The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1908-10-08

Democratic Board Of Education
of Sampson Failed to Charge
Default;ng Sheriff With
UnlistabIes and With
Fines and Forfeitures
STARTLING FACTS DISCLOSED

4 Loss 10 the School Children of
Sampson County -- Democratic
Board Has Failed TO Comply With
the Law-Careiess and Negligent
Administration of school Affairs
by the Legislative Appointed
Guardians.
The following article which ap-
| peared in the last issue Of the Clin-
ton News Dispatch will be of interest
to voters all over the State.
1t is a strong argument In favor
of local self-government. The Mr..
Matthews referred to below is the
Democratic County Superintendent
of Sampson County. The article
follows:
Mr.. Editor:
Your correspondent paid a visit
a few days ago to the Office of the
Board of Education in order to take
peep at the books. Mr.. Matthews
was in and extended me the courtesy
of an examination OF the settlement
book in which the Board of Educa-
ton kept their account with Aman
their treasurer. We knew that they
had neglected their duty in falling
to settle with Aman and thereby per-
mitted him to get away with big
! sum of school money, but we had
not availed ourself of the opportun-
ity, which any taxpayer has, of exam
, lining their accounts and see IL they
. had kept their books properly, and
charged him with all the taxes and
funds belonging to the school chill
dren. The Sampson Democrat has
. told us from week to week that the
: Democratic Board of Education was
= capable and honest and had protect
. ed the school fund by securing every
r dollar belonging to the schools and
, we had some curiosity to know II
= that statement was true.
Our examination disclosed some
t facts which were startling to us and
3 will be to the teachers, patrons
4 school committeeman and the entire
g citizenship of the county.
: The settlement books tell thu
e whole story. There is where W.
i get all of our information and l
! there is any citizen of the count.
S who doubts for an instance, tn
n truth of the facts, which we shal
b here furnish the public, then le
l. him go and examine for himself an
e verify all we shall say.
e Allowed Sheriff to Collect and Kee
u Fines.
In the first place the law require
all the fines imposed by all tn
n magistrates of the county, and b
< all the mayors of incorporated towr
e. to be turned over to the Treasure
le for school purposes, and these fine
Id should amount to several hundre
I'd dollars each year, but to our su
m prise the Board of Education has NJ
in charged Aman during the entil
re term of his Office with but stxty-e1gl
II. dollars in fines from magistrates ar
n mayors and these fines came fro
or our magistrates only, and that 4
[r. the fall of 1906, but we find mol
he of these fines charged from any OF
is er magistrates out of the sevent
he FIVE or one hundred magistrates
'ty the county and none from the
lat rious mayors in the county for a.
M year during his entire term OF Off
on except the one above stated, cons
ne ouently they allowed Aman to c'
Ir. ilect and keep these fines witho
a calling on him for them, and t
If schools of the county are the lose
in of this large sum.
led If we are mistaken in the abe
lde statement, we shall be glad to
I'VE shown our error, for we do not-'
he sire to do any one an injustice.
hat are speaking now from the OF
book which can be examined by a
he citizen of the county.
as Money From Fines Should Go
OF School Fund.
en-
On In the second place, the law
i'll quires all the fines and penalties
tho posed by the various judges hold
,cts our courts to be collected by
,or sheriff and turned over to the sen
kod fund. The fines in all States ca
om- are paid into the school fund and
tod have had four courts in Samp
hv each year for the past three ye
nod and before 1905 We had three col
or each year, but this settlement b
shows that Aman was charged :
~ for the fines he collected at the
~ gust court, 1906, and 1925 for
nnt fines he collected at the Octt
,p;s court, 1906, but nowhere on
av books is he charged with the
80 he collected at the February c.
and May court, 1906, nor for an
A the four courts held in 1905, an
- far as our examination went, {
'o are the only court fines charged
iuA or collected from, Aman during
entire term OF Office. The G.
fines for the year 1907 a
e in amounted to $1,135, and while
eople was perhaps more than an ave
when year for court fines, yet we t
and 5000 would be small average
er of the fines collected by Aman
ad- all the courts In one year an
our great surprise and astonisnr