The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1918-10-04
Card from Mr.. Walker
Anent the Mont Observance Of Ger
tain Laws Passed by Him at the
1915 Session of the Georgia
Legislature
Editor Leader Enterprise;

sA@9AtOk
Dear Sir:-On yesterday, October
lst, met in the Office of the County
Commissioners of Roads and Reye-
nues for the purpose of taking up a
public question with the board. 1t
being the regular day for the board
to meet. I was told by someone that
they were not going to meet until
next Monday. The question wanted
10 raise with the board was a matter
| wanted settled before the grand Jury
met next week, but as they were not
in session, deem it my duty as a
citizen and taxpayer to bring this
question before the general public so
that the public may determine the
justice and fairness of the proposition
to be raised with the County Com
missioners. The question is the non
compliance OF the law. Acts of 1915.
Page 153; this law was passed by N.Y.
self in which figured that the prop
erty owners should know how their
money was spent by placing certain
duties on the Board of County Com
missioners. Those duties are cited
in section 2 of said act which reads
as follows: Section (lD which is an
amendment to a, law passed in 1914.
Sec. ,G1) be it further enacted by
the authority aforesaid" which goes
on and describes the duties of the
Commissioners with reference to
their office work, etc, and says: ct
shall be the duty of said Commission
ers to prepare once each three
months an itemized statement of all
expenditures and disbursements made
by them, which statement shall show
the number of orders of warrants
drawn by them on the treasury, the
amount of each order or warrant and
the person in whose favor same was
drawn, and one copy kept on file in
the office of said Commissioner. Said
Commissioners shall also cause to be
published at the countys expense in
the official organ of said county an
abstract of each of said itemized
statements"
The above is the exact wording of
this portion of the act The commits
sioners for some cause unknown to
the taxpayers have ignored this law,
and have not seen fit to comply with
it. The people are entitled to the in
formation this law seeks to give. The
little cost that this advertising
amounts to is small compared with
the satisfaction the people would get
out of knowing what their money
was spent for and how much it was
taking to run the county. AS it is, no
one seems to know just how the
county is getting along and it is all
of our business to know and we are
e%titled to know, and that is why I
passed the law, so that we would
know, but it is being ignored entire
ly. Just why cannot say.
1t was my intention had the board
been in session to ask them to go
back and itemize these statements
since the passage of this law in 1915,
and give them TO the people SO that
they may have some idea as to how
the county stands today, and if they
refuse to do it mandamus them and
force them to do it. However, now
the grand jurys attention will be call
ed to it, and if no action is taken l
will proceed as above cited.
Our Commissioners are good, hon
est men, and for that reason there
can be no good cause shown why
they do not comply with the law and
give the people the information they
are entitled to have. I have tried to
pass laws for the interest of the peo-
pie, and to see them ignored as they
are being done, surely the question
should be raised to find out whether
the people want the law or not. 1t
they do it must be enforced.
!. certainly regret to have to bring this
B important matter to the attention OF
Sfhe people. There will be some people
ready to accuse me of being kicker,
ggbait let that be as it may. l assume
sfhe right to kick if l feel like it, and
4 HI This case | have a just cause in
Kfhe interest of everybody.
Yours truly,
.At#stHEft n