It was a dark day for the state treasury when Controller Nelson K. Hopkins delivered his scathing verdict on May 6, 1873. In a landmark decision, Judge J. M. Van Cott declared that the Board of Supervisors of the County of Kings had been playing fast and loose with the law. The controversy centered around the Deficiency Tax Bill, chapter 700 of the Laws of 1872, which authorized the creation of debt for various purposes. But Hopkins was having none of it, citing Section 12 of the Constitution as grounds for his opposition.
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Key Facts
- State: National
- Category: Public Corruption
- Era: Historical
- Source: Library of Congress — Chronicling America ↗
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