Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1878-01-18
RETRENcHMENr NEEDED.

by the County Commissioners of expenditures
that the expenses of the county for the past
year amounted to sec, o5l Is. When we
scrutinize the items which comprise this i'm,
mense expense, we canno. but be surprised at
the many needless things for which the tax
payers are charged. In the list of pauper
lunatics we find that the support Of two of
them costs $3.50 each, and the rest, except one,
$3.50. The secluded one requires only 500 for
her maintenance Now if one can be sup
ported for 500, surely the rest can be supplied
with subsistence equally comfortable for the
same amount. Let this plan be adopted and
the expense of providing for luaatics will be
reduced $3.50.
In the statement of the expenses of the Aims
House we find that the salaries of the Trustees
amounted 10 $3.50 30. In the first place we
think that the Trustees of go laudable an en-
scrprise as the maintenance of the poor should
be willing to bestow the little service they do
gratis. But If they are not willing why not
abolish the Trustees of the Poor and transfer
the light burden they bear to the County
Commissioners, who could very well attend to
It without any additional pay to that which
they now receive, thereby relieving the count,
Of paying $3.50 3O2
The expenses Of Coroners Inquests we con-
slider are entirely unnecessary. The duty Of n
Coroner Is a relic of less enlightened age
than this, and the sooner it is abolished the
better. The evidence given before an inquest
is the very same as that which would be given
before Magistrate 10 his preliminary exami-
nation. Then IL il is necessary to have a
jury of inquest in murder, why is II not
necessary in all other cases of crime2 A
Csroner accomnlishes no good, therefore
strike bis name from the statutes and save
SIT so.
Next we reach the greatest imposition ever
perpetrated upon a tnx-paying community
the money levied to meet our Court expenses.
We do moi intend to reflect in the slightest
upon the County Commissioners, for they, I'M
der the law as it now stands, are compelled to
defray these enormous aud unnecessary ex-
penses, although we believe they are ind.
vidually opposed to them. The Court expenses
amount accumulales through the present
method of trying and Furnishing criminals
For jurors and State witnesses the cost is four
thousand dollars. Comparatively little of the
time occupied by jurors is devoted TO anything
else but the trial of State cases, so we may
truthfully assert that at least three thousand
OF the four is used in criminal prosecutions.
Outside of this the States Attorney receives
81 1861 so, and attorneys for the defense ap-
pointed by the Court 1913 co, making the
punishment OF criminals amount in all to
$685. 10. If the whipping post should be
adopted giving Magistrates the right 10 sum-
mon jury and be the final adjudicators in
eases Of petty larceny, yagrancy and kindred
offenses, allowing the JURORS thirty three and
q third cents each, the Magistrate two dollars,
the States Attorney five dollars, an attorney
for the defense Eve dollars, witnesses thirty
three and third cents, the Sheriff dollar
we would have the punishment of criminal
costing instead of Sl69, as ne have previously
shown it does, cost $ls This is just one
ninth Of the present cost of criminal punish
ment, and if our plan is adopted the expenses
will be reduced eight-nnths, making in all
1881 &c, saving to the county 81, 743 "A
Beyond this for the Court we find $500 levied
= for Bailffs and Crier. The Court needs a
Crier, but what use there is for Bailifs TO
open doors we fail to see The BalifTs are
totally useless and should be dispensed with,
leaving $3.50 of the $500 10 be paid Crier.
Beyond this the three Judge humbug should
be abolished, leaving one Judge at cost of
three thousand dollars, and saving for the
county Sc. 100 90.
The Orphans Court costs 1912, of which
S74s covers Judges salaries Reduce the mum.
Der of Judges TO one an6 pay him three
hundred dollars and S44s are saved.
Beyond this there are many expenses under
the head Of "Sundries," &c, amounting TO
thousands of dollars, which go Heaven only
knows where. We are content to let them
rest in peace in the pockets where they have
gone, whether they justly belong there or not,
aud simply call The attention of the people
and their Representatives in the Legislature to
the few reforms We have mentioned. which. if
adopted, will save the county Sl2 40 "a
yearly. This wond save about onc-ffth of the
expenses which would consequently reduce the
taxes one-6fth, leaving only sxiy-three cents to
be collected on the hundred dollars instead of
seventy-eght, as il now is. These reforms
are necessary 10 the Interests of that economy
which the people demand, and our members
OF the Legislature, as merely matter of policy
II not Of Meditation, had better adopt them.
Favoring Mr.. Woods motion for an inves,i-