The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1876-02-11
COUNTY AFFAIRS

MEssRs. EDITORS: One of the noticooblc
features of the present I,epieiot,n oticea -
eHort TO relieve the counties fron, IL;
nnanclal embarrassments. Bills are intrn'
duced to fund the OUTSTANDING daht y,
- county" Ito ascertain the indebted
payment Of the outstanding indehteG, tne
OF -- county," etc, etc. Such q Stotn - -
| thlngs existing in counties ought to awaL,o on
much inquiry. How is it possible for com
Ties 10 De lhvoiV we'd in debt under the general
iaws: we would like to know how such a
| Guihg can happen If the law be observed
IL is most certain that the law authorizes NO
| DEBTS TO be contracted beyond income IF -
De Iounu that debt exists at the end of the
nScal year 1t is prtnaa facie proof of the
IlieganCy OF the debt. omething unlaw-
full has been done, or some irrepuIarit,,
has crept into the administration NJ
county affairs. This unlawfulness and
| lrreguIarlty even goes so far as TO die
cover that the debts of many counties
are beyond the limits of conjecture or rea-
sonaple certainty 10 bring them to knowl-
euge OF existence, special statutes OF lirni
tatlon are (most properly asked of the Leg
lslature. Few counties would be exemnt IF
speci9l legislation were invoked as to every
county in which Indebtedness has been piled
up from year TO year. Nearly all the coun-
ties are largely in debt for general purposes
and in the aggregate amount to much
larger sum than the State debt. We think
the Legislature will have failed to provide
for and protect the best interests of the
State II they shall neglect to make the law.
even as it now stands, more demon st,.otjae
than lt seems to be generally understood
and administered by Boards of Supervisors.
on the points at which so much mischief
has been done. 1t is poor comfort to the
people If the State Administration he
never so well provided by iudicious legis-
latlon, while the counties through their
Boards. q
Reform and retrench as we NAV in the
State Government, land they are indispen-
sable) yet the movement must extend to the
counties and embrace them. The counties are
the State In substance. The most oppres-
slve burdens after all have been derived to
the people from the clumsy, reckless, ex-
travagant, lawless and debt-contracting
Board of Supervisors. The taxpayers felt
this when they said in their memorial to
the Legislature, in January, 1875: "Legisla-
ton should be Immediately enacted, fixing
the maximum rate of taxation at 80 per
cent. on the State, beyond which they shall
not go in any instance. These Boards
should be prohibited from making any con-
tracts or allowances or appropriations, eX-
cept when there is money in the treasury
to pay them"
The truth is, the law as it stands. is good
on all this ground, and if it had been OBJ
served, the State would be in condition
incOmparably better than it is. 1t only
needs to be made more sharply defined,
made more clear, so that, as headlight in
darkness, nothing else can be seen but the
shining out of the law and duty. But not
to prOtract this paper:
l. Let Boards be made to assess taxes
upon estimates of Income and OF accessory
expenses for the fiscal year.
2. Let all allowances or claims of euerg
sort upon the county treasury be passed
upon by the Boards of Supervisors and
limit the Issue of warrants upon allowances
(of the Boards) to rs or so per cent. of the
levy of taxes
3. Let the county revenue be applied,
first to payment OF current expenses OF the
fiscal year, and secondly, to the payment of
any debts due from the county on account
of previous years df any eXist)
4. Let no claim or warrant be received
for taxes, or other dues to the county, for
any fiscal year, except that year OF which
the warrant bears date.
5. Let all warrants be Cancelled by Tax
Collectors, County Treasurers, etc., as they
are received.
6. Letthe same principles apply to the
taxes for schools.
These propositions embody the law as it
is now, except as to the rs or so per cent.
and as to the canceling of warrants, and the
matter of requiring all demands or claims
on the county, not excepting even those
coming from the Circuit and Chancery
Courts, to be presented to the Boards OF SUI
perViSOrS for allowance.
The act of April Is, 1873, (acts, p. 10 au-
thorizes Boards to issue warrants to ~ per
cent. of the levy of taxes. This is clearly
too much and must leave many warrants on
claims unprovided for. Insolvencies and
delinquencies amount to more than III per
cent, and then the commissions to Tax
Collector and County Treasurer ought to
enter into the estimate. These views III
troduced plainly into the law will lnaugu-
rate new era into the administration of
county affairs.