Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1897-02-12
THE. NEED 0F=THE HOUR.
Bill Now Hanging Fire In the House
Should Be Passed Dallas Grand
Jury Report am Argument In
Favor of the Measure.

Montgomery, Feb 11.-(Special) 1.-The
report of the grand jury of Dallas county,
which has just adjourned, and which is
published in full in the Selma papers. is
calculated to set the members Of the gen.
eral assembly to thinking. 1t shows I'M
question: bly, the necessity of rigorous
examination of the accounts of the va
rious officials who handle public funds
The. head of the last state administra-
ton, Gov. Oates, realized this necessity,
and in his message he recommended to
the Legislature that nine examiners be
appointed. Gov, Johnston takes the po-
sition that one chief examiner, with two
assistants could do the business for the
state, and bill to this effect has passed
the senate, and is now In the house. If
the members of the house would read the
report of the Dallas county grand jury
there is hardly a question that the bill,
which is now hanging fire on the calen-
dar, would speedily be enacted into law
The grand jury's report indicates that
the books of the various. county officers
are neatly kept, but the system in the
offices of the tax collector, assessor, cir
cult clerk and probate Judge do not show
the exact financial condition of the coun-
ty at any particular time.
The report indicates that the grand
jury tried to examine the books of the
county superintendent of education, in
which they admit that they failed. The
grand jury says that the only way in
which this Office could be, Investigated
would be to examine orally every town
ship trustee. md teacher in the county.
The jury states that no books are kept
by the county superintendent of educa-
ton, except occasionally, teacher signs
the pay roll. The subject of the superin-
tendent of education further shows the
necessity of official examination in the
fact that the grand jury practically
charges that township trustees force
teachers in the public schools to divide
their compensa ton with them in order to
secure appointment, which practice is de-
nounced as corruption of the vilest sort.
These matters more nearly affect the
county than the state, but the latter part
of the report shows that the state has
some interests which are worthy of the
attention of the general assembly. The
state pays the feed bill for, the prisoners
confined in the eounty-jail of Dallas coun-
ty. and the report shows that the mayor
of Selma, sitting, as a committing mag
istrate sends prisoners to the county
jail which he should punish under mu-
nicipal ordinances, and that thus the
state is taxed hundreds of dollars for
feed of these prisoners which 1t should
| not pay Yhe grand jury enumerates a
list of prisoners. whose offenses should
have been punished by the mayor, but
who were committed to the county Jail
| aud for whose feed, the state was charged
up. This, the jury. says, has amounted in
few months to several hundred dollars,
and in the course Of year might amount
to several thousand.
The grand jury admits that the law and
the charge of the court make it the duty
of that body to examine the books of the
county officials, but the members advise
| that thorough examination should be
| made by an expert accountant, and sug-
gests the appointment, of a, county audi
| tor for the purpose of keeping up with
| the financial affairs of the county. I'm
der the proposed law, the state examiner
and his two assistants would have all
the work they could do, and their salaries
would be earned to the tax payers of the
state every month in the year.
The full report of the grand jury is
found in another column of this issue
Editor.