Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1909-03-18

Editor Record Your paper OF
March the l1tb tells your readers OF
the mandamus suit between the county
treaurer and the board of supervisors
being decided in favor of the super
visions You then give Mr.. Munson 5
side of the controverssry. but fail 10
give the other side. the side taken by
the supervisors. you further say, this
whole matter has dragged along now
nearly three years. and to which. TO
ali appearance, is no nearer final
settlement than when started, you far
Their say il should have been amicably
settled and never brought into court.
to which / heartily agree. and had
Mr.. Munson implied with the reso-
luton, adopted by the full hoard of
supervisors. before he was elected
treasurer. there would have been no
litigation. Give Mr.. Munson. and not
the board of supervisors the credit of
this legal controversial you farther
saw. Mr.. Munson has repeatedly told
the writer that if he and his hondsmen
were released from responsibility he
would place the funds any place the
board might direct. but he did not feel
that he should he required To put up
500. 00G bond and then permit the
board to tell him where he should or
should not deposit the monies. the
$780, 900 bond given by Mr.. Munson
was for the purpose of securing the
county while the money! was in his
hands. the 500. 100 bond given by the
First National Bank of Ithaca, with
whom the board made a contract
wereby they were to pay three per
cent interest on monthly balances,
was to secure the county when the
county funds were In their hands.
to. To me this seems like a plain,
fair. businss proposition. that any,
body ought to understand. You say
that if the give and take principle had
been put to work. by both Mr.. Munson
and the board of supervisors. the
whole matter could have been adjusted
and the county saved a bill of expense
before the matter reached final
decision in the courts. Your article
snooths down the rough places In Mr..
Munson' pathway very nicely, but
don't think much of your give ard
take policy. Mr.. Munson is either
right and the supervisors wrong or the
supervisors are right and Mr.. Munson
wrong there is no give and take about
it. there is principle at stake and
the principle Is shall the people of
Gratiot county through their represent
tatives, the board of supervisors,
govern our own affairs, or shall we be
dictated to by corporatee greed. FIR
the twenty months up to the first
of January. 1909. since Mr.. Munson
beca me treasurer. the records show an
average monthly balance of $50. l2l. 90
or the interest on this amount at three
per cent would have earned the tax
PAYERS So 546. 20. Is not this large
amount worth making an extra effort
for. when more than two-thirds of the
Supervisors favor it. Judge Wisner of
Flint. who "'as called in to act il.
Judge Searls place at the commence
ment of the controversy, decided in
favor of the supervisors. which dcision
was reversed nv the higher court since
then we have had local bill passed by
the legislature for Gratiot county.
givinr ns the legal right 10 loan the
surplus county funds. which in re-
cent decision. handed down by Judge
Gage of saginaw county. not only
upholds the law. hut decides on all the
points at issue in favor of the board
of supervisors Somebody has said.
be sure You are right then 20 ahead.
I'tlon X now the fellow that said IL.
hut do know that the supervisors
think If there is right in anything.
that we are right on our side of the
treasurer controversy To get week
kneed now when the race is nearly
run. and we are several laps ahead.
would be rank cowardice on ouI
part
w. +. Pitt.
Snnorvisor Sevilla