Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-12-21
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Years ago the taxes of the independ-
ept school district of the city Of Wheel
ing were collected and disbursed by the
Sher II of Ohio county just as the school
taxes of the remaining districts of the
county are collected and discussed. We
believe this was the case from time inn
mortal, until it came to pass that in 1917
the people Of Ohio county elected Re
publican Sheriff, and about that same
time the City Council elected Demo-
cratic collector Of the city revenue. The
! Sheriff was jolly DICK BRowN, the Col
lector the genial JAKE WARDKN-both
now dead. JACK PANNELI, who was
then a power in Ohio county politics,
and was possessed of an inventive mind,
conceived the idea of "spoliating the
enemyr for the benefit Of his political
friend.
His scheme met the appreciation OF
many Of his party friends, and the Leg
stature was induced to make the trans
fer of the duty of collecting the school
taxes, with all the emoluments thereun-
to attaching, from the hands OF the Re
publican Sheriff to the hands Of the
Democratic Collector.
A movement was set OH foot by Sher-
if finger, some three years ago, to
induce the Legislature to undo this
thing, but it was stoutly opposed and
finally defeated. Again this Is to be at
tempted.
Sheriff BROWN informed us yesterday
Lat strong petition would be present
ed to the Legislature in this behalf.
When asked what grounds he based his
plea upon, he said: In all other cOun-
ties ofthe State the Sheriff collects all
school taxes-and have given bond i'll
the sum of $4,000, in the exact form
other sheriffS do, for the faithful and
honest collection and disbursement OF
the school taxes of Ohio county; yet |
am denied the power to do so, except in
the country districts, where the work
can only be done at considerable eX-
penSe.
Recently, continued Mr.. BROWN, the
sEerifl-s Office has been denuded of
much ofits income, and doubt whether
without having carefully looked into
the figures-the shCriffreceives as much
for collecting the entire revenues OF
Ohio county aS the city collector gets fol-
his collections. Besides, he said, am
not sure but the courts have become a
bill of expense to the sheriff He
gets but $500 year for doing all
the criminal business. Now we
have two courts to look after, and when
it happens that a jury Is sitting in each
court at the same time, | have to. fur
niSh q deputy TO attend each court. L
have TO serve all summons and do all
business pertaining to the criminal bus
mess of both courts for this salary. Re
Gently / had to serve some thirty sum-
monses on rs many different witnesses
all living in distant parts of the county,
no less than three different times, IN
q single case and during a single session
of Ourt-pOStpOnements having become
necessary. In another county case L
summoned sixty witnesses three differ
ent times, and for all this and every
thing OF this character / must pay depu-
tics, horse hire and all expenses out of
my own POcket-the $500 mentioned
being my only compensation.
Since the Justices of the Peace have
jurisdiction to the amount of $500 and
have juries, much of the civil business
goes to them which predecessors in the
Sheriff7s Office got. And then since
Judge JEFFERS' accession to the bench
of the Municipal. Court, a much larger
portion of the civil business goes to that
court than formerly, and the City Ser
geant is Sheriff to that court. Alto
gether the Sheriff's office is no longer
the bonanza popular opinion has here
tOfOre invested it with being.
Sheriff BROWN spoke kindly of Mr..
TANEY, the present City Collector, and
regretted that their respective interests
brought them into collision, but he
thought it his duty to himself to ask the
Legislature to restore to the Sheritf'S
office the patronage, in the way of tax
collecting, that it formerly enjoyed and
which attaches to the office of Sheriff
all over the State.
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