The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-12-21
PUBLIC HEARING OF
CHARGES AGAINST COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS WILL
Be COMPLETED TO-DAY

cCutou ny iloiuii ClOi ooh anu -. y"
Bloom, while L. c. Johnson is con.
Quoting the defense.
Only one witness was introduced
today by the defense, this being Wer.
ner G. Jones who testified as to the
return to the county Of money re-
funded to the men fined for pitching
small coins, while they were waiting
for their bids for purchasing the road
bonds to be considered.
Up to this afternoon the prosecu-
tion had introduced only four wit
nesses, besides the chief prosecutor,
Bloom. There were " w. Stephen
son, John F. Cox, J. X. Futch and
H. j. Hilton, the latter of Kathleen.
None of these testified to anything of
Importance, or that was relevant to
the charges The general line of
questioning indicated that the princi-
pal object of their testimony was TO
endeavor to prove that somebody had
promised that Barlow clay would be
used as road foundations.
Only three of the eleven signers of
the charges have shown up, and the
ungrateful taxpayer in whose inter-
est all this patriotic fuss is raised, is
notable for his absence.
I 81, ,x,st nnt,-
toned yesterday, the following were
examined late yesterday afternoon
A. T. Mann, Chairman of the Board
of County commissioners; f. c.
Humphreys, of the Humphreys Con-
struction Co.; II. S. Jaudon, of the
Jaudon Engineering Co.; J. P. Muir
daugh County Tax Collector; w. S.
Wev. Clerk of Board of Commission
ers and of the Bond Trustees; and
County Commissioners J, c. Swindell
and John S. Howard. NJ. F, Hether-
ington was not principal witness
in the hearing, nor did he participate
locker.
The testimony of these witnesses
absolutely refuted or explained to the
satisfaction of any fair-minded per-
son. every charge that was made. The
charges. indeed, in a number of in
stances were trivial, being of such a
nature as could be brought against
anv body of public men whose steps
had been dogged by malice and vim
dictiveness. Such charges could be
brought against the present Board of
Commissioners of the City of Lake
land. or any other Board If any one
chad it in" for them sufficiently to
make the effort
Briefly, the following facts were
brought out by the sworn testimony:
Barlow clay was never promised on
the entire road system by the County
Commissioners or any one else in au-
thority. because it was thoroughly un-
derstood that the cost Of transporting |
it would make it's exclusive use pro-
hibitive.
The contracts were not changed |
after the people voted bonds. for the
simple reason that they were let
weeks before the bond election.
Reductions were made in the as
sessments of certain phosphate COM
panies for the excellent reason that
certain properties Of these companies
the equipment and parts of
ten miles of railroad-had been
shipped out of the state.
Contracts for putting up road signs
,r markers had been let by the Com
nissioners, hence this duty has not
,een neglected.
Neither $500. or any other sum, had
,een paid for an illegal" tax list, for
he simple reason that there has been
10 illegal tax list, the Judge of the
'ircuit Court having pronounced the
ist in question a legal one. $500 was
aid the Lakeland News in comprom-
So of a lawsuit, and in order to save
he taxpayers of the county several
lines that sum in costs and attor-
ey's fees.
The s193.5O paid the Evening Tel
gram. and which has been given such
n important place in the charges
,as for work legally ordered and
harged for at the proper rate. 1t :
lay be stated in this connection that
yhile only one publication was
harged for, the matter was printed
, both the Evening Telegram and the
akeland News; then the type was
,aned the Barlow Record. allowing