The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1861-10-31
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pendent The learned, astute and erudite ADVICE OF
that firm has proved, to his own satisfaction, that
the whole system Of public printing, as practissdin in
the State If Ohio, is wrong--that Treasurer
cannot publish his Tax List, nor buy couple OF
dollars worth Of tax receipts, and an Auditor cam
not publish his Delinquent List, or buy duplicate,
without giving due snl proper notice to all the
book sellers, stationery pcddes and newspaper pub
fishers in the State, 80 that each AMI every one
of them may have a finger in the pic. Now few
of us common lawyers, as well as several Of our
brethren in oth-r places were at first inclined I"
treat the argum mt with derison, and To impute il
to that very sharp legal gentleman known as hig-
gins right bower when spades are trumps- The
gentleman who gets up such fine points of law that
the court can't see them, and he can't see them but
he knous there is oint somewhere, and the great
question is whether the point he's got stuck in his
person in sume uncomfortable spot; (scme think il
has by tn, way he wigglci;) or whether his point
is that celebrated little end Of nothing whitfield
| down.
| or course, however, We were sq,elcied on reading
last week in the Independ mt that the law crigina-
| ted here, and was drawn by Judge Cook FOR ClArks
| benefit OF course, if the law was drawn here, We
are the ones to know what it means-what the 'ir-
tent of the Legislature was, and all that. No mat
ter how obscure the terms Of the law are; no mat
whether by lis it has any reference to the
Auditors and Treasurers publication of their lists
| whatever-it is enough 70 know that Judge Cook
drew it for Clarks benefit and that settles the gu
| ton.
Now, it happens that Judge Cook never drew it
for Clalks benefit nor did the law originate here.
One section Of the law as it originally passed, pro-
l,J il ,bo e. IN mil
ton county only. 1t was not till 1858, and after
poor Clark was dead that the section limiting the
application Of the law to Hamilton county was re-
pealed and the operation of the law extended
| throughout the State.
Judge Cook offered resolution in convention
that the Auditor and Treasurer be requested give
their lists to the lowest bidder. That is all there
| Of that.
When the law was first passed, some numbskull
took the same view of it in Cincinnati that Higgins
and his legal adviser here do. and cndeavcred To
oblige the Commissioners TO take the same course
that Higgins wants them to take here. The ques
tiOn upon the law was submitted to the well known
Ju igl Spencer, OF the Superior Court Of Cincinnati
one of the brght.s. l.gal min Is the State has ev-
er produced. Judge Spencer decided that the Au-
ditor, Treasurer and Sheriff were not within the op-
Grafton Of the statute so far as regards the prb(ica
tion Of newspaper notices required OF them by law.
The law relative to the Treasurer is that he shall
publish his tax list in some paper printed IL, the
coua'y:-so OF the Au li.or;-so Of the Sheriff The
law quoted by Higgins would require this to b.
given to the lowest bid Ter any,oEero IN he Sigtc. l.
| Higgins law applies, AMI the editor of the Toed
| Times, or Napoleon North West bid lower than oul
county editors, the list would have to be sent to
them, for the law requires it to be given to the low
est bidder without reference to where he lives OF
course no such farce was intenled by the Legisll-
ture as to have tax list published, where none Of
those interested woull see it. Yet the aw,i it ap-
plies at all this, for it is positive in its term.
and opens the list for competition to all of the peo
pie of the State.
Should the Aulito or Treasurer need at anv one
time stationery or printed forms Of the value Of over
one hundred dollars, then proposals must be pub
lished AMI every man in tho State il authorized to
ent the lists. In such cases it is well known at
the heavy establishments of Cleveland, Columbus
| and Cincinnati can underbid any local printer, nj
the Commissioners would be sadly deficient in their
duty if they failed TO avail themselves of the bes
market. As it is for the Tax Duplicates, Dockets,
Records, &c, our Commissioners have always n
| where they could be procured the cheapest. Oar
County Clerk gets his blanks from Columbus a d
Cleveland going to the cheapest market AMI Luy-
| ing them at the lowest cash prices s .mctimes
when the county officers get out of blanks they p o.
cure ten or fifteen dollars worth at the Office of the
county paper. The cost of advertising for these
would be more than the articles would ctme to-
In a city like Cleveland or Cincinnati the item cf
Treasurer's receipts for year would probably
exc, one thousand dollars, while here fifty to one
hundred dollars purchases enough for a year
Again, the law quoted by Higgins cannot apply
to the case of the tax lists and Sherffs sales fo
the two laws would directly conflict and repeals by
implication not favored. The law as to the tax
list, &c. oLIiyes the Treasurer publish them in
p per printed IN he county, the other law gives Il e
printing to the Lo,0est bidder in the State. We mus
look at the object Of he law requiring tax lists, &c
to be published. 1t is to place those lists befti
the property holders Of the county-not of SOM ot
er county, but of the county where the property is
How shall this be done? Manifestly, by pubshii G
in the paper having the largest circulation in Il c
county. 1t is matter Of public interest, and pe0.
pie should be able to it. Now the editor of g
little six-by mine sheet Ike Higgins, with only
bakers dozen Of subscribers, might we'll aiforl tC
underbid established paper, with subscriber,
numbering by the hundreds. But the law contem
plates the leaving of this matter discretionary with
its officers, that the lists may be published whert
it will accommodate the greatest number of the
people. For all practical purposes the tax list
might as well be nailed up in the Court House as
published in the Independent. Very few have evel
heard of it, except through the journal, and fewei
still have ever seen it. Perhaps our people woulC
be forced to buy few numbers Of the WORTHLESS.
sheet for the purpose getting look at the delin
| quent list, and its circulation could be increased
great expense to the people, who would have Il
pay for an extra paper in order To read what ough
to be found in the regular county paper. 1t is un
doubtedly the idea of the editor of the Independen
that he could make money by publishing those list
once, for little or nothing, thereby securing larg
addition to his subscription list from pei sons wh
must have record of delinquences, &c. Ofcours
what was saved by the Treasury of the count,
would be taken back, and ten tim1s more from tn
pockets of the people.
II Mr.. Higgins and his legal adviser are right
then certainly the officers and editors throughou
the State are wrong. Who has ever seen in Toledo
Cleveland, or any other place, proposals for print
ing the delinquent list advertis .d?-or the Treasur
ers list? Such thing has never been heard OF, ant
assuredly editors in other places wouli have ad
vanced this claim had it not been perfectly evideu
tn every m IN of commoa sense that it could neve