The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1917-07-26
TO The Demo.
CRATIC VOTERS OF
GARRARD COUNTY

thiS itsos NV bt'h wv
purpose. and have tried to avoiC
raising such issues that would cause 4
dissension in Cur party ranks or en-
danger the election of our nominee il
November, but there are some facts
that voters should know before they
act in this primary. A good deal ha:
been said about roads, past and future,
by my opponent or his friends. Both
candidates for this nomination have
records, my opponent having served
for twelve years. have not promise d
to build turnpikes upon every County
road in the County. because Know il
is impossible under present conditions,
and if the administration. over which
have had the honor to preside as
Judge. should leave the County treas
ury in<he condition that | found it
when Judge Ford retired | could be
safe in saving that the County Judge
who succeeds me, whoever he may be
would not build a single mile CT new
pike for the next four wears. But
am pleased to say to the people Of Gar
rard County that while found de-
ficiency in the treasury or a debt
amounting to more than twenty thous-
and dollars created in open violation of
the law ard without any right by the
former fiscal court, when the County
Judge elected in November, takes the
oath of office on the first Monday in
January will find your County without
any debt against it. have heretofore
stated that Judge Ford, assumed the
Office of County Judge, according to
his public statement. on the first Mon
day in January. 1910. with five thous-
and dollars in the treasury after the
satisfaction of all debts excepting the
bonded indebtedness. He retired leav-
ing the bonded Indebtedness of the
County that was due and debt against
the general fund of more than twenty
thousand dollars. My administration
has done, as well as could have been
done, ! think. considering the fact that
the road fund for my past year was en-
tirely consumed, in order to liquidate
this illegal debt left by Judge Ford's
| administration which we We're COM
PEELED to assume. He has made crit
icisms privately, as We are informed,
upon our showing on road construction.
We submit TO the voters whether it is
fair thai phe should take the road funds
due the first year of my administration
and spend the same whether lawfully
or unlawfully and make it impossible
for my administration to have funds to
build roads and now be permitted to
profit by his wrong. The revenue de-
rived from taxation in Garrard County
each year amounts to between thirty
six AMI thirty-eight thousand dollars.
The collection of this fund by the sher-
if comes in the way of taxes and as
every taxpayer knows is not paid un-
til the latter part Of the year, while
some few people pay taxes as early as
June or July large majority do mot
pay until November or December
The expenses of operating the County
government begins on the first Monday
in January, long before there are any
taxes collected to meet these obliga-
tions. Officers salaries, road constiuc-
ton, charity fund and other incidentals
must be paid and the fiscal court has
deemed it the wisest policy to antici-
pate the collection of the taxes and
borrow sufficient money to meet the
general expenses of the County and
pay these debts out of the tax fund of
this year when collected. On January
2, 1917, Garrard County was out of
debt except the bonded Indebtedness.
The OILY debt now against the County
except the bonded indebtedness is that
which was necessary TO pay general
expenses for this year up to this time,
which amounts to about twenty thous-
and dollars. We have taxes due now
amounting to between thirty and thir-
ty-four thousand dollars to satisfy this
debt and meet the expenses until Jan
uary.l, 1918. You can. therefore, see
that the tax fund of this year will sat.
isfy this debt and pay the expenses of
the County government up to January
|, 1918. But the year previous to my
election as County Judge the expenses
Of the County government were SO
recklessly incurred by Judge Ford and
his court that the tax fund for 1918
failed by more than twenty thousand
dollars to meet these general expenses
and my administration had to take
practically all of the road fund of my
first year to satisfy the debt created in
excess of the tax revenue the last year
of Judge Ford's administration. Il II
fair to tie mans feet and criticise
him because he cannot walk? Shall
the critic who furnished and tied the
.ope be furnished a chariot in which to