Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1881-02-22
THE COUNTY COURT AND 3. R.

AF. Aor.-Per ene TO make o shert
rejoinaer to the Communication Of Kajori
Hssf in your last issue.
Now that the facts, on which the charges
contained in bis first and anonymous attack
on the County Court, and his personal at.
tsck.sn me, which is the sum and substance
OF Observation-Disclosures, as is clearly shown
by his last letter, are before the public, I
will only set side by side those charges sna
the: fao.ssts show hsu utterly malicious and
unsupported they are.
The FIRST is. that. "k6e Auditor sent The
assessment cTlSS0 to GU, County Court, and
&c ~ds the duty Of hs Court 70 epportien
this amount ,nccoraiag to. tie number of
miles Of road In Me different school dis,
~iricts." The order of the Court. Quoted in
my las. letter, taken from its~rsssrds; shows
But, says another writer. ssT, ..this must
be done every year" The Ceur. did not
think SO. Tho division each year i. the
same. Tn road neither grows Logger er
shorter, and why perform tie same duty
every year when the result must be ,ks same?
But if 'W" is right, and the Court il
wrong, for courts are not infallihle. the an
swer is, the Auditor sent The assessment
down November 4. 1880, after The Court
had been voted GU. of existesss BY the Goa.
stitu.ional amsndmess. So nush for the
frat. charge.
The recond charge is, srLat the Auditor
informs mo that the B. 90. r. B. say the,
have; q special arrangement with the County
Court OF Jefferson about our county taxa,
aud that is the rsassn the taxes Of 1880
have not been paid By that company to .ss
county" The records of sho Court show no
SUCH arrangement; bat, on the contrary tie
taxes Of 1880 sre now in the hands of tho
Sheriff For collection. having been sent down
to him by the Auditor. The Only eyidepcs
offered by the Ncjor ts sustain this eharge,
IS the statement contained in tho letter of
tho Auditor published By him, tia, the b.
Go. declined So pay the eeuuty taxes
OF 1880, claiming that it had been or would
be settled With the county authorities"
Does the Auditor say any thing of a special
arrangement existing with t5e Gsunty Court?
And whore is Che issuo between the Audi
tor and myself?
The third charge vas, "that the g. v. r.
x. does not pay a county or sehsol tax for
the reason, as The Court says, il being vet in
the hands of the contractors, is not Bound
to pay" In my first letter I said this charge
was not true. Every man Of common sense
knows that the Court can only act through
its orders catered OF record, open to public
Inspection. Has the Mgjer auy ordar of the
Court sustaining this charge? No; he we'll
kaows there is re such order. The MOTOR
doss not rely upon the order Of tie Court to
sustain thia charge, bat he ttie. to mako his
proof from the lettor of the county elark to
the Auditor. Mr. hoore. in tha. letter,
merely says, '"the S. Y. r. X. is still in the
hands aud under tho eontrel Of the Goa.
tractors, as zoe arc Informed and believe"
Mr. heore writes this ia q personal letter to
the Auditor. and bases it on in Information and
b6flSf. lint uhnFa Hnay h. 60 A. IT.
ordered, or the Court said, sit pays no tag,
for the reason, 1t being an the hands of he
contractors, is not bound to pay 2"
Again, l say there ia ne Issue With TIE
Auditor.
In CHS" fFst communication, Il. ssya,
'he s. :. r. r. pays oil State taees, Gut
aces not pay souny or county school tares,"
thereby leading the public to believe thu,
the county would receive DO Tax frcm the
s. Y. Z K. for the year 1850, owing. as
mr. Moore says, sit is in the hands OF the
contractors, and that tie clerk spoke BY au.
Mortty and did not assume Me responsibility
ht"setfn How frivolous is such 3 charge.
Ii Mr.. Msere had spoken By authority. he
would have said SO, and wouIa have cited
the order. But what does Che Auditor say.
which falsifss this charge, and that lac d:a
not act in accordance with AIR. Moore's bs>
lief! Mr.. Moere's letter was dated Norsm,
Der 20, 1880. On the 28th Of ,Jauua,v.
1871, the Auditor, in 3 letter addressed to
the speaker Of the House of Delega,es."nsd
which HE ncjor published ia bis las. com.
nuuication, says '.I, Ao,ceucr. made an ss,
scssment upon The property Of each of said
companies, (meauipg the B. & o. & 8. v.
Il. 81 for State and county tanes'" Mr..
TraVeEs, attorney for the 8. V. r. R informs
me that all the taxes assessed against that
| rosS rnSI IT,
'the ). V. r. R. pays all State tsxcs, but
does not pay county tex" false. So much
for that.
The Major publishes the charged against
the County Court, and thu burden is on him
to prove them. The evidence is before the
public; it ean judge if they ss true or falss.
In the MGJor's last communication. in
speaking of the 8. V. r. r., be asks, "phv
scas It not assessed ?" I have shown shove
tina. the Auditor says i. as assessed.
The Major is pleased to call ns Solsa,
though | have never read Of a Solon on tia
bench, bnt be YVES once a ,cou1d>be Scion,
am"ng the lawmakers in the Legislature
snd he ought TO know, and it WAS his Lusi,
mess to hno1, the law he holped to make and
that law tells him whose duty il was to as
sesz the R.. Il. eoupasies, and that it was
DO business Of mine or the Court.
Now Ia regard to what the Arjor is
pleased to call my ''iidEs vaporings," L will
only say, if truly such, they cannot equal
the ~"swaggerios insolercs" of a wsntsu ga
lumnistor, and tina. fling as to "fres passss"
i'll becomes oae, who, ss q member of the
Legislature, received, accepted and used a
frse pass, and, at ths Same time, drew Ais
mileage frsm the State.
I did net complain of his attsckiug the
County Court under O fictitious lame, en- nv
own account, but that the public might
know the source et these charges; as for nv,
self, the disguise 81" i'll o~oroeais the clio,