The Penn's Grove record., 1917-03-02
THE COUNTY STATEMENT
President jackson Freed The
Nation of Debt and Di-
vided The Surplus

With this issue of the Penns Grove
Record is the statement of the receipts
and expenditures of the Board of Chos-
en- Freeholders, the governing body of
Salem county. Each municipality elects
a representative for a term of three
years. They meet monthly and as often
as business requires. They receive 81
a day and mileage.
The word Freebooter means owner of
land free from debt. Originally only a
man who owned land in fee simple was
qualified to be elected to the office.
The Board of Freeholders of Salem
county for the past t~hirty-fve years has
had published in all the county papers
an account of their stewardship, showing
where the money came from and where
and for what it was expended.
That is the democratic system of gov
eminent. The democratic conception of
government is that a man is elected to
Office to perform some duty for the peo-
pies welfare. The imperial, aristocrat-
ic idea of government is that the office
is created to give a man a job at a sal
airy sufficient to maintain his dignity and
the money he spends is none of the tax
PAYERS business to know where it is
spent except to keep him and his party
in office. The man with a big salary is
expected to dine and entertain those
who vote to keep him imperial dignity
in Office and see that the public taxes
are spent only where it will keep the
party or person in office.
The statement is published primarily
to inform the taxpayers where their
money went. The publisher is entitled
to pay for his services which is incl
dental to the publication.
The imperial party idea is that the
statement be printed to give the pub
Usher a job and that informing the pub
lie is not in the mind of the party poll
tician.
When municipal elections were held in
March the law required a statement OF
expenditures to be published a few
weeks previous to the election when the
people could size up the candidates and
the account of their expenditures.
Since the spring elections were abol-
ished on the plea of economy and no
statement was published previous to
elections public expenditures have jump
ed by leaps and bounds.
JACKSON'S SURPLUS.
Accompanying the statement is a re-
port of the Surplus Revenue amount
ing to S35,4O7. IA. The interest on this
amounting to $2,099.46 is paid to the
municipalities for school purposes.
Whence came the surplus?
The friends of President Jackson first
celebrated the Sth of January, in 1888.
- -..-- ~rond hannIIcf If n0f univ
commemorated the day on which he
whipped the British at New Orleans,
and thereby forever settled the question
that these United States could and would
govern not only the land but also have
the freedom of the seas without inter-
ference of other nations, but on that day
the last installment of the national debt
was paid. This was the first time on
earth a great nation was out of debt. A
great nation out of debt was an aston
fishing vision to all the wondering world.
Not only was the nation out of debt
but had a big surplus in the treasury
which was divided between the States.
New Jersey divided her share between
the county for the purpose of having the
interest thereon used for free schools.
It was loaned to different persons un-
til the county needed money during the
Civil War. Then the Freeholders call
ed it in and loaned it to the county, and
has continued to pay interest on it ever
since. Instead of collecting this wal
debt in taxes and loaning it to others,
the Freeholders merely collects the in
terest every year for the county school
fund.
Every taxpayer and every school child
has a greater reason to remember the
economy in public affairs of President
Andrew jackson than any other Presi-
dent. Because his economy in govern.
ment is helping to pay for the education
of every child his portrait should adorr
every school room.