The Hazlehurst signal., 1885-07-23
Inquiries from Tax.payer.
Editor Signal:-

4.4ssA sVo 49, -.
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Editor Signal:-
We. dcsire to submit to the pres.
emit sheriff Of this comfy, who asks
o denomination for the third term,
the following questions which must
be answered before we can be sat
isfled to act upon his claims upon
the county convention.
See. 5iS, Code 1880, is in these
words:
"The collector (the sheriff) shall
pay over all taxes collected for the
State and county to the State OF
county Treasurer within thirty days
after the first Of October in every
year, aud monthly thereafter, and
ut each payment shall swear that
the sum paid over In money or In
warrants Is all that he has collec'
ted to that time, etc.
Sec. 554 Code 1880, provides:
"Eyery tax collector shall make
report to the auditor Of public &C.
counts and clerk of tho board OF
Supervisors respectively within
thirty days after the first of Octob.
er, and monthly thereafter, Il
he has not collected any taxes and
shall make oath tosuch report, etc.
Sec. 555, Code 1880, provides.
"No warrant or claim against
the State or county shall be receiv.
cd from any tax collector in settle.
msnt or otherwise without oath
being made by ouch collector .
that he has paid the full amount
expressed on the face Of said claim
or warrant and that he has not di.
rectly or Indirectly specialized
therein"
Sec, 81 code 1880 provides "The
county Treasurer shall not receive
from any collector Of taxes, clerk,
or sheriff any warrants or claim
against the county Treasury not
issued In favor of such officer I'M
less such collector clerk or sheriff
shall make oath before said Treas
urer that he paid the full amount
expressed on the face of said war
rant or claim and that he has not
directly or indirectly speculated
therein"
The foregoing provisions of law
were intended to prevent the tax
collector from taking the cash paid
by the tax payers and either him
self or through his friends or family
buying county warrants at o dis
count and turning them in into the
Treasury as money Mt par and thus
making n fortune specializing on
the peoples money and ut the ex
penso Of tue people who serve the
county and receive warrants there
for. . "
Now we state that we have
made inquiry aud no affidavits
have been made by Hargrave on
all his payments for four years to
orcr. ono kindred thousand dollars,
No such afiidavits can be found In
the cllancery clerks Office where
they ought to be filed.
Again we are informed that nc
such aflidavits have been made BY
the sheriff before tho present coun'
ty treasurer as above re9uiredv by
law.
Again, every tax payer knows
that u very largo proportion of the
county taxes are paid' by the peo'
ple in cash and. not in warrants.
Now, then, reg last issue of the
COpiallap, r. VI, dillsaps, treasur'
er, si.ys r.therc has been very little
currency paid in OH the county
general fund since ! have been
treasurer, the receipts being nearly
all In warrants"
II this be true, then we ask what
becanie Of the cash paid In by the
people for taxes! 1T looks like 1t
must hayo b(3n converted into
warrants aiter it was paid to the
sheriff, aud his failure to make the
atlidavits required by law looks like
q confession Of such use. We pause
far n reply from the sheriff on these
questions.
Our second query is, as to Why
the present sheriff has allowed more
criminals to escape than any other
ourSheriffs this county has ever
had in tho same length of time
Jim WOoten, VIM. Sumrall, Kin
Harrison aud Graves were all kill
ed and their murderers escaped
within the present incumbents
term.
One negro was killed ct Damas
Gus right near tho courthouse aud
another at Higdon's only the other
day and still the murdercrs are not
apprchsnded. Why is Everett
Bufkinatiarge, who has been in.
dicted for o serious offence for some
months, aud other cases too numer'
ous to mention. The sheriff is the
Chief peace officer of the county and
the people have O right to look to
him ID. enforce the law and the
court .can,t try offenders unless
they are hrst arrested.
We pause for a reply to this
query. =
Thet third question We want an
swered Is this: When tho toiling
farmer comes to serve Oh luries
and "a witnesses In the courts, and