Birmingham state herald., 1897-05-16
MOBILE COUNTS
 GREAT MIDDLE i.~ ;An Interesting Resume Of Tax Col Hector LOtt'S Career. = ---------4--e,.-,
HE IS SHORT w HIS ACCOUNTS
Investigations In the Supreme Court and By Ex- aminers Brought to Light By an Astute
 Newspaper Correspondent

s4 Montgomery May 15.-(Special)-It is probable that the least disturbed of all --lthe people who have anything to do with Y the bond of the tax collector Of Mobile county is the tax collector himself MT. Lott has been in hot ater so. often that s-the temperature of the present contro- everSy is scarcely so high as tc make hlm -seven uncomfortable.
 The numerous troubles into which, py ~carelessness or other cause. he has taifeh, sare sufficiently important to require the ~governor and the auditor and other ott1- --cials connected with the enforcemen,s -sand executions of the revenue laws, to be . extra careful in dealing with the col election of taxes in Mobile county.
 The charge has been distinctly and bold -s1y made that in seeking to require that @Nr Lott give a legal bond as tax col s,lector. the governor has been engaged Tn "a political conspiracy to oust hlm so as ~to put some friend of his In me oIice. -sIt, might b. pertinent 10 inquire Whelher -sseveral governors and auditors and couh- Inf officials and state examiners, who ~,haye previously had 10 sue him on ms. s-bond or look up his defaults, have afs9 ~been actuated by the spirit of political .n persecution. -,know whe her Hon. R. H. Clarke, who v was counsel for the county in a suit against Mr. Lott and his bondsmen in ss1SS5 and for the state in 1SS0 and again .-in 1884, was engaged in a political perse- scution, or whether he knew ii was a po- -slitical persecution when he pocketed the --fees.
 = CAPITOL RECORDS. . The records at the capitol show that 1Mr Lot, was sued on his official bond by Sthe state in October, 1880, Hon. R, H. sClarke being of counsel for the state. s- That he was again sude by the stare s4in 1884 70 recover money due, over $l6,- a00O of it, MT. Clarke being the states . lawyer.
 q That he was sued on his bond by the Acounty in 1885, Hon. R. H. Clarke being AacdlYnsel for the county, and the suit being S,a bill in chancery to compel discovery .sand disclosure of proper,y and account a@ing for back taxes collected and never sspaid over.
 . That his accounts were examined by asIas.. w. Ia9Jsley, state exam ner, iH 1885, dollars.
 M That bs accounts were examined in H1sac 5ss Sta.e Examiner Reeves, and a shortaes found 0f nearly sSsoop : ss That h November iast the grand jury sreaplredsaalIn to strengthen his bond by $50, 000 ad that he finally did so. s.zThat c March 24 one Of his bondsmens - asked to be discharged from his bond, alleging as the reason therefor that he Twas in danger of being made lia ble on such bond and could have no adequate remedy against MT. LOU, that ne was "thereupon required to make his bond good and that he has not yet complied with the law in this last complication.
 At the time of the first suit R. w. Cobb was governor and Willis Brewer auditor At the time of the second suit in 1884, E., A. O'Neal was governor and J. M. Carmichael was auditor.
 Gov. O'Neal ordered an examination of his books in 1885.
 Gov. Oates ordered an examination or his books in 1S96
 Gov. Johnston seeks to require in 1897 a compliance with a plain statute in the matter of his bond
 It would be quite as much in order to charge that one of these officials was engaged in a political conspiracy, as an- other None of them seemed to have construed the fact that the people of Mo bile elect MT. Lott to office as exempt ing them from their duty as executives of the law and guardians of the states revenues.
 In the record book of the proceedings of the board of compromise kept in the auditors office appears the following en- try under date of March 13, 1881.
 A COMPROMISE.
 Application of compromise under an act approved Feb. 13, 1879, from E. B. his sureties.
 ''To the Honorable the Governor. At torney G nsral and Auditor of the state of Alabama:
 
 bile county in said state respectfully pro- posss to compromise and settle the claims asserted against him by the state for the sum of seven thousand six hundred and seventy-six dollars and seven cents In full of such claim against him as such tax collector for and including the years 1873. 1874. 1875, 1876 and 1877. said sum to be paid on the acceptance of this prop osition into the state treasury. It Is proper should inform you that Messrs. Jas H. Daughdril Jacob Mayer and N. N. Perry, surcties on my bond for these years have been discharged in the bank ruptcy court of the United States district court at Mobile. and are rot now pe- cuniarily responsible for any amount col lected by process of law. and that Wm. T. Cleveland's property is covered by valid existing mortgages duly recorded largely exceeding the value of his property. Un- fortunately the sum above proposed is all that is possible for me to comman nd after great effort as had the misfortune to lose all my own property in certain mercantile operations in aid of a relative. I also think 1t proper to call your attention to the fact that the claims asserted by the state are chiefly for moneys which I have actually paid out to assessors as commissions and fees paid to other officers for services rem derfd as previous to such payments had been usually and customary with tax col dettors-A and also for payments made to the county and school board and which have been heretofore recognized and all lowed to your applicant by Auditor Smith for 1873, 1S74 and 1875.
 --fSigned) E. B. LOTT,
 T. c. NJ. c.
 On the margin of the page in red ink is his astonishing note:
 'a".Stl6int due as per tax books. $133,- 56S13. Settled for $7.676.07.'
 -Thf order of th- board of compromise as 'fecorded accepts the proposition of MT, Lott. which closed his accounts up to 1SfS. A settlement for 1878 and 1879 was compelled by suit. # 5l a'o4 slG .l2s IN THE SUPERIOR COURT. [,
 In volume 69, pasr 147s ofbthe supreme court reports, will be fortst neporied the csscs of the state of Ala pe1ra -vs. Lott. being a suit by the state op the bond of Eax4 Collector Lott Of Nbbfls county. -The suit was ins.itut@d ipYthe circuit