Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1885-09-18
COUNTY ROBBERY.


We have referred to the scrip evil
in this county, but not sufficiently for
the citizens to realize the full extent
Of it. Scrip is made up Of Warrants
issued on the County Treasurer, bnt
not paid when issued for lack of funds.
In four years in this county $751;
$3.50 was issued in scrip. There were
various kinds Of it. Thai made it
more difficult for the taxpayers to pay
taxes with 1t, for it is required Of them
that they must pay the different
kinds of taxes, in the various
kinds of scrip ana give
the exact change. In a vast
majority of cases, rather than un-
dertake the troublesome job, the tax
payers give the cash. With the war
rants at a discount ranging all the way
from 20 to go per cent. the reader can
readily understand, how one can make
money, who "a place the scrip at par.
In this county the Sheriff can do that
and he has not hesitated to do it. His
handling a large portion Of 1921, 663 so,
accounts for the big role of money
with which he boasts he will buy up
Warren county as long as he desires
to plumber. The miserable dodge
he has practiced of getting
his brother, a liquor and cigar dealer,
TO act as scrip agent. should deceive
no one, and would not in the least
shield him, il there was a just court
before which he could be tried. We
believe it to be true that Beck, directly
and indirectly, has robbed the citizens
Of Warren county Of $4,000 in scrip
transactions alone. Before the cam
paign is over we will prove to the
satisfaction Of every unprejudiced
reader that he has had a whack az every
bill that passed through his hands.
The scrip steal is only a portion Of
the squeezing to which the honest tax
payers have for years been forced to
submit. Any man with common
sense can make his own estimate of
what the county has lost BY the evil,
in the very face Of the law, which it
was hoped would protect the citizens.
The law on this subject is as follows,
but Beck cares no more for 1t than il
it did not exist:
Section 37O.-The county treasurer
shall exhibit with his reports, the
vouchers for the disbursements charged
therein, and the board of supervisors
shall carefully examine the same anC
when the report shall have been ap
proved, and such approval entered Of
the minutes, all warrants paid by th,
treasurer shall be stamped or other
wise marked cancelled, and shall b
filed and preserved by the clerk /; AMI
the treasurer shall not be allowed
credit for any voucher produced OIL
such settlement, unless he shall, if re
quired, make oath that he paid the full
amount thereof in money, or received
the same in payment Of dues to the
county, and that he has not, directly
or indirectly, specialized therein.
Section 37l.-The county treasurer
shall ~notreceive from any collector Of
taxes. clerk OIL sheriff, any warrant or
claim against the county treasury, not
issued in favor of such officer, unless
such collector, clerk, or sheriff shall
make oath before said treasurer that
he paid the full amount expressed on
the face of said warrant, or claim, and
that he has not directly or indirectly,
specialized therein.
AS this slow law has given no pro-
lection, what is best to be done?
A new set of officials should be
chosen, and to make it doubly sure
that the county suffers no longer from
the scrip steal, future Boards Of Su
p%ervisors should be by law. prevented
from issuing any warrant on the
treasury, unless there is cash to pay
it. The county convention should in.
struct the members of the Legislature
from this county, whoever they may
be, to ecure the passage of such a
law as soon after the Legislature
meets as practicable.
THE Philadelphia Press asks the
startling question "Are we civilized p
actuated thereto nv the fact that