Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1883-11-23
The County Commissioners Indicted

In his charge to the grand jury at the
opening..of the term of court on Monday
Judge Stone referred to the charges which
had been made by the TIMFs in relation to
the nonfeasance of the county commission
els in failing to comply with the law re-
quiring them to make out and publish an
nually detailed, minute and accurate
statement of the expenses OF the county
The Judge read the law to the jury and
suggested to them the propriety of inves-
tigating the matter, recommending that
the editors of the papers and others hav-
ing information in the matter be summon
ed to testify in regard thereto.
After duly investigating the matter, the
grand jury, on Wednesday, sent down a
presentment of the members OF the board
of commissioners for the violation of the
law referred to. The case will stand for
trial at the present term and the liability
of the commissioners for a failure to com
ply with this most proper and necessary
law will be thus judicially determined
The action of the grand jury in this mat
ter is highly commendable and will meet
with the approval of all good citizens OF
the county.
The wisdom and justice of this law, and
the necessity of It's rigid enforcement are
too obvious to need explanation. The
county commissioners are entrusted with
the exclusive direction of the business af-
fairs of the county. They are invested
with the power of regulating the expenses
of the county, of levying taxes upon the
people for the payment of the same and OF
discussing the taxes so levied. They are
invested with extensive discretionary
powers and their trust is large and res
ponsible one. 1t is a matter OF the great
est interest to the people to know in wha,
manner the taxes levied upon hem have
been disposed of, and whether the money
thus paid by them has been honestly and
economically expended. The books kept
10y the commissioners are comparatively
private and are so complicated as to be
unintelligible 10 the average tax payer who
might ask an inspection of them
Hence the wisdom of the law in ques
ton, which requires the commissioners tc
make cut and publish annually in two
newspapers in their county "a detailed
minute and accurate statement of the ex
penses of their said counties, specifying
therein each particular item of expense
and for what and to whom paid = and thai
the same be stuck up on election day al
the several places of holding elections in
the county. In this way the people are
intelligibly informed of the manner in
which the pub ic money has been disburs.
ed and the public affairs have been man
aged. If any erroneous i'ems of expense
should be charged, or any greater sums be
set down than had actually been paid, srch
error would be sure to he discovered and
exposed 10y the accounts being subjected
to general public inspection. Thus is the
eminent wisdom and necessity of this law
made manifest, and its provisions are care
fully and exactly complied with in Other
counties OF the State to the management
of the affairs of which our attention has
been directed.
The nature of the violations of this law
by the commissioners of this county in re-
cent years has been in the past tour weeks
fully discussed aud explained 10y the TINES
The county expenses of the last fiscal year
ended June 30th. 1888, amounted to
about $4,000 Of this amount the sum
of $4,000 was accounted for in the state.
ment published by the commissioners in
four items as follows:
"Roads and Brides..-...... ...........SS. 900
Jury FUND J, 00C
''lnsane Paupers.... ..................... 900
Contingent Fund NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 600