The Pascagoula chronicle. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1905-1920, 1919-09-06
AUDIT or COUNTY BOOKS.


There is q 1ay On the statute books
Of Mississippi which provides that the
governor. upon petition Of twenty-five
Ter cent 81 the qualified electors Of q
county. may appoint sn examiner to
investigate and audit the books and
accounts Of any Ct all officials Of the
county. The Law il good one, ana
was designed for the protection Of the
citzeng and tax payers Of the county
when they had reasons To suspect that
all was not well in the administration
Of public affairs
Here is the story Of how al enter
prising firm OF auditors slipped one
over on The tax payers Of Jackson
county. and ne understand are work
ing the scheme elsewhere in the state:
Knowing the peBchant Of the aver
age citizen for getting his name on
petitions. local citizens were hired, IL
Is alleged. To circulate petitions In the
county, requesting the governor 10 or
der an audit OF the county books. We
are informed some four or five hundred
signers were obtained to the petition
IN this manner This occurred along
In the first Of August Later, mum
Der OF the citizens who signed the pc
titlon, signed counter petitions asking |
that the audit be not ordered and that
their names be stricken from the origi-
nal petition. III acknowledging receipt
Of the counter petition Governor Bilbo
stated that the first petition had not
then been received by him.
Nevertheless. this week Mr. James
Neville (son Of the late lamented and
esteemed Judge Jas. II. EeyilleJ OF
GuIfpon arrived here, with corps
the governor, and began the audit
When questioned by citizens he gave
them to understand that he proposed
to make the audit regardless, unless his
commission was revoked by the gov
ern0r Asked az to the probable cost,
he stateG it was his intention to put
In : bill OF SO day for himself and
each Of his assistants. snd incidental
Is penges making the cost 10 the coun-
~, with the present force OF auditors
50 o. more per day. Asked as to the
line required for the audit he stated he Z
.oUld not make a definite estimate,
probably two to four months, per
laps more.
Thus with the estimate submitted
bore the audit will probably cost the
omty 40 Wuere from So GOO 10 $1,000,
nj 10 yatnng how much more If the
BdifG decide to spend the winter o
q ~ SO far as We can learn they r
&c 10 be governed by taelr own sweet b
ri ann can 90 back as far as they D
he They began this week in the
herifI'a cthce, taking up the admins
-ation OF h. l.. Lindinger eight years
ack
There if some hope that the COVER
Or may revoke the examiners com
lission. when the matter is submitted
} him in the proper light. This firm
I auditors, strangers and outsiders,
lithout interest IN the county, have
Ie5tea Tor themselves . most lucrative
OF which promises 10 cost our tax
era pretty peaHy Unless their ac-
.ytfra- -r4 ftsr.5fef
UAi lew, if Gay, believe an audit
the coEnty books 81 this time is
ecessary, there Il no objection 10 an
udit; in fact the Chronicle thinks If
'c succeed in getting rid OF this bunch
Tho have fastened themselves upon
- the board OF supervisors should
ontract with a responsible firm of
uditors to do the work at a fixed
rice.
What we in common with every
linking man in the county do most
object to, however, is
he manner in which the present audit
as brought about
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