The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-02-03
LIGHTS LITTLE "LovE LETTER"
Reddick, Fla, Jan.26, 1911.

weeks Banner:
Mr.. Fort says l helped daddy bill
that has cost the counties of the state
100000 yearly by compelling the au-
thorities to pay to a convict at the
end of his sentence, about 8 cents a
| day out of the money his hire brought
the county; by forbidding the author
tiles to lease the women convicts and
| by forbidding the authorities to lease
the sick and disabled convicts.
Mr.. Fort, but three of the entire
house voted against the bill, and
think it is both economy and just that
when a convict brings into the county
the sum he does he should have at
least 3 cents a day out of the sum to
start a new life
Mr. Fort, the honor of our state is
worth more than gold, and l consider
that a woman-even if convict-to
be sold as hog in the market too hor-
rible for a decent man to approve of
for the sake of obtaining cash to meet
county extravaganza.
Mr. Fort, believe that by reserving
the sick and disabled convicts, the les
sees will pay more for the able-bodied
convicts. The state contract with the
convict lessees calls for an increase
of Is per cent. for Withholding the
sick.
Thanks, Mr.. Fort, for showing up
my mistakes.
Thanks, Mr.. Fort, for telling the
public part of your work as a county
commissioner by saying that your dis
trict in one year spent $4,000, while
Mr.. Crosby's district, in round num-
bers, spent $4,000 on public roads, and
to further show up the work of our
county commissioners you say that
the 1905 census reports 1901 people
in your district, or that you received
1884 per head, while in Mr. Crosby's
district there were 5741 persons, or
Mr. Crosby spent 1928 per head!
Can't you see?
The total expenditures for road
work in Mr.. Forts and Mr.. Crosbys
districts were $4,000 for one year.
The total levy for the road fund the
same year was less than $4,000. Now,
Mr. Fort, please tell the public where
Messrs. MacKay, Mathews and Proc
tor got the money they spent on their
roads the same year, and also how
much they spent.
AS Fort and Crosby spent $1,000
more than the entire proceeds of the
road fund, we tax payers should know
more of the financial doings of the
commissioners.
County Commissioners, if there is a
rat in Marion county's meal barrel,
Light will find it, sure.
Had Light been a county commits
sioner had not transgressed the law,
had acted wisely with the county's
funds, Light would gladly let the peo-
pie know how the county's finances
were. Had Light violated the law
spent the peoples money unwisely-
well, Light would do his best not to
let the tax payers have a statement
of the finances, just like our commits
sioners have done
County Commissioners, Marion
county is about $4,000 in debt, and
you want to add about $4,000 more to
the Indebtedness by building new
Jail
County commissioners, instead of
coming to Ocala to look up our coun-
| TVS financial condition, I turn to the
yearly report of the collector of taxes
which was made to the state comp
troller, and there l can get part of the
information you refused to furnish
me.
| County Commissioners, Mr.. E. P.
Thagard's report for 1902 to the state
comptroller gives the advalorem tax
es collected, the licenses, etc, and in
| bAG OdLlC lOpO1I 10 p1 l4ICO CllO ClA1iObLN
we received from state convicts, from
the state 1-mill tax and other state
receipts, making a total of $4,000
This does not include poll taxes nor
the fines collected by the county.
County Commissioners, Mr.. Carney
our tax collector for the year 1908, re-
Iports to the state comptroller, and in
cludes like items as the above, and
shows that the county received $11S,-
loco.
! County Commissioners, the year
1 1911 will foot up $4,000.
County Commissioners with nearly
100 per cent. increase in six years
over 100 per cent increase in eight
years, and $4,000 in debt is, to my
way of thinking, the reason you re-
fused to publish the county's financial
standing
/ County Commissioners, why are We