The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1872-1881, 1873-03-21
pAUpER COUNTIES.

pAUpER COUNTIES.
The last report Of the Auditor Of Pub
lie Accounts exhibits the fact, that there
are about eighty counties in the State
that draw more revenue from the State
Treasury than they pay into IT, For
this reason they are dubbed, in common
parlance, rauper counties. This exhibit
furnishes food for reflection. In the first
place, Il affords almost conclusive evil
dencc that such counties are afflicted
with great amount Of crime. The
"Scalp law could not possibly have had
any effect in depicting the Treasury last
year, for il bad been repealed the year
previous. The greatest amount Of mon
ey that is drawn from the Commonwealth
Golfers, and disbursed in he counties re-
spectively, aside from the school fund, Is
appropriated to the payment of msgis-
trates sitting as an exsmining court in
cases of felony, the payment of Com
monwoalth witness ckims, fees Of minis
tcrial officers in executing orders of ar.
rest and summoning Commonwe wealth wit
ncsses, dcfraying III expenses Of sherifs
and paying. them Mileage in carrying pris-
oners from the coqpty Jail to the peniten-
tiny. together wih the claims of neccs-
sary guards, and /he payment of joilors'
fees for dieting, I'D general attention to
prisoners. Now when II Is borne in
mind that the fate pays for no service
Of this charact} unless the warrant or
Indictment agfnst the accused rccites
felony, and thu either the individual or
county defrayI all necessary cost and ex
pensc, If the (hargc be simply a INSIDE
rieanor, the Existence of Q woeful condi-
ton of public morals and private virtue
is proven b. he fact that eighty counties
in the STATE are panper counties. The
law roquIrUthat the grand and pctitj'uors
shal b pad by the trustee of the jury
fund cut ~ money in his hands, report
cd y the clerks of the different is,
and eslIested by them as tax upon suits,
upon deeds, upon license to keep taverns
and sell epirituous liquors; upon license
to peddle, keep billiard tables, stand
jacks, ssuds, bulls, etc. etc. If this fund
should prove insufficient, rs it always
does iTpauper counties, it is made the
duty 4 the circuit court to direct the
sheri5to pay the deficit out of the unrs
port9 revenue in his hands, and sdeh
orde5is voucher for him in his settle
merf with the Auditor. The jury fund,
in upper counties, thus Benign
it to be presumed. il not considered
Cd blished, that there il in those ooun.
d small amount of litigation, very
~ land sales, and quite numbcr Of I'M
tensed taverns, whiskey-shops, studs,
bulls and jacks. 1t may likewise he pre-
'nmed, that since the expense of admin
STEERING justice in the name Of the Com.
in these counties, exceeds
he amount of revenue due to the State,
nat the land is very sterile and the per.
onalty of an inferior kiEd but this pre-
is not altogether correct. The
ault in many instances lies at the door
If the Assessor, who fails to place prop
n valuation upon such Of the property
# the citizens as he is required by Law
o do. The revenue law requires him to
administer an oath to the person whose
ist he takes, in substance, that the list
,iven is true and correct az well as the
description of property, but demands Of
lin to fix the valuation himself This
le often tails to do, but simply asks the
ssessed person, who is not under oath as
o value, and reports his land and stock I
i his (the assessed persons) own figures. !
1t is also true, that in many Of these +
,auper counties, no board of supervisors 7
5 ever appointed by the county judge, {
nd from this neglect of official duty the {
rrors and mistakes Of the Assessor 60
lncorrected. b
An improvement of the public morals v
nd more stringent laws regulating the I
uties of Assessors and Sherifs, would I
ave the effect to relieve many of these O
auper counties from the odium of being 4
ependent upon the State Treasury for v
all and faithful administration of public b
nstice. The fault is not altogether in v
he taxpayers, nor should we seek ex- d
lusively for the cause in the sterility of a
he land. Those who are charged with 4
he duty of making assessments, and col '
scting tax are guilty of contributive 3
egligence. @
Mr.. A. A. WARREN will be found :"
H. A. r.