF this Sinking
Fu nd These reports of Mr.. Barnes
and the orde"s of the fiscal court
shows that more than once there has
been a shortage in some levy and the
sheriff would pay more money than the
tax amounted to; and Mr.. Barnes
W ould be directed to pay back to him.
One order alone directed him to pay
the sheriff 80, 153. This sinking fund
that should have been used to satisfy
this bonded debt, has been used tor
other purposes to great extent. What
has become of it,
The Democrat says that the RepLb-
licans in two doubling jumps" raised
the ad vaiorem tax from 10 cents on the
800 to 40 cents. This is true, but why
aid not the Democrat tell why this was
l doueY The records it appears to show
hit, and the Democrat knows it.