Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-10-20

county and ceased TO be responsible
for its government in 1896 that the
county was absolutely without any
debt, taxes were low, and the whole
amount OF money taken from the
people i'm the way OF taxes each year
from county purposes was from 49,.
600 to s25 200 only. Wha< has hap.
pened since Republican officers have
administered our affairs? Beginning
with the very year 1897 they took
charge the county, began spending
more money than its taxes raised and
Mercer County's debt, which now
amounts to more than 100000 had
its beginning in that very year. Year
by year IL has grown and increased.
for year by year the extravagance and
graft OF Republican county officials
have overstepped the income OF the
county Not only have they saddla
The county with debt incr easing
year by year, but the amount of tax
es raised each year has grown from
about $4,000 for all purposes uhd ,r
Democratic control, higher and high.
er until last year the estimate foI
current county purposes was owe;
$4,000, with about SIS 900 for district
roads and $4,000 to apply on past in.
debtedness. OF this amount for cur.
rent county purposes over $4,000 was
for salaries of county officers, Nsalai
les which have been increased time
and again, and more than doubled. by
a Republican Legislature and County
Court. Not only have the salaries o
old offices been more than doubled
but numbers of new onices have beer
created with large salaries attachc,
to them. The Assessor and his der
titles, under the new Dawson tax
scheme, one of whose principal oh
jects seems to be to raise money 10
pay officers for assessing and collect
ing the taxes, get nearly $4,000 a year
n salaries besides ONCE equipment
and supplies; the new County road
engineer created by last Legislature
gets $500 year, and il is a known
.act that for years the road money OF
the county has been spent in paying
road officials and not on the roads.
Then there is a veritable horde OF
new petty officers who come in
fees out OF the county treasury for
doing useless things. The salary OF
Judge of Criminal Court has been IL
creased to $2500 a year and office rent
and supplies making at least $500 q
year. and this officiai actually holds
court about five or six weeks in the
"Dtire year. The salary Ct the clerl:
of the Circuit and Criminal Court has
been run up to $4,000 a year, and his
fees which amount to several thous
and dollars a year. This is a pref.
ty good salary for man who can
hardly write his name and who is in-
competent to discharge a single duty
OF his office. except perhaps to carry
Il book into Court or swear wit
uess. Numerous other salaries could
be mentioned that swell this single
item to more than il used to take 10
run the entire county government
And it is a known fact that these sal
aries are being continually raised and
tlc incumbents OF these offices are
Derpetually scheming to get them
raised.
But Notwithstanding this enormous
levy over $4,000 FOR last year oi
which about $67 900 was collected the
county court spent for current pur
poses over $4,000 leaving a deficit OF
$4,000 for the year on current expen
ditures. About $4,000 was collected
and paid on the county debt levy. but
which owing to the deficit of $4,000
only reduced the county debt about
$4,000.
These are facts taken from the rec
Ords, the figures are i'm round mum
bers, and any one can see for himself
who takes the trouble. The County
Court paid John Helms and company
Of Philadelphia over $1,000 to go oyeI
the records Of the county and find out
just how the county stood, and their
report Of September 10. 1909. shows
the facts in regard 20 the county debt
rs above stated
The Republican bosses have beer