The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1915-04-06
Newberry. S c., Dec 18th, 1871

Newberry. S c., Dec 18th, 1914
Hon. Cole. L. Blease, Columbia, sc.
Dear Co ernor:
1 wrote you few days ago that
would write you more fully o: the
grand jury's presentment as to the
auditors office l am going to try TO-
do it in all candor and frankness.
At the outset, desire to thank you,
for the considerate way you nave
treated me in this whole matter
feel very grateful to you. and have
done everyd ing in my power to make
good my promise to you to go .-2.1eai
and get my books in shape to tura
over to the treasurer as quickly &>
possible.
Unfortunately, aid defer compile
ing my book too long by trying TO DO
the work myself, especially since spe-
cial school district assessments have
increased the work of the office more
than one-third, and hence / had to rusl.
tie work and had to call in help at
last. But We got the books made up,
and there are no errors except such
as may occur on any county treasureT'S
books in the State, and I am staying
| in my Office to aid the collection Of
taxes, by giving any information can,
Were needed, as the law requires me.
to do. There are some clerical errors
on the auditors duplicate which, OF
course, appear On the treasurer's dupl1-
cate, but there isn't an auditor in the
State who doesn't have to make cor
rections on the treasurer's duplicate,
even after the book has been turned
over. Wien the auditor and treasurer
work in harmony with each other
these clerical errors can be arranged
without the least inconvenience to the
tax payer. They do not involve any
loss to the county, the State, the treas
urer Or anyone else. But if the treas
urer is disposed to do so, he can stay
entirely within his rights, and make
tie auditors road as rouga and rocky
as possible.
1 state positively ltnat, with the DIP
plicate Mr.. Epps has in hand, neither
he nor the county of Newberry can
possibly lose anything. Much is made
in the grand jury's report over few
tracts of land being left off TIE tax
duplicates. will venture the as
sertion that there is less land
left off Il e books of Newberry county
than t3ere is in two-thirds of the coun-
ties of the State-a fact at can easily
be proven or disapproven ct the close
Of tie tax year. Mr.. Epps knows, il
it.e grand jury doesn't, that a regular
additional tax return blank is furnish
ed every county auditor every year by
the comptroller generals Office for the
purpose of catching up property in
advertently left off the duplicates,
! Barring a few sucl omissions and
clerical errors due TO hurry in making
up my books at the last, and t ese %
not in.olye any loss, the treasurer
duplicate is thoroughly reliable.
1t was the grand jury's right to pre-
sent me if investigation showed that
they were correct in their conclusions.
But to take the statement and adopt
the cor nclusions of some one not Off
cially connected with them-Which
thew did-without even coming into my
office for a word of explanation, It
seems to me was very unfair. If the
grand jury had done me the fairness
to come into my office and ask or in
vestigate the alleged irregularities,
would have been glad to go over tnem,
item by item, and l am sure l would
have convinced them that the countys
interests Fave been thoroughly SAFE
guarded in every particular.
t AS one instance, tie grand jury
charged me with leaving of the prop
erty (botn real and personaD OF ",
josh Linder, OF Number 9 townsnr.
If they had come into my,ofice, could
have explained the matter to their sat-
isfaction, because of the fact that W.
Jos, Linder made his return for 1874
in the name of ]. W. Linde-, instead
OF w. Josh Linder, as heretofore. W.
JOSH and j. W. Linder, you see, is one
and the same person. There were
few other instances of the same kind
that, if they had come into my ONCE
instead of drawing their conclusions
from another, would have explained
satisfactorily to them. They did not see
even a line or figure on the auditors