The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-12-24
Our Model Sheriff.

Fees ana Salaries, chapter ID, WHICH, VII '''
subject of sheriff's fees, among other things,
provides IN substance as follows
For dieting prisoners the sheriff shall re-
ceive such compensation as will cover actual
cost for attending county and circuit courts,
three dollars per day, and two dollars per day
when attending county court while sitllng lor
probate business at request OF the Judge; Tor
attending supreme court three dollars per day ;
for conveying a prisoner to Joliet or to the re-
form school at Pontiac twenty-five cents for
each mile of necessary travel IN gong to Joliet
or Pontiac-pay from the state; and for con-
veying patient to Elgin, twenty-five cents for
each mile of necessary travel going to Elgin
pay from the county
In criminal cases no fees shall be paid to the
sheriff out of the county treasury, when the
fees collected by HIM during the year shall
equal the compensation or salary allowed him
by the county board. "And provided farther,
that no more of such fees shall IN any case be
4atd from the county treasury than shall be s,J-
fctent, NTH the fees collected TO make tie salary
or compensation of such sheriff." Every six
months he shall make an intelligent report in
writing to the county board Of the earnings,
receipts and expenditures of his office, OF every
manner and character.
BY virtue of the foregoing statutory provis.
ions, during the first year of his administra'
ton our "model sheriff" received from the
county payment as follows Dieting prison.
ers 81 ,404, at least a clear gain of 5000; turn.
key fees, $3.50, clear gain.
Cash erpended-Conyeylng eight prisoners
to Joliet, $29.36; bringing three more from
Kankakee and two from Streator to Ottawa,
$3.50; conveying two boys to Pontiac, $3.50;
conveying five patients to Elgin, S6l06 Jas.
Carew, his proxy, carting prisoners to depot,
$3.50; and so on.
The amounts under head of Cash Expend-
cd" are virtually twice PAID by the county
first in its allowance of from $1,000 to S1700
annually for trayeling erpenses,-allowance
by the way, lngenlously figured by the rule of
alias, shamefully large-and again paid when
It audited the bills for the above amounts.
The state pays the sheriff the large fee of
twenty-five cents mile for carrying prisoners
to Joliet and Pontiac, and the county the same
amount for carrying patients to Elgin. The
statute does not contemplate that the state or
cash gift of these large fees, which will aggre-
gate hundreds of dollars during his term of
office. On the contrary 1t does intend that the
sheriff shall pay his own expenses out of the
fees and then have good living margin left.
During the first year of his term "Model
Sheriff" personally attended circuit and coun-
ty court613 days and received additional pay for
1877 days attendance by deputy, tor which the
statute makes no provision whatever, making
grand total Of 800 days In one year, receiving
therefor $2,0SS. In addition to this estimate,
ne is personally 1--WE say personally, because in
these days Of reform there are no straw duties
tor models to perform) in attendance on the
supreme and appellate courts-several sessions
during his term of office-for which he re-
ceived several hundred dollars more, but cutely
resolved them into pin money-outslde mat
,ers, you know-by use of that ambiguous
friend to county officers, allowances" These
fees, however, seem to be new perquisites un-
der the salary system.
During the first year Of model Sheriff 81
term he received from the county treasury, for
dong criminal business, (much OF the same
being absolutely straw services rendered), So
Ss2.S1, $e,752.S3 of this amount being re-
.>o,y,d in i;rarf violation IF tho 1ou bora;r,
before quoted Because his statements of &C,
count, his reports, ambiguous and lacking as
they are, and his settlement with the county
board all show, that he received enough from
civil business, lacking 800 SO, to cover all sal
sry or compensation allowed him by the coun.
~ board. True, $2,752S3 would lubricate
many political journals, and he may have paid
some of 1t back into the treasury after using
Il q long time, but the statute says he shall
never receive any of the fees tor criminal bust
ness when the other receipts of his office are
equal to his salary or compensation, and when
hey are not, he shall in no case receive one
cent more than enough to make up the Gefi
cheney.
Model Sheriff 's""Reports and Statements"
are eloquently silent on everything but money s
due from the county-moneys due-moneys
due Silent on foreign court business
lent on supreme and appellate court business
silent on turnkey fees; also silent on the sub
ject of conveying prisoners to Joliet and Pom
tiac, and for conveying patients to Elgln-
items which run up largely during term OF
office. Wonder If they all go with supreme
court per diem-perquisltess
Among other seemingly strange thing.
Model Sheriff." IN addition to large corps
Of deputies, has four bailiffs the court year
round, at daily expense to the county OF $40.
and this, too, for doing the same work that