West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1893-10-12
THE COUNTY COURT REpENrs,


Our readers will remember thai
the ARGUS took the County Court
to task for increasing the salary Of
| the Sheriff and Prosecuting Attor.
hey at the July term. We called
attention to the fact that the Sher.
i'll was allowed $3.50 per year more
than heretofore and that ex- Sheriff
Jackson was claiming the
same amount or 5000 in all for bis
term of four years, and declared
that il the Court allowed 1t to
Sheriff Shaw they would have to
allow it to him, il he had to sue for
it, and no one denies but what Mr..
Jackson was as much entitled to it
as MIR. Shaw, so that it would have
been an item OF $1,000 additional
for the tax payers to pay. II the
ARGUS had not hunted the matter
mp and called attention to it, the
probability is that nothing would
have been said or done and the al
ready over-burdened tax payers Of
this county would have footed the
bill and kept wondering where all
their money was going to and why
the county could not get out of
debt with such heavy levy. Here
is the result Of this agitation aud
the way the Honorable County
Court acknowledged the error Of
its ways and reversed itself at this
last session. We give the exact
language Of the order, copied from
the original:
"Whereas, There was granted to
Sheriff Leroy Shaw at the July
term, 1893, Of the Court an Order
for the sum Of Four Hundred and
Fifty Dollars for services rendered
and to be paid for as provided in
Sec. 40 of Chap. 80 of the Code
and under Sec. 20 Of Chap. 1877 of
the Code, and
Whereas, In granting said Order
this Court believed 1T was provid-
ing for the amount previously paid
for such services, and
Whereas, This Court finds that il
committed an error and should have
paid fer said services, as heretofore
done, only the sum of $500.
1t is therefore ordered, that in
future there shall be paid to the
Sheriff of this county, under the
provisions OF Sec. 40 of Chap. 80
of the Code, the sum per year of
5000, and under Sec. % of Chap.
1877 of the Code, the sum per year
of 800. and IL is ordered that from
the neat amount to be paid TO Sheriff
Leroy ,Shaa0 under this provision
there shall be deducted the sum of
One Hundred and Fifty Dollars en-
roneously allorced him as before
stated"
A few words OF explanation are
necessary to make all plain to the
general public. In the first place,
$500 per year is the regular salary
allowed the Sheriff, and this with
his commissions on receipts and
disbursements and fees allowed for
various things, make very hand.
some salary, if it is we'll managed.
AT the July term Sheriff Shaw
presented his bill for this years
services in the sum of $3.50 IAN in
crease $3.50 per year over ex-Sheriff
JacksoA) and the Court allowed it
and he got an order for his money
and refuses to give it up, so that
he will get $3.50 for this year, but
as the above order shows, the excess
OF $3.50 is to DO deducted from his
salary OF $500 next year, unless he
should die or resign the Office in
the meantime, 80 that up to date
Uncle Leroy is still ahead, as
usual. The substance of all this so
far as the action OF the Court is
concerned, is that it must now adj
NIT that it knowingly increased the
Sheriif's salary, and when the peo-
pie kicked reversed itself and took
water--or that it allowed the bill
without any Investigation to see
whether it was right or not. Gen
tlemen, you may take whichever
horn Of tho dilemma you please.
Either places you IN an awkward
position.