Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1913-10-18
Some Facts on
Record in Books
of Police jury

Mr.. Rom. p. Leblanc, the sec
rotary of the police Jury, after
being asked regarding the matter
discussed at the board of trade
meeting has given out the following
statement for publication, in viii, h
he points out several matters re-
garding the affairs of the police jury
in the past:
The records will show the con-
parisOn of waste or economy and can be
easily established. The report of the
supervisor of public accounts can be COZ: =
pared rs far back as April I, 1885, the
date the court house burned, which viii /
throw light on the whole subject matter.
THE police jury. and the one proceed
ing, manifested their good will in the
matter of audits by employing the
services of Nix. Chas. +. Wcrmuth, to
See il anything was out place OF in the &C
counts, and surely, if ANYTHING wrong
was contemplated, the audits would
/ have disclosed the fact
! The management, or mismanage-
ment, has been uninterruptedlv the
saine since ten, twenty and thirty years
ago. The records show this, except in
some certain WAYS. which will be ex-
planned later. The court house was
/ built five years after the fire of 1855,
and while it IS true enough, money was,
in NY mind, wisely set aside annually.
begin-iing with mills and then raise
to three mills, to ultimately pay cash
for construction, there is nothing
on record to SHOW, at that time, where
the parish was doing business on cash
basis, except two items out of many
more, which shows conclusively. it must
have been i'll debt.
First the election of 1854 was paid
in 1886 (see Vol l,page 100 and second,
vaults for the court house were brought
in 1891 and paid for in 1S92-the same
condition OF affairs then as now.
There is room for improvement to-
day, as we'll as there has been back to
1885, i'll moreways than one. admitted by
this and the old police juries.
In 1909 the policsNury called for
convention of the best business men of
this parish, which convened in the court
house on July 10, 1909 and nothing then
was offered i'll the shape OF remedy by !
any one
THE police jury appointed super
visor of highways, who pointed out in /!
his report Aug. IL, 1913, (see Vol. d, !
page S7+), wholesale waste, and the !
report WAS published, but that seemed |
unpopular at that time and the police
jury had to rescind their action and
repeal the ordinance creating the Office. |
ION JAMS, 19l3,a committee was ap- |
pointed to look into what could be found |
as a remedy, by tax or otherwise, and |
the committee never inquired or report
ed. Therefore, nothing could be done
by the well disposed members of the
two police juries.
This police jury shows the expenses
for the last fiscal wear, up to Sept. 3d.
leaving October to account for, to be
S23, 271 81, and $50, l455 so the year be-
fore, or, S12, 1888 less than the year
before
Those interested in the management
of the affairs of the parish ignore en-
tirely the fact that since the year 1900,
or twelve years ago, the revenues were
S54, 500, in round figures, while in 1912
S29, 500, or nearly S., 900 less, in other
words, if the revenes had increased in
stead OF decreasing, or had the ex-
penditures decreased as did the revenues,
no doubt, today, the parish would not
only do business on cash basis, but
would have good amount to its credit
in the parish treasury.
I'm all government, howsoever
administered, when ex-
penditures increased and revenues
decreased, unquestionably show lack of
ability on one hand, or
political influence predominating, both
of which are against the tax payers.
THE publication of the financial con-
dition of the parish is point well taken,
and it would doubtless serve the same
purpose as it did heretofore, when claims
--warrants---were as long as ten years
unpaid, in fact, some are unpaid to this
date, due to owners having left the par
ish, death and otherwise. lSee files of
ofice.]