The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-09-02
THE COMPTROLLER. R.GENERAL
COMES TO ABBEVILLE AND SETTLES
WITH THE TREASURER AND AUDITOR.
That High and Distinguished Officer
Proposes 10 Make Treasurer Blake
Suffer Because He ErrOneOusly
Paid the Former Treasurer Full
Fees. When ne Had not Finished
The Work of Collecting the Taxes.

/ the Work Of Collecting the Taxes
Last week the Comptroller General made
his appearance in our town.
His frequent efluSions in the shape Of let
terS of doubtful literary merit which have
| recently appeared in the newspapers had Ice
US to look out for a grand parsonage befor,
whom the county officers should fail dowr
and do ObciSancc.
/ In Il letter which that distinguished citiZer
published several days ago in the city papers
| he speaks of the county officers, and eSpe
cally the County Commissioners, us If they
were pigmicS.
| We are even now expecting letter in pub
lie print in reference to our own officer:
whom he may claim the right 10 criticst
and annoy, but due regard TO the proprie
ties of the situation would suggest, even Il
| him, the ineXpediency of instituting q com
! pariSon between his own ability and that o
the County Commissioners OF Abbcville.
! He seemed 10 think that County Commits
| Sioner "Shoud be hung" who left with the
! Clerk of the Board his name to n blank check
in order to accommodate the creditors of the
County.
| He thought it possible the clerk of the
County Commissioners might ''gO to Canada
with the checks or the money.
| AS n matter of fact, If the County Commits
sioners or the Treasurer should emigrate and
| If the Comptroller General did not diScharg,
them, their bCndsmen will answer for their
derelicton; and 1t is matter of eXtraordi.
nary presumption for State officer to i'm.
/ pute anything TO faithful subordinate Off
GERS.
In this county, he seemed so anxious to "dc
| his duty" that he actually proposed To charge
Treasurer Blake with money which had been
paid under protest to Treasurer Perrin, and
which money was then, and is now, in the
hands Of the State officers in Columbia.
In his zeal to ''do his duty" he ordered the
Treasurer to sell tract of land to pay the
| taxes on personality. In this case the former
owner of the land had returned 1t and his
personal property for taxation, but before the
| taxes were paid, he sold both the land and
the personally and he himself moved to an
other State.
The mptroller-General seemed ignorant
| of the fact that the land was not liable fol
taxes on personal property. But when in
formed by a clerk in the office as to the law
on the subject, he receded from this PROPOSE
| ton, to sell the land, but required Mr.. Blake
| to pay the taxes on the personal property
with promise to rebate the same-frOn
| The neTt fiscal gear.
In another case, q citizen had paid taxes
to the former Treasurer, but through over.
sight, the books were not credited. In the
discharge of his duty Treasurer Blake issued
| the execution, when the receipt was produc
ed. or course he had to credit the books
But no provision was made for the cost, Si6O
The mptroller-General required Treasurer
Blake TO pay 1t.
a great mistake last January by his careless
ness in settling with Treasurer Perrin's
bondsmen. Instead of holding back part o.
the tees, or requiring them to go OH and fin
ish the collection which the deceased officer
had undertaken, and for the faithful perform
ance of which he had given ample security
he made settlement. through hlS authorized
agent, paid the full amount OF the commits
sons and discharged Treasurer Perrin and
his bondSmen, leaving about half of the work
still undone.
Did any conscientious competent officer
ever commit greater wrong upon any
people, than did the Comptroler-General In
paying full price for half work and in then
4 NAV m ish hn1i
Although Treasurer Blake is the duly accred
tied agent of the State, acting upon the
authority of commission issued to him by
the Governor, and although he has given
several months OF his time to the service o
the State, and although he has paid out oi
his own pocket Sl25 for clerical aid, yet the
Comptroller-General refuses to allow him ono
cent of pay.
What excuse does the Comptroller.General
offer for this most strange act?
Nothing 1T all, except the admission that he
actually paid the full salary TO Treasurer
Perrin, and released him and his bondsmen
from responsibility and liability in finishing
the work.
Section 27I of the Acts of the General AS
SenUly provides:
"Thc following shall be the commissions OF
the County Treasurers upon all taxes collect
ed in their respective Counties: Four pei
cent. upon the first ten thousand dollars,
two per cent. upon the next Ten thousand
and one per cent. upon all amounts collected
same shall not exceed one thousand dollars
or be less than seven hundred dollars per
annnm'
Under that Act, Governor Tillman cannot
appoint a Treasurer and refuse TO pay him
the fees laid down in the law. The fact that
Treasurer Perrin'S bondsmen were paid and
released before the work was finished Is a
matter with which Treasurer Blake is III nc
wise concerned. His commissions are fixed
by law, without reference TO any act OF his
predecessor, or without rebate or reduction
because the Complroller-Genera enormously
paid out the money to which Treasurer
Blake was entitled.
Under no circumstances can Treasurer
Blake's salary or commissions be denied him
because OF the errors or mistakes OF the Comp
trOller-General.
If Treasurer Perrin and his bondsmen may
receive full comm lss ions for about half tho
work, what is TO prevent every Treasurer In
the state from resigning as soon rs commits
slonS on the amount collected, equal the
maximum sum TO which they are entitled:
The fact that Treasurer Perrin died in the
| midst OF the collection need not enter into
Comptroller General released him before
the work was finished which places him
| in his present awkward position.
AS soon as the Comptroller General rcleaS.
ed Treasurer Perrin and his bondsmen, the
Governor had nothing else TO do than to up.
point successor. AS soon as lie received his
commission, Treasurer Blake was In the SER
vices OF the State and his salary was rcgulat.
GU oy Tue ACT Wnlcn we nave quoted ABOVE.
There Is no way known TO us whereby the
people OF this county may be made whole in
this matter, except by resort TO the bonds
men OF the officer who enormously and un.
lawfully paid out our money.
But ii the Legislature should be willing to
excuse the Comptroller General for throwing
away our money, then that body should Or
der just and proper compensation to Mr..
Blake. The Comptroller General has no right
| TO make unjust eXactions OF n subordinate
officer in small matters, while he himself is
excused for wasting hundreds.
II Is perfectly certain that there is no way
of legally settling the fees OF the Treasurer,
except by reference 10 the Act which we have
quoted.
If Treasurer Perrin's bondsmen could col
lect for unfinished services, why not allow
them TO collect the fees for two or three
years ahead? The principle of paying three
months ahead, as was done by tile Comptrol-
Ter General, is the same, as If payment was
MADE three years ahead.
We commend the Comptroller General for
all legitimate efforts 10 swell the assessment
OF property.
We rejoice at his every reasonable and
| right effort 10 require OF the county officers
| the discharge Of the full measure Of the ir
duty.
We excuse him for any seeming desire to
advertise himself by the publication of OF
| ficia letters.
We can overlook the vanity that may
Ieild nm 10 forget That e7en u County Com.
msconcr lin ALbeyillc, at leaSD may be his
equal in ability and fidelity in the discharge
OF Il public duty.
Let him pile up the assessments to their
true standard, let him catch tax dodgers OF
every kind, but if his increased figures for
taxable property, and the reduction of public
expenditures, is to indicate the degree OF
wrong which has been perpctrated on the i'll
dividual citizen or the subordinate officer
the greater Will be our cause for reproach.