The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-01-20
FORT FURNISHES FACTS
To the Editor Ocala Banner:

TO the Editor Ocala Banner:
nave read Mr.. L. S. Lights I'M
warranted attack on the board of
county commissioners. Since was
member at the time his famous COM
munication was before the board, I
feel justified in replying to it
Mr.. Light wants to know about his
dividend as a stakeholder in the coun-
ty' etc. I am pleased to enlighten
MIN: From October 1, 1909, to Octo-
Der 1, 1910, you have had spent on
the roals in your district $12,990. In
the district which | represented, with
a much greater number of miles of
roads, for the same period Of time,
there was fraction over $4,000 spent
You also have your dividend in all the
public improvements of the county,
which I challenge you to show that
they do not compare favorably with
those of any other county in the state
for the same amount of money ex-
pended.
You have as some of your liabili-
ties, for which you are & am told) re-
sponsible, that Internal convict lease
law which you helped to daddy in
1909, compelling the county commits
sioners to pay every four-months sen
fenced coon at the expiration Of sen
tence SO, with transportation expens-
es back to place of conviction All
those with over four-months' SEN
tence, So, and expenses to place of
conviction; also making the county
commissioners mercenaries to 1essees
of convicts, that they cannot lease a
woman, and every little frivolous pre-
text Of ailment or disability exempts
convicts from being leased. BY this
humanitarian stroke, as you are pleas
ed to call it, you helped to fetter upon
the people a law that is costing them
more than 100000 annually-and
Light sets up a howl about high tax
alton
Mr. Light I am pleased to tell you
that I knocked that request of yours
into a cooked hat You had the te-
merity to ask the board to go into
their records and get disbursements
of moneys, and have them published,
etc. In that you displayed ignorance,
as the county commissioners had no
right to do this. You erred when you
said that it would not cost the county
one cent to have published the finan-
cial standing of the county. This
would have been an extra advertise
ment, and to have complied with your
request would have cost the county at
least fifty dollars
You say that you believe that we
did not want the financial standing
Of the county known It is written
that man may believe a lie. and be
condemned for it-so believe it if you
wish
Now. sir, you close with that little
threat of yours: County commits
sioners, don't force me to make you
show up." l will have you to know
that ten of the best years of my life
have been spent in the service of the
people, and in no instance have I or
any other member shown a dispOsi-
ton to cover up any official act of
ours Our doors have been kept open.
Our records at all times free and open
to the people so that anyone could, in
a few minutes, get any desired infOr-
nation relative to the condition of the
finances, etc. That the county was
in debt when l became a member is
true. That it is more in debt now is
also true That the people have ask
ed for many improvements is true,
and that they have shown a willing
ness to be taxed to pay for them is
also true. Indeed, l know of no fifty
men who have kicked up so much
dust as Light-and had so little effect.
N. A. FORT.