The Forrest City times., 1906-11-30

mittee prior to October fifth.
 From the date of the invoices to the date of payment for supplies a consid- erable time elapsed, sufficient to have had them passed for payment after be- ing 0. K. d by you.
 Regarding the sale of dynamo and scrap iron, which you particularly ask us to look into, we find a credit on cash book dated early in October for three hundred dollars $500. 00) and payment to you of twelve dollars and ninety cents ($12.90) for money paid out by you for the removal of same for shipment.
 We failed to find that you drew any personal checks against the said three hundred dollars; all payments were made by the cashier.
 As you did not do any collecting, we have not examined them further than the totals credited on the cash book.
 We will make out statement show ing in detail all payments and who O.. K. d same, also showing the amount at present due and unpaid for supplies, etc, bought by you.
 Yours truly,
 ROBERT HAMILTON, r. H. BARKER. In the issue of The Times of Novem- Der 9, a report was published signed by the members of che Water and Light Committee which does me gross in- justice and places me in false atti- tude before the people of Forrest City whom 1 have endeavored to serve faith fully and honestly.
 It appears that aside from the mayor, the other gentlemen who signed this report did so at the request of the mayor and without reading it, because Tn the beginning palpable error oc- CUTS when the inference IS made that the committee did not know how the funds of the Water and Light Co. were being spent. The mayor, as chairman of this committe, has lived in this of flee since it's establishment, and the matter of expenditures has been put before the committe from time to time at their meetings in my presence.
 The report also says that the opera ting expenses of the two plants has a total deficit of $221S. 59, which is another misrepresentation, as the plants will pay their operating expenses with the revenues derived from them at present, but will not pay for needed improve ments. The money spent for improve ments cannot be charged up to operating expenses, but should be entered on the books as capital invested for permanent improvement. Why was it not so en- tered? Simply because the mayor wanted to pile up the operating expenses as high as possible to accomplish his purpose-my discharge,
 The report further states that "We ~l Al J. w. McCarty had sold one dynamo and lot of scrap iron for which he said he had received $500 in cash. The said $500 was deposited by him in bank to the credit of the said J. w. McCarty. manager, and he was drawing checks against said deposit" The sale referred to here was not made until had con- suited some of the committee, and after the sale was made it was ratified by the committee. As to drawing any per sonal checks against the amount, I will refer anyone interested to the Bank of Forrest City and to the statement hand ed me by the two gentlemen who exam ined the cash book, a copy of which is printed above.
 The report all the way through places me in a very delicate attitude before the people, and has a tendency to ere ate the impression that had endeavored to inappropriate some of the city's money, and 1 want to say here that 1 have lived a good long while without stealing for living, neither haveI ever resorted to underhand methods, double dealing or conspiracy against others in order to obtain livelihood.
 The report-w written by the mayor, no doubt-also says l refused to make bond. In answer to this l will state that I asked the committee at least a half dozen times to make up the bond as they wished and that I would fill it out and execute it to their entire satis- faction; but they failed to do so. Now 1 want to ask the mayor a question: Why has his son Henry, who has been cashier for over four months, not been required to execute bond for the faithful performance of his duty?
 The whole thing in nutshell: the may or wanted to oust me, as the people we'll know, and he stopped at nothing to ac- complish his purpose. l acknowledge that 1 refused to do things that he wanted done, when l thought to carry out his orders would be detrimental to the interests of the people at large.
 Why did he want the council to pass the resolution of November ', marked Exhibit "A"? A glance at this docu- will convince any intelligent person that he was after getting the affairs of the Water & Light company in such shape that no one would know the exact con- dition of things but himself. Why did he want to take $l5 off my salary and put 1t on to the salary of his son Hen ry? He did not think of this when the committee appointed Mir R. L. Stock ard as inspection officer.
 Why did he want to keep me from seeing any of the mail? Who should be more familiar with the mail of a con- cern than it's manager?
 want to say to the people of Forrest City that they do not attend the coun- cil meetings as they should. I do not feel the least bit '.sore" over my dis