The Waco evening news. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 1891-1894, 1894-04-10

| Inc duu COslc auio'H'S
each case. The county gets s6UOO,
the usual fine of go being assessed,
of which the county attorney ge's
10 per cent, 5000. In addition TO
this the county attorney gets SO IN
each case, making the snug little
sum of 50 600 for his annual share.
The remaining al2 coo is divided
between the sheriff, the county
iadee, and the county and district
clerks.
Say there are fifty saloons in
Waco which keep open house on
sunday, aid they are indicted three
times per annum. They are fined
$40 and costs, amounting to $50
The county gets $4,000, and the
county attorney rec ives 1850, and
tn, remaining $3.50 is shared by
TIE sheriff, the county judge, and
the county and district clerks.
This state of things is not the
peculiar result of the present county
administration and government, but
has characterized this particular
county since my first acquaintance
with it. Ii isths natural outgrosth
of the peiq 1isite system. pre-
sumo our otii GERS will average ny
wit the generality of them.
"How would you regulate these
things
My plans are not thoroughly
digested, but by the time the next
legislature meets | will have bill
fully mstured, covering the case Of
each officer who now receives
perquisites. and there is a remedy
which now suggests itself to me,
even retaining the perquisite system.
To any body familiar sith the facts
it is very evident that nearly all of
our Off ;ers, except the district
Judge, are paid too much for the
labor they perform; if we are to be
governed by the amounts paid for
the performance of like duties on
private account, would al low the
county attorney in every county in
Texas to make per year $4,000, and
would require the clerks Of the
courts to keep check on him and re-
port to the commissioners court;
when he had received that amount,
would require all fees earned by
him in excess of that amount to be
paid into the county treasury to the
credit Of the road and bridge fund,
and if any stimulating influence is
necessary to make him do his duty,
would allow him 10 per cent com.
mission on all amounts so
covered into the treasury,
and on all fines collected
Now you see that under this sys-
tenn it is possible for the county at
toraey and other officers to make
large sums of money by assessing
these law violators periodically and
virtually licensing them to be law
breakers, and really making law
breaking respectable. The reason.
ing voter can readily see how it is
possible for the county attorney,
without compromising himself in
the eyes of the world, to make ten
or twenty thousand dollars a year,
and at the same time present q very
plausible official record to his con.
stituency. County attorneys and
other off GERS are human. and the
ones We have now are lst like those
we have had in the psst, and will
have in the future, unless we limit
their pay. So long as they can in
crease thelr'pay By levying periodical
tribute on the law breakers, the la v
breaking business will prosper, 1t
would take Spartan heroism for
many of US mortals in this day Of
dollars to kill the goose that lays
the golden egg
chow about the county clerk?"
81 would allow him to make
$1,000 per annum | would make
him keep fee record, in which
should be noted the amount received
for the recording of every instru.
ment of writing, the fling of every
mortgage the issuance of every
license, and all fees in all cases
tried. would have him turn over
all amounts in excess of $4,000 to
the commissioners, who could pay
the necessary clerical help; and