The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-02-19
SHERIFF TINGLE'S REPLY TG
COLLECTOR BLACK.
Editors OF the Register:

I ask the publication of this card lest
silence on my part might be construed
as an admission of the correctness o.
some statements made by Mr.. Black, in
his article published in your issue Of
Saturday morning, marked by him and
laid On the desk of each member OF the
House.
There was no one amazed" in the
community, excepting Mr.. Black and
Senator Caldwell, at the overwhelming
verdict of the Senate on the passage ol
Senate Bill No. 49,. They had both con.
ceived the idea that the latter had some
influence among full grown men, but
unfortunately for them the long estab.
lished usage and law was against them
and Senators unbiased by any considera.
ton other than to make the laws conform
to the Constitution and do justice could
not act as Mr.. Blacks attorney dictated
On page sc, Acts Of 1867, section II,
the members will find in the law passed
at the instance of the School Board ere.
ating the independent school district of
Wheeling, the sheriff is designated as
the collector OF assessments as follows:
"The assessment made under the pro.
visions of this section, shall be levied
and collected by the ssme officer as the
county levIes are made and collected"
Thus you will see under this law the
county assessor makes the assessment and
the sheriff collects and disburses. On
page 81, section 13, the compensation is
fixed as follows:
"The collecting officer for collecting
and disbursing the taxes assessed by the
Board of Education, shall be entitled to
receive commission of not more than
three per cent. upon the amount collect
ed" By reference to Acts of 1871, page
246, you will find section II of 1867, re-
enacted with the change of one word,
viz: "c,ty' in place OF "county." For
five years this special act for the benefit
of the city collector and no one else, has
been allowed to remain undisturbed, for
the reason that the attention of the Leg
islature was not called to 1t. This beng
the only district in the State hav-
ing this special law, and passed
as it was without the knowlede Q
of the citizens of Wheeling or the School
Board, and through the influence of the
City Collector, and his paid lobbyist at
Charleston, the Senate, after careful
examination OF the facts, almost unani-
mously passed the bill restoring the COL
lection to the Sheriff, who was the COL
lector when the present school system
was inaugurated throughout the State.
1t is not true that the School Board
was unanimous against the passage of the
bill, as there was almost as many absent
from the meeting rs present, and all
those absent were in favor of its passage.
His not true that the city will suffer
by the change The collector is very
solicitious about her sutferings.
It's not true that if the bill passes the
city will have to employ an extra assess
or, as the bill restores TO the County As
SCISSOR the work of making the assess
ment.
1t is not true that the sheriffs OF Ohio
county were any less prompt. to- pay
school orders than the present City COL
lector. No matter what may be the
facts in other counties, the Sheriff of
Ohio county has never used the
school fund to make good
his account with the State,
Mr.. Black to the contrary notwithstand.
ing.
The bill passed the Senate because the
Senators found it 70 be meritorious and
necessary 10 wipe out that worst of all
laws, special acts The bill is now be-
fore the House Of Delegates, and on its
merits let it be tried and passed upon.
1t is supported by the largest tax
payers in the city, and the most respon-
sible members of the School Board, as
also by the best men in the City Council.
GEO. X. TINGLE.