Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1922-07-17
COUNTY BOARD
SUED FOR $500
And ENJOINED
w E. Mitchell And Others Go
To Court To Make Commits
sioners Put Back

Following the filing of a petition
by Attorneys Zach Childers and Dan
Chappell, representing w. E, Mitch
ell and several other named citizens,
a temporary injunction was signed
by Judge 2. A. Littlejohn late Sat
urday against the members of the
members of the board of county
commissioners and County Treasur-
er Watts restraining them from pay
ing out any more money on an
agreement alleged to have been en-
tered into with the Georgia Good
Roads association last February
whereby the county was to give the
association $4,000 for state highway
bond organization and propaganda
work. Five hundred dollars of this
money has already been paid to the
association, and the petition asks for
court order compelling the Off
GERS named to reimburse the county
treasury with that amount, alleging
that it was illegally paid out of the
/ treasury.
Judge Littlejohn has set Tuesday,
July 25, at 10 a. m. as the date for
hearing the petition. 1t is under
stood the county commissioners will
fight it through W. W. Dykes, coun-
ty attorney.
The men who bring the suit are
w. E. Mitchell, C. l. Brady, ]. A.
McCrea, W. C. Sullivan, J. D. Will
liams and J. A. Hall, the petition re-
cites. The county commissioners
who are defendants are N. A. Ray,
R. S. Oliver, C. C. Hawkins, j. E.
Poole and S. E. Statham.
Meant Thousands To County.
The petition recites the details Of
the transaction, which are more or
less generally known, and the facts
of which, it is understood, the defend
ants will not contest The money, it
is said, was subscribed to the Georgia
| Good Roads association by the county
board, along with a number of other
Georgia counties, for the purpose of
furthering the interests of the pro-
posed 100000 state highway IS
! sue. The commissioners took the po-
sition that it was to the interests
of Sumter county to assist in putting
this issue over, inasmuch as the
| states plan provided for reimbursing
the various counties where perma-
nent highway work had already been
done on highways in the state sys-
TEN, this plan giving Sumter county
refund, up to this time, of some
I thing like $4,000 on the county
bond money already expended on
| highways.
| 1t is understood that all of the
men who have joined in instituting
| the suit against the commissioners
and county treasurer are bitter op-
| ponents of the proposed bond issue.
t The members of the county com
mission are known to feel very much
| chagrinned that their action should
/ be questioned by any citizens, and
! they declare they will not pay back
a cent of money until compelled to
do so, taking the position that they
acted in the interest of the county
and should be supported by the citi-
zens in so doing, instead of harraS-
sed. Speaking for himself and for
| the hoard. Chairman N. A. Ray Mon
day authorized the following state
ment:
Chairman Ray Talks.
1T might be illegal; don't
know. We were doing about that
just like l would do for myself. We
thought it was a good proposition if
we could get back about $175,000
for the county.
eve were acting for the interests
of the people of Sumter county.
| They had confidence in US and
elected US to represent them. We
have been conscientious in doing
that, and we have no inclination to
pay any of it back out of our pock-
cts unless the good people of Sum-
ter county say we must"
Rumors of the impending suit
have been heard for some weeks.
When word first became prevalent
that objection had been raised to
the payments, the board refused to
authorize payment of the second
installment under its agreement
with the association, which was due
in April. AT the time the board
adopted a declaration, which is en-
bodied in its records, it is said, ac-
cepting the full responsibility for
the transaction and absolving the
county treasurer from any blame,
he having acted on the orders of
the board.
The Petition.
Following is the text of the prin-
cipal parts of the petition:
"That at the regular February
term, 1922, of said county commits