The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1940-07-04
BOWIE rs CANDIDATE
FOR THE LEGISLATURE
Continued from Page one)

to their written promises of not
increasing taxes. Copies of state
ments made in 1886 by the coun-
| ty commissioners and j. B. Hash,
were inclosed.
can examination of your tax
receipts will reveal whether or
not they have carried out this
PROMISE" his letter explained.
''You will further note from these
Enclosures that the county bonds
were not to be put back on the
county. Our original bonded in
debtedness was $1,200,0OO.OO.
These bonds have recently been
re-issued and in the sum of ST.
3OO,OOO.OOO, or $100,OOO.OO more
than the original debt.
There is no one to blame for
the present condition except the
voters and taxpayers who have
allowed to remain in office men
who have thus managed our af-
fairs"
Commissioners Send Reply
Yesterday the county commits
I sioners, J. F. Scott, R. B. Brown
and J. E. Oliver, sent out letters
to a large number of taxpayers" =,
refuting charges made and ex-
planning their position.
Their letter is as follows:
"Mr. T. G. Bowie has recently
mailed out letter, which you
may have received, bitterly at
lacking us and our record and
bitterly attacking you who voted
to elect us. We understand that
Mr.. Bowie did not support us in
the last two elections, and we
suppose you understand it also.
I'm his letter he mentions put
ting bonds back on the County,
He does not tell you where the
bonds had gone. No where ex-
cept into the Federal Court,
where judgments were being rem
dered against the County for
their full amount and six per
cent interest and interest on in
terest and added cost which the
County has had to pay, together
with Attorney fees,-$7,5OO.00 at
one time in addition to his other
fees.
He implies in his letter that
bonds have been issued for $780,
10000 more than the County
owed, thus indirectly charging us
with wrong doing and wrongful
ly issuing $1O0,00O.00 in bonds.
The statement in the letter is not
true. The original bonds issued
by Ashe County amounted to ST.
100000 as shown by the en-
closed statement. At the time we
went into office there was due
on the principal $1,079,000.00
which amount we have refunded
on thirty-two years time at a
greatly reduced rate of interest
saving the County several hun.
dred thousand dollars. Since no
interest was paid for a period of
four years while Mr.. Bowie was
County Attorney except what
was required to be paid by man.
damus issued in the Federal
Court, there was past due in in
i terest the sum of $274,907.44. We
refunded interest bonds in the
sum of $122,OOOO0, cutting the
past due interest in half and ac-
tually issued bonds for $150,000.-
90 less than what the County
owed instead of $1OO,OOO.O0 more
as Mr.. Bowie would have you be-
lieve. We made this saving and
! obtained thirty-two years in
which to pay an existing debt
that had not gone anywhere ex-
cept into the Courts.
"He didn't tell you that these
original bonds were not put on
the County by us but that Mr..
Bowie himself passed through the
Legislature Acts ratifying or is
suing a great part of them.
"He refers to the tax rate. He
does not tell you that the Coun-
ty has lost half of it's railroad
valuation and about 100000 in
taxes; has lost from the tax books
money and notes, and about 3d.
10000 in taxes. He does not men
ton new State and National Laws
requiring us to levy for old age
pensions and aid to dependent
children and Welfare work.
''He does not mention the Farm
Department which he always OPP
posed and which we established
and which brings into the Coun-
ty more than enough to pay all
the taxes and from which he him
self drew one Of the largest
checks with which to pay his own
taxes.
GAS to the revaluation, in 1887,
when there was a Statewide re-
valuation and we had the power
to revalue your land, you know
4ho% 11yo did not do en- which