The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1908-12-25

county auditor under al the r0nptrol-
! ler generals Of this State from Gen.
Ellerbe down to the present one, and
no word Of complaint has ever come
20 me from any one Of them until this
fraudulent and scandalous report
comes out in the Sunday papers. Has
either one of them any motive IN this?
If so. let him be honest enough to
tell the truth about it. I hope they
have the capacity to do so. | am
sure that have always been as cour-
teous and kind to them as is becom-
! ing any gentleman. I have been
faithful and true in the discharge Of
my duty, and the records, both in tho
comptroller generals office and in the
auditors office here, will testify as to
my efficiency and ability as we'll as to
accuracy. Neither Jones nor Wilson
can truthfully deny this statement.
During all these years Of service I
have had no unpleasantness with any
one until after Wilson had been here
about three weeks, accepting my hos
pitality and kindness, when he was
insulting to me in the auditors office,
and T resented the insult in much
sentler manner than he deserved. The
next morning he left for Columbia
and tried to create a disturbance be-
tween me and the comptroller general,
which at the time 7 thought was COW
ardly in him, to say the least. Hence,
it must be for this that he, in sneak
ing way. seeks to revenge himself by
making this Infamous statement.
"After he had returned to Colum-
bia. T carried to the comptroller gen.
eral a sworn statement of settlement
of taxes for the year 1907, and told
him in the presence Of Mr.. Wilson OF
some of the errors that the latter had
made in his accounting here, and not
withstanding Mr.. Jones says the re-
port is correct in every particular }
am here ready to prove to him or any
other that the report is not correct.
And when Mr.. Wilson or any other
man says that the county auditor S
office shows carelessness, neglect, er-
rors and COMMISSIONS, both in the du-
plicates, abstracts and annual SETTLE
mepts. he says what is not true, and
he knows it to be untrue when he says
it. I fully realize that to speak thus
Of a superior official may seem harsh,
but facts are facts, and they can not
be erased: and it is we'll for US to re-
member that we are all men upon one
common plane, regardless of position;
besides, however lofty his position
may be, it does not give to him the
right to rob me of my just due.
"Gen. Jones knows, or he should
know, that Wilson is not infallible,
for two years ago I was employed to
check Dorchester county after Wilson
mad done it, and as our accounts fall
ed to balance one with the other, we
went to work to determine which was
correct, and Wilson admitted his er-
ror. The work of both should be on
flo IN Co171nohia now
cit is also stated in the report to
Gov. Ansel that on account Of under
credits, errors. omissions, etc., the au-
ditor failed to charge $3,451.32: and
as I failed to charge it, [ also fail to
see why I should, for with the charges
already made I find that my account
ling gives to the State $3.01 more than
that Of Wilson'S, and gives to the
schools about $18 more, if Wilson
will give a credit Of 1925, which he
will be forced to give.
"Without going into further de-
tails, I say that his work is wrong
and sober investigation will prove
that it is.
4 "Proof of the above statement car
be got from records either in the
comptroller generals Office or in the
auditors office at Edgefield.
"To make the affairs Of Edgefield
county appear still more 'deplorable
he goes out Of his way to say that the
schools are run on credit, and that it
would take $4,000 to put them on
cash basis. The schools of this eoun-
ty have been run in no other way since
1876, and, it would take $4,000 to put
them on cash basis. I wonder how