The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1879-12-11
THE DOINGS OF THE COUNTY
BOARD.
To THE EDITOR OF THE PILor:

To THE EDITOR OF THE PILOT:
An error crept into my last commune
cation. / know rot whether / erred on
the side of mercy or not. certainly
erred on the side of Manitowoc. 1 stated
that the enormous sum of $500, 1872, had
been taken from the total valuation of
all property in that city from its total
value of last year. In this erred. In
stead of the astonishing sum of 5000, 1872,
it is the still more astounding amount of
$3.50, 1872. This is the sum total which
the prosperous city cast off in few short
months. Added to the several amounts
which were taken from the other towns
represented by the members of the COM
mittee on assessments, it makes grand
total of 1858, $50, instead of S303, 656, as
stated in my last. This is the sum which
the committee on assessment cast off
| their own towns and cities and distribu-
ted among others which were feebly
represented or not specially favored by
this long to- be remembered committee.
But the object of this letter is not to
discuss assessments nor the manifold
injustice done by this famous committee
and more famous board. That l am
able and willing to do any time, being
very quick at figures and very prompt
and effective in drawing conclusions. In
this epistle L must devote myself to the
promise made in my last, viz: the power
| of the board to "fix" the sheriff's fees
and why they pay greater salaries to
their officers than almost any other coun-
ty in the state.
believe that any sane person in the
county outside the board, will freely
admit that the state has power to fix the
fees of sheriffs. At least they have
taken that power unto themselves, and,
by statute, very conclusively established
the fees of that officer. Sec. $40, Oh.
80, of r. s. reads as follows: The sher-
if shall be allowed the following fees:
''For taking an insane person to the hos
pital, or removing one therefrom, five
cents per mile going and returning and
the same for each assistant. and one dol
lar and fifty cents a. day for the support
OF each patient on his journey to and
from the hospital, and his actual expen-
ses for the transportation of such insane
person only. Said fees and charges to
be paid out of the county treasury"
This section is surely made plain
enough for the dullest intellect to COM
prehend, and is certainly couched in
language sufficiently simple for even the
members of the county board. Yet the
Sid board utterly ignores this simple
and concise lava law that has been on
the statute books for years-a law that
must have some semblance of justice or
else it would hsFs psen repealed years
and years ago. By it the sheriff gets
five cents per mile or ten cents one way
for taking an insane person to the hospi-
tai, all expenses in transporting such
insane person of course to be Iaid in
addition. But in these booming times
this was not sufficiently "booming"
price to suit our blooming" county
board. Under the leadership of ''solid
man" from solid southern town the
price goes M, Up, Up, EntH il teaches
the neighborhood Of sixty cents per mile
which makes the slight difference of half
dollar per mile in favor of the poorly
paid sheriff. Then if there is run of in
sanity in the county and two poor devils
happen to go mad at once, the sheriff
can kill two birds with one stone and
take them both together for which he is
to receive about ninety cents per mile, or
$3.50 for going to the hospital near Os-
kosh-a distsnaa somewhere in the
neighborhood of sixty miles.
Sixty dollars the board grants the
sheriff for conveying one prisoner to the
state prison, and $50 for each additional
prisoner-that is, 800 if he takes two at
the same time, 1920, for three, etc. Now
listen to the statute on this subject:
"And such sheriff shall be entitled to
receive from the treasurer of the proper
county, the amount actually and necessa-
rily expended by him in transporting
such prisoner. including the amount
paid for boarding and lodging and SUCH
guards as Tnay have been necessarily en-
ployed By such sheriff, and such further
reasonable sum as shall be fair COM
pensation for the time necessarily spent
in transporting such prieonsr, TO be
fixed and allowed by the proper auditing
officer, or auditing board of the proper
county.
But our board don't care a straw
whether the sheriff employs 30 guards
OF nppa, they bulk the fees with him
and allow him either $50, or 800 for
few pleasant hours travel to Waupun.
The board also allows $40 for taking
any youth to the Reform School and $40
for each additional youth-going at the
same time, rememOer-to the same in
stitution. AS it is but few miles from
Milwaukee, the people of the county will
readily see the great injustice of the
transaction, get faint glimpse into this
and the preceding measures and form
some idea of the manner in which their
hard earned money is ''let fly" by their
representatives on the county board.
Now let Us examine the exorbitant sal
aries paid by this beautiful board to its
officers and compare them with the sala-
ries of like offices throughout the state.
OF course we have no means of knowing
the established salaries for 1880 in the