The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-10-04

names to whom the county owed the
money. The report saws $3.50 ST WAS for
provisions, S527GS ior forage. II is silent
SIS to what the other sos WAS for. The
bill was allowed There was also another
bill OF s., 1882 for the worx-houso for
expenses. That WAS also allowed.
The poor-house and insane asylum pro-
vision bill for three months was 81, 40.
They don't seem to live long there for
fifty-four OF them died in three months.
but the provision bin gets there all tho
same. No vouchers hut allowed.
There may have been vouchers on file
for each and every item in the uhairman's
office, but they failed TO show up before
the court.
A bill was presented yesterday which
woke up Squire Young, a gentleman by
the way who is apt 10 steer close TO the
law. The bill read as follows:
Shelby County To Horrrll Is Smith pr.
Aug, ~. For building bridge across Big
creek sN7 90
Below was written: "This worl, bas been
completed according to contract, f. NJ.
Cole, superintendent and on the same
Sheet was an order from two members OF
the county court j. \. Harrison and w.
lNiht lalINa lIlN NNlk.
Squire Young wanted 10 know who
empowered magistrates TO order The build
ing of bridges.
The bridge superintendent quoted in
support Of their authority the following
order passed ut the January term of the
county court, 1886. Il SAYS Ordered
that in the event OF any bridge giving way
or falling down, so rs TO require immc-
date repair, that the bridge superintend.
ent in conjunction with the magistrates or
road commissioners of the district in which
said bridge is located are hereby author
i1cd 10 have said repairs done ut as low a
cash price as possible and their order for
the same shall be recognized by this
court"
OF course the order mean, "rcpairs" and
not a new bridge, hut the bin was allowed.
llE APPEAL reporter examined the order
and found that 1t watts executed September
%, lSSS, six weeks after the work was
completed. Doubtless the original order
was oral and the written order uitorward
supplied, but business is business, aud that
Is not the way 10 do business Once allow
a public officer 10 tunsgrcss the law and
he will continue 10 do IL until the law be-
comes a dead letter in ms eyes.
The members ol the county Conrt when
taxed with negligence in these matters will
doubtless say that they rely uuon the
chairman 10 scrulin.lr every bil closely
before allowing Il 20 boz voted upon. That
Is ilimsy excuse. The members Of the
county court are sent there 10 act Tor
themselves and take nothing for granted.
Chairman Slaughter has enough 10 do
without closely srru'.Uizing every account,
but II he had not it would bc giving him
q dangerous power iu make his action ou
a bill final. That puwc~ ne now enjoys
The members go through the
form OF voting aye or no upon cycry nc
count, but nino times out oi ten they
don't know what they are voting Ion. This
was amply illustrated Yesterday.
There was just 4 quorum present, and
one member went out, destroying the quo
rum. lie came back while the rOll.call ON
an account was Ia rrogryss The chair
man said: "Wc urt voting on an appro-
priIion, how DO YOU yo,o2" Without ask
ing whether Il was Tor five thousand dol
lars or Eve thousand cents, hc replied: II
vote aye" And that's about the way
they all vote.