The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1909-11-01
A BANKRUPT COUNTY.


made by T. n. Hazelip that the
county ring has been grating and
wasting the public funds, and reply
ing only with conventional stump
speech jokes. and yelling liar at the
Evening sun, which is the only news
paper that sent a reporter to the de
bates, County Attorney Alben Bark
ley attempted to get around some
matters. which personally involved
himself, at the court house Saturday
night, when a great crowd heard the
debate.
During his speech Mr.. Hazelip pro-
duced the affidavit made by Council
man w. l.. Bower. that j. T. Oliphant
president of the Vincennes Bridge
company, had told him 1t was neces-
sary to fix the gang" aud chal
lenged Mr.. Barley to produce the
original of the affidavit, published in
the News-Democrat as that Of ]. 7.
Oliphant. denying Bowers statement.
Mr.. Barley has never produceN the
affidavit at a single meeting and
failed to produce it Saturday night.
In answer 10 the charge that he
himself had Withheld back tax money
for nearly a year. he explained that
he had difficulty in ascertalning the
exact amount of it, although 1t was
paid to him in a check.
The transaction was first referred
to when Mr. Barley undertook to
drag state issues into the compaign
by saying he heard that a Republican
magistrate of Caldwell had withheld
some. back money, and after being in
dicted had produced a pardon from
Governor Wilson.
AIR. Hazelip remarked that delay
in paying over the back taxes. one of
the offenses of Hiram Smedley, seem
ed to be a conventional fault In Ken
lucky. as 10 of the 119 county
clerks were found to be behind, when
Governor Wilson sent out new set
of auditors agents and Mr.. Barley
himself had kept some money nearly
a year before turning 1t over to the
proper authorities.
Mr.. Hazelip then read copy of a
check which was dated August 2S,
1908, and drawn on the Citizens
Savings bank for s22.S4. for the
state and county taxes and penalties
for the years 1907 and 1908. owed by
II A. Blakeley. The check was made
payable to Alben Barley. signed by
W. Mike Oliver. attorney for Blake
ley. and was cashed August 81,
1903.
Mr. Hazelip read an extract from
a letter from the state auditor in re-
gard to the case. The letter was
dated March 3, 1909. and says: 81:
does not appear that the judgment
against Hugh Blakeley, If any was
entered. was ever certified to this Of
fee The Judgment should be en-
tered. certified to the sheriff and this
office. and paid 10 the sheriff"
As further proof. Mr.. Hazelip said
in order book 20" of the county
court on page 426 in the session of
county court. August 4, 1909, nearly
year dlAtl ihO 'hNNh was N"'HNN -
the Judgment was recorded against
Blakeley for the taxes.
Mr.. Barley made no denial that
he had retained the money, but said
he had forgotten the sum, and did
not know how much to turn over to
the county. He said the check was
paid to him, and he cashed 1t, but
he left the city for week and on his
return had forgotten the amount due
the county. He said he made calls
on Mr.. Oliver. but it was months be-
fore he found out the amount due,
and then paid the sheriff one dollar
too much.
The point made was that Mr.. Bark
lev should have simply endorsed the
check over to the sheriff. Instead he
cashed II three days after he re-
ceived II, marked the case on the
docket in county court just one year,
lacking four days. afterward. and six
months after II was collected, he
had not yet forwarded the money to
the state auditor.
As 10 Dirty Politics.
In regard to the dirty politics Mr.
Hazelip said 81 belong to the min
lority marty in this county, and at the