The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1891-02-06

Mr.. e. M. Aliens allegations at the Far
mers' Convention that excessive fees art
charged in the offices of the Register of Will
and the Clerk of the Circuit Court have beer
enquired into by the committee named BY
Mr.. Allen in his resolution. The complaint
Mr.. Allen makes with regard to the Registers
office are, first, that the Register has moi
made annual reports to the Comptroller o.
the receipts Of his Office, its expenses, &c
Second, that he has not kept posted up, as
the law requires, list of the fees allowed
him by law. The committee, Messrs. Geo
Z. Silver, Garrett Amoss and Thomas Mouls
dale, signed this part of the report. The
third charge is that the Register charges fees
greater in amount than is allowed by law
Mr. Moulsdale refused to endorse this charge
Mr.. g. Smith Norris, the Register of Wills,
states that in making up his bills of fees he
has been guided by his Interpretation of the
table of fees in the code-which is not very
clear-and by the charges made by former
Registers. He also says he can prove the
correctness of any bill of fees he has made
He admits that he has not kept schedule OF
fees posted in his Office nor made a report
to the Comptroller, not being aware that the
law required him to do these things. He
has, however, since posted up table of fees.
With regard to the Clerks Office Mr.. Aliens
charges are about the same, namely, that no
report has been made to the Comptroller of
the receipts of the office; that no statement
has been made to the Comptroller of uncol-
lected fees; that the table of fees has not
been posted up and that larger fees have been
charged than the law allows. The committee
say they believe these charges can be sus-
tanned by legal evidence.
Mr.. VIM. 8. Forwood, Jr., the Deputy
Clerk, who has virtual charge of the Office,
says that last year, for the first time. perhaps,
report was made to the Comptroller SINH
lar in form and substance to the reports
made by Clerks of Courts in Baltimore city
and other counties, and that Q letter of the
Comptroller acknowledging the receipt of the
said report Is on file In the Office.
He adds that he desired to haye Mr.. Aliens
charges enquired into under oath.
With regard to unsolicited fees Mr.. For
wood says the Office isobliged to docket suits
and to perform all other duties required by
law, whether they be paid for or not, except
the recording of deeds, mortgages, bills of
sale and magistrates judgments; that the
making out and forwarding to the Comptroll-
er of lists of amounts due the Clerks Office
by citizens OF Hartford county and uncollect-
able has never been done heretofore, and pro-
badly is not done in any county in the State.
The Bill of Rights of our State declares
that every man. for any injury done to him
In his person or property, Ought to have
justice and right, freely without sale, fully
without any denial, and speedily without de-
lay" Under this wise provision the poorest
resident of this State can bring suit and have
trial to protect his rights and the Clerk of
the Court must make the proper entries and
the Sheriff must serve the legal writs, wheth-
81 the fees therefor are paid or not.
The table of fees, he says, was posted up
when the law-which applies only TO Hartford
county-was passed, but when the Court
House was reprinted, some years ago, it was
torn down, he supposes, and never replaced.
AS soon as his attention was called to this
omission he restored the table of fees to its
former place.
MIR. Forwood denies, unequivocally, that
fees greater than the law allows have been
charged by him or by any one connected
with the Clerks Office and says he courts an
investigation by the proper tribunal
Section 70, Article SO. Of the Code of Pub
lie Local Laws, provides that the Clerk of the
Circuit Court, the Register of Wills, the
Sheriff and the States Attorney shall keep
posted up In their respective offices the ia
bles of fees allowed them by law. The penal
ty for neglecting this duty is fine of $40
week for every week the derelct official ne
elects or refuses to comply with the provi-
sions of this section.
Sec. 70 of the local code provides that if
any "clerk of the circuit court, the sheriff,
the register of wills, or the States attorney of
Hartford county shall Enosoingly demand or re-
ceive for any service or duty fee not allow
ed by law, or greater than is allowed by law
or shall demand or receive fee for services
or duty before the same shall be actually per-
formed, such officer 80 offending shall be
deemed guilty of misdsmeanor, and shall,
on conviction thereof, be fined sum not less
than fifty nor more than one hundred dollars,
to be recovered, with costs, by indictment In
the circuit court for Hartford county"
Except for charging excessive fees and for
failure to keep the schedule of fees posted up
In their respective offices the code prescribes
no penalty for failure to do any OF the things
which Mr.. Allen complains that the Clerk
and the Register have neglected.
No one who knows the character and
standing in the community of the officials
against whom Mr.. Allen brings charges win
believe that they have knowingly done any
wrong. We have no desire to screen them If
they have, but we cannot see the propriety of
trying them in the newspapers. The grand
jury. Il seems TO Us, is the proper tribunal be-
fore which their accusers should appear. If
that body should conclude that there is suffi-
Gent ground for trial the whole matter can
be investigated in open court on sworn tes-
timony. Let justice be done-to individuals
as well as to the public.
1.-THE fees allowed the Clerk and Register
Of Wills, by law, are too large, the Legisla-
ture should be called upon to reduce them
and to make table of fees plain and explicit
enough for any intelligent person to under
stand.
The Archer Bond Cases.