Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1886-04-23
COUNTY MlSMANAGEMENT.


(Ftom the sandusl,y Daily Rcsistcr)
Under the above heading the Cleveland
Plain Dealer of yesterday has the follow.
ing timely cditoriol:
The Mahoning Valley Wool Growers Associa
ton held n large and enthusiastic meeting ir
Warren few days ago for The purpose of consid-
cring rcductionof the fees now paid their
county officials, including the Clerk, sheriff,
Auditor, Treasurer, Recorder and Probate
Judge.
The wool growers OF Mnhoning county are
moving In the right direction and the taxpayers
generally, not only in Mahoning county but of
every county in the State bat enc, should make
n similar movement. The one exception is
Hamilton county. There tho law has been
changed and Instead of pocketing fat fees and
getting wealthy at the expense OF the people,
the officials receive stated salaries
The present law should be repealed and one
substituted that will give the officials OF each
county liberal salaries commensurate with the
responsibilities and duties of the Office The
law as II now stands gives the officials large
| fees, so large, in fact, that as rule they are
| overpaid in all counties whilst in the larger
| they amass enough In the course OF two terms of
eiIice to retire from business and live in atllu
| ence the remainder OF their lives. The eSiden-
| ccs of the fact can be seen i'll almost all the
richer and more populous counties in looking
at the treasurers within the past twenty years.
The time has come Tor change OF the exist
| ing law and the sooner the change is made the
better.
The Republicans Of this county in their
convention last year bv unanimous vote
adopted the following resolution which
was printed at the time by the Ptaia
Dealer:
| 1--WE further declare that it is the purpose OF
the Republican party in this county, TO insist
upon and demand a rigid enforcement OF the
law in the Limitation placed upon the fees and
| compensation which all public officers shall re-
| ceive, and thnt no man is worthy of Il public
| trust who has received, or continues to receive,
that which the law expressly prohibits and we
also declare that we are in favor of u reduction
in the fees and salaries of public officials, and OF
an economical and honest county government
and to this end we demand OF the next General
Assembly the passage of laws limiting the com
pensation of county officers to an amount CORE
spending with that paid for like services and
talent i'll private business"
The movement in this direction began
in this county. II is spreading ali ovel
the State. That it ia in the right direction
every taxpayer will testify. Official sala-
ries are out OF all proportion to the re-
sponsibility and work done, We will moi
say in every county in the State is this the
case, but the exceptions are few and tal
J between. The officials make il their bus
iness 10 devise ways and means of increas-
ing their salaries. Office is no longer {
public trust. Ii is made use OF By the in
cumben,s To lay up fortunes on which they
, can live without work when they are out
oi Office.
We have 80 often called attention to tn,
extravaganza OF the officials of this county
that our readers are perfectly posted
Erie county, however, is but single ex-
ample. We are in receipt OF the WOOD
County Sentinel of February 1lth, whicl
contains the annual report OF The Commits
sioners OF that county for The fiscal yeal
1885. Some of the items will slagger even
the extravagant Commissioners Of thi'
county.
In this report we find the Auditor re-
ceiving in the year ending August 3lsl the
following amounts for his services;