Daily Republican., 1890-04-22

The dilemma in which the Levy
Court is placed by Sheriff Aliens large
bill TOR ieed.ng prisoners is one fer
which the members-alone arc respon.
sible. and very little sympathy will be
expressed for them ss they wriggle in
and wriggle out in trying to SHIFT the
responsibility. When the Levy Court
positively refused TO reduce the rate
per diem from 80 to 90 cents, under the
excuse that there was an implied con
tract for 80 cents tor u year In ad-
vance, the members had no idea that
the bill would run up to $50, 900.
They probably thought that the bill
would be something like the size OF
the preceding years bill-Sl5, 600.
The Levy Court is caught, US il de-
serves to be. II Is too late to 90 into
the cutting down process now, because
the court voted not TO cut down by a
vote of seven TO four. No matter If
Sheriff Aliens bill is 100000 instead
OF $15 900 he is entitled to it, and to
refuse 1t to him would be Tor the
Levy Court to Iepudiate its past
action, when 1t declined to recede
from 80 cents day.
1t is no fault OF Sheriff Allen that
the bill is high. lie has charged Tor
no more meals than were furnished
That he has had more prisoners to
feed than any of his predecessors ever
had before him is not his fault. When
the prisoners are sent there by the
Municipal Court, and by Justices OF
the Peace from every part OF MS
county, he has to accept them and he
has to feed them We have no hest
tation in saying that the price charged
and paid for iced is too high, but the
Levy Court said il was not too high;
furthermore, that there was an implied
contract, so the mnjoriy Of the Levy
Court distinctly asserted, that tie old
price should be paid. What, then, is
the Levy Court waiting iorg Why not
pass the sherills bill at once, pay it
and be done with it.
II 30 cents per day was not too
much TO pay tor prisoners feed when
the sum total amounted 10 So 900, it
is not too much when the bill is S2O,-
600 There is no use for the Levy
Court to prolong it sessions ut an
expense 10 the tax payers o.! over $50
a day, incubating over the affair md
wondering how u reduction should be
effected without appearing to reduce,
The taxpayers are not to be caught
with any such chah, aud they ure not
blaming Sheriff Allen either. Let the
Levy Court be manly and carry out
the course blocked out Tor itself nui
ray the rate it agreed to pay, 10 nut
Ter how much the aggregate may be-
IL is no use to think about the tax
payers now. They have been totally
disregarded SO far. They were not
thought about when the cnormoul
allowance OF S04s extra money above
the salary was allowed the coroner
Little did the Levy Court think about
the taxpayers when they allowed
themselves the largest salsries ever
~6ofore allowed Ut any session The
amount oggreg' ting ncarly rs 3A
Little did they think Of them wien
they accepted the GishnDest delinquent
returns from the two Wilmington FAX
collectors, lhat kn0cked 5000 ont 4
the county treasury that tlle tax
payers wanted 10 pay, but which Ill,
collectors would mol accept
Alter all this it is no use to shov
much concern Tor the taxpayers. !
Levy Court that would make tn
largest allowance for themselves, thu.
would not cut down slpglc mile OF
single iarthiDg on their own cnar
mousiy swollen salaries would hay
the checklist kind of cheek To cil
down on the salaries OF others. ID
unto others US We would de- 10 your
selves isa scriptursl golden MAXI
that should not he lest sieht OF eve
by Levy Court that seems to hay
no regard for the tuxpaycrs except
fleece them.