The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1881-04-13
DEFERRED ITEMS.

KKLsEY's " FEEs.n-The taking of some
e37, 900 during the past five years by Secre-
taIY Kelsey TO-. simply sending out printed
slips of the laws 10 the newspapers authorized
10 print them, when the law authorizing the
Vending said the compensation therefor should
not exceed $1,000, seemed about as cheeky
and unconscionable grab as even Kelsey
could be guilty of but even worse case has
l.eeu developed-Kels distances his former
foat BY report from the Comptroller, in
response to a resolution of the Senate, 1t app
pears that for simply Hing away a lot Of mors
tally returns In pigeon holes, perhaps five
minutes work, this man has been drawing
over $4,000 per year, and claims that the law
allows 1t. Tue statute provides that annual
returns of births, deaths and marriages shall
he made To the Secretary of State by the
Boardsof Vital Statistics and the State Board
of Health il charged with various duties as to
the cause of disease and the sources of mof@
tally. The latter body appoints Superin-
tendeut of Vital Statistics, who collects all the
certificates of births, deaths aud marriages In
the State, arfanges and classifies them, places
them in alphabetical bundles, indexes and
puts them in condition to form the founda-
tion of intelligent action upon measures for
sanitary Improvement. At the close OF the
year these collected materials thus completed
are deposited in the Secretary of States Office
for safe keeping aud future study. What the
Secretary does is to receive them and put
them away in his yault--and nothing more.
For this slight duty he claims that he is en-
titled to receive twelve cents a name for the
more than 100000 names included 10 these
certificates thus deposited IN bis office under
the act which prescribes that the Secretary of
State shall be entitled to receive g for filing
every bond or other instrument OF writing for
incorporated bodies or for persons in their
private capacity, twelve cents for filing ev-s
cry bond or instrument of writing OF public
pature, twelve cepts,n &c. Now, what hon.
est man in the whole State beside Mr.. Kel-
sey) would have suspicioned that this law
gave him the moral right, If the legal power,
to charge the State $l2. 900 for simply receiv-
ing and packing away this basket of papers ?
Aud yet this is the kind of sharp practice Mr..
Kelsey has been studying and practicing all
through his official career and we doubt II
the bottom facts have yet been developed.
This is the officer +" honest, capable and
faithful which the Governor is determined
to saddle upon the State treasury for another
term. This is the kind of men the Democratic
journals, with few honorable exceptions, arc
defending and justifying. The Legislature
has not done its full duty towards choking off
this official leech--could they do no better
they should have reduced the salary to nomi-
nal figures, starved him out but the Gov
ernor forfeits his own good name and insults
the honest people of New Jersey when he per-
sists in continuing such man in Office In de-
fance of the Senate rejection. The Republi-
cans can afford to take this issue to the people
next Fall.--Mount Holly Mirror.