The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1876-02-16
COUNTY AFFAIRS.


features of the present Legislature is the
effort to relieve the counties from their
financial embarraSSments. Bills are intro
duced to fund the outstanding debt OF
- county "to ascertain the Indebted
ness of - county,: Ssto provide for the
pay ment of the outstanding indebtedness
of - county, etc. etc. such 4 state OF
things existing in counties ought to awaken
much inquiry. How Is il possible for coun-
ties to be involved in debt udder the general
laws? We would like TO know how such q
thing can happen If the law be observed.
1t is most certain that the law authorizes no
debts to be contracted beyond income. II il
be found that debt exists at the end of the
fiscal year it is priDad fdcts proof of the
illegality of the debt. Something unlaw-
full has been done. some irIegularity
has crept into the administration Of
county affairs. This unlawfulness and
irregularity even goes SO far as to dis
cover that the debts of many counties
are beyond the limits of conjecture or rea-
sonable certainty. To bring them to a knowl-
edge of existence, special statutes o. limi-
tation are (most properly asked of the Leg
islature. Few counties would be exempt If
special legislation were invoked aS to every
county in which Indebtedness has been piled
up from year to year Nearly all the cOuh-
ties are largely in debt for general purposes,
and in the aggregate amount t. much
larger sun than the state debt. We think
the Legislature Will have failed to provide
for aud protect the best interests of the
State il they shall neglect to make the law,
even as it now stands, more deBtORStrative
than it 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 ne
never so we'll provided By iudicious legis-
lation, while tue counties, through their
boards, may be "A law unto themselves"
Reform and retrench as we may Ia the
State Government, (and they arc indispen-
sable) vet the movement must extend to the
counties and embrace them. i he counties are
the State in substance. The most oppres-
sive burdens after all have been derived 70
the people from the clumsy, reckless, eX-
travagant lawless and deht-cQgtnctng
Board OF Supervisors. 49o taxpayers felt
thi9 when tHey said in their memorial to
the Legislature, in January, 1879 "Legisla-
ton should be Immediately enacted, fixing
the maximum rate of taxation at 80 per
cent. on the State, beyond which they shall
not 90 in any instance. Those boards
should be prohibited tr1m makinE any con-
tracts o. 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 il it had been OBJ
served, the State would he in a condition
ineomparably better than It Is. 1t only
needs u be made more sharply defined,
made more clear, so that, rs a headlight in
darkness, nothing else can be seen but the
shining out of the law and duty. But not
I to protract this paper:
l. Let Boards be .;lsde so assess taxes
upon est ;,:yC.seS of income and of accessory
eLpcn5eg for tile fiscal year,
Let all allowances or claims OF eUeJY
sort upon the county treasury be passed
upon by the Boards of Supervisors and
limit the issue of warrants upon allowances
1 (of the Boards to IS or 80 per cent of the
/ levy of taxes.
3. Let the county revenue be applied,
first 10 payment Of current expenses OF the
Gscai year, aud secondly, to the payment OF
any debts due from the county on account
of previous years (if any eXist.)
4. Let no claim or warrant be received
| fog take, or other dues to the county. for
any fiscal year, except that year Of which
[ the warrant bears date.
| 3. Let all warrants be Cancelled by Tax
/ Collectors. County Treasurers, etc, a. they
are received.
/ 6. Let the same principles apply to the
/ taxes for schools.
These propositiona ea4body the law as it
+ Is now, except as 80 the "a or 50 per cent
E aud 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 Chanccry
/ Courts, to be presented to the Boards Of Su-
pervisors for allowance
The act If 4 pril -, 1879. acts, p ~ au-
/ tnOriaes Boards to issue warrants TO 30 per
cent. Of the levy of taxes. This - clearly
too much and must leave many warrants ot
claims unprovided for. lnsolvcncies anG
delinquencies amount to more than 10 per
cent, and then the commissions to Tax
Collector and County Treasurer ought 10
enter into the estimate, Those views in
+ trod aged plainly into the law Will inauSu-
! rate q new era into the administration Ol
county affairs. =