The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-06-23
LETTER FROM Mr.. FORT
he Editor ocala Banner:

" AhC AluAIOA O1dio DohAACA.
Mr.. Lights whole contention in his
article is that the county commission
ers have transcribed the law, etc. He
is pleased to designate this fact
Rats Ratsi"
l will now show his bare inconsist-
ency; that he has been particeps
criminus, aiding and abetting, work
ing in conjunction with the board in
violating the law.
When a board of county commits
sioners exceeds in expenditures the
amount provided for the expenses,
they have transcribed their legal au-
thority. This has been done for many
years When | became a member of
the board the county was $4,000 in
debt. This fact shows that former
boards had exceeded their legal au-
thority The board of which | was
a member kept the Indebtedness at
about the above figures until it be-
came necessary to build a court
house, and the only legal way being
to bond the county for this purpose
We called an election for the people
to decide; they refused to allow us
to bond the county for this purpose.
Mr.. Light told me afterwards that he
aided in defeating the county issuing
bonds. We did not feel willing to
build over the protest of the people
unless we were assured that the peo-
pie were in favor of it by some other
method. We advertised for a mass
meeting of the people to determine
this fact. Mr.. Light was at the meet
ing. The board fully explained to
them that we would be violating the
law to build a house since they had
refused to bond for this purpose. The
result was that this assembly of tax
payers, to man, voted to instruct
the board to go ahead and build a
court house with interest-bearing war
rants. They also limited us as to
cost, etc.
Then and there the board asked
them to elect a committee of four
from among them to meet with the
board from time time to aid and as
sist the board in the work of building.
Mr. Light was elected as one of this
committee, and accepted the position,
met with us, aided in the work, etc.,
knowing when he did it that there
was not the shadow of law for build
ing a court house in that way; know
ing that we had not a dollar in adj
vance to pay on it; knowing of and
Joined in the pain to ask the legisla-
ture, which was to meet in April,
1905, to validate the interest-bearing
warrants issued to build the house;
knowing that the board was to levy a
millage yearly to meet the payment
of warrants and interest. Yes, sir,
Light knew of, and assisted in every
detail from start to finish.
Now, after five or more years have
passed, he, in his Wanted majesty,
lambasts the board of county commits
sioners for transcending the law
Mr.. Light, in the face of the above
facts, l feel no conjunction of con-
science in saying that your attacks
upon us smacks of base ingratitude
Now, word about your petitions,
etc. You know that the demand upon
the board by the people has been in
cessant for more and better roads,
the like of which has never been
known before The board has grant
ed the peoples needs and wants to
the extent of mourning a considerable
Indebtedness of the road fund We
have as a result of the expenditures
of this fund, as shown in bulletin No
2, gotten up by Z. H. Sellards, Phi. D.,
up to the close of 1910, $50 miles of
sand-clay roads, 81 miles of lime
roads and 70 miles of pine-straw roads
not included in this Geport-nearly
double the amount of any other coun-
ty in the state. The people have ask
ed for, and received, these improve
ments, and some have signed your
petitions knocking us for granting
the very thing they asked for
am advising vow that ! viii not
continue this controversy any further,
as I am not looking for any notoriety
through the newspapers.
NORMAN \. FORT
AIM OE col 6 MAILES