Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1858-10-05
County Finances

In this section of country as an advertising
medium.
County Finances
We understand that the article which we pub
lished two weeks ago on the subject Of county
finances, has been interpreted by portion of our
readers so as to lay the whole blame ofthe large
delinquent list upon the Sherifs who col
leot the revenue. There is nothing in the ar
ticle capable of such construction, nor did we
intend to convey such an idea. We know not
to what extent certain influences may operate
upon the Sheriffs, unconseiously to themselves
to make them remiss or less rigid in the coiiec-
ton of the revenue than prior to the new Ooh-
stitution; but so far as we know or believe the
officers of this county discharge all their dutles
as we'll as any set OF man could under the cir
camstances. As to the delnquents, ouridea was
that many of them had the money in their peck
cts and refused to pay public dues because they
had no visible property that could be levied up
on and suffered no disabilities, Hence we sug-
gested that no one ought to have been permit
ted to vote without payment of taxes, or, as the
Court cannot change the State Constitution, that
publication of the delinquent list might have q
good effect. And here we take occasion to say,
it has been intimsted that we probably made
the lstter suggestion from desire to get small
job of advertising. 1t is also objected, we learn,
that as we live in the town of Stanton (Which
maintains its own poor and taxes its citizens for
local purposes) and have no county levy TO pay,
therefore we have no right to meddle with coun'
ty affairs. We are not surprised at these crltl
cisms, nor do We care to defend ourselves g.
gainst them. We do not precieye, however
why any one should complain of our pubhca'
tions, unless it be person who is interested IL
preventing investigation and reform.
A gentleman who has examined the delln
quent list for 1857 (the LAST has given us som'
facts in reference to it. The total number OF de
linquenGs is $40, and of these it seems that only
446 are returned for want Of property, and S94
are returned as ''remoged," "not known" mo
found" and ''twice charged" This explains the
matter somewhat, but not entirely. The labor
ers at the Blue Ridge Tunnel, vino left last year
are included among the tthables removed. =
But the number of delinquents the year before
when no laborers left, was 1871 Why was tn
list so large then2 Did several hundred tithabie
leave the county that year, There is, however
another important fact in this connection. Il
1850 the number of tithables in the county re
turned delinquent for all causes, was 442--fou
less than those returned last year for want
property alone. 1t cannot be pretended that tn
increase in 1856 and 1867 is owing to the in
crease of population. To disprove any such pre-
sumption let us compare the figures for 1850 au
1856, choosing the latter instead of 1857 becaus
there was then no emigration of laborers iron
the county:
1850 1855
Number of Tithables,. ............ $751;. s,Szs
Delinquents, OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. A2 ...... Ioi
Increase of tithables So; of delinquents S25.
Thus it is evident that the increase IN tn
number of delinquents must be accounted TO
in some other way than on the superstition men
toned. There must be other causes in operatio
to produce this state of things. We may adj
that iu 1850 the county levy, or head tax, wa
$1.00, Notwithstanding there was an apProPri
alton that year of 1000 to the Courthouse.
These things, we think, require investigation
and we repeat the questions which we have ask
ed heretofore Why is it that there has beel
such an enormous increase in the county expen
ditures within the last few years. Why is
that while the average of county levies for fou
years in Rockbridge is 90 1-2 cents, and in Al
bemarle 90 cents, in Augusta it is $lS6f-
Where does the money goa Have we anything
more than Rockbridge and Albemarle, to show
for it2 Upon these points information is needed
and all we get shall be communicated to the pub
lic The County Court, some time ago, ap
pointed a committee to inquire into the manage
ment of the fund for the support of the poor
and we presume their report will be published
AS we have said on former occasions, we en-
terrain no suspicion even that any individual il
guilty OF corruption or fraud yet county expenses
have been increasing in the manner we have
shown, and unless proper steps are taken to o
conomize there is no telling at what amount they
viii stop.