Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1898-05-04

Bills allowed. Council adjourned.
MORE ABOUT THAT Law LIBRARY
ACT.
The efforts to justify the Action of
Washington County's Senator saddling
the Law Library Law on the County
by the chairman and secretary of the
preliminary meeting" of the Bar As
sociation of Washington County is
commendable, representing as they do
the beneficiaries of the very question
able law. They most certainly should
stand by their fellow members. At
the same time, however, they should
give facts plainly, and not undertake
in general terms to make things ap-
pear better than they seem. We quote
from their Justification:
SAT a meeting of the bar of this
county, called for the purpose of or
ganizing a Bar Association, at which
meeting Col Riley was not present,
committee was appointed to draft
bill making suitable provision for the
partial maintenance of law library
for the use of all lawyers, judges, JUS
tices of the peace, and county and city
officials, and to request the interest of
our Senator and Representative in the
passage of such bill.'
Col. Riley, although not present, was
made A MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE to
draft the Bill. See reports of proceed
ings of the meeting in Marietta Regis
ter, Jan. 18th, 1898,
Such bill was prepared by the COM
mittee, formulated substantially in ac-
cordance with similar laws making the
same provision in a number of other
counties of this state, and Col. Riley
introduced the bill, which was openly
acted upon in the usual manner, met
with no opposition and was passed."
There is not a single county in the
state that has any such law as the one
formulated by the committee. In
troduced and railroaded through the
senate 'by our Senator, giving all the
fines and penalties collected by the
Common Pleas and Probate Courts and
one-fourth of the fines and penalties
collected by the mayor of city or cities
within her boundaries.
can learn Of bat three counties
in the state not having police courts,
Columbiana, Darke and Butler, whose
had the nerve to ask
for and secure any such legislation.
But even the legislation secured by
them is modest as compared with that
attempted for Washington county. /
The law in this number" of cour-
lies (three in alD contributes to their
Law Library Association as follows:
Columbiana Is per cent. Of all fnes
Ind penalties assessed and collected BY
heir Common Pleas and Probate Courts.
No city or mayors courts. /
Darke county limits the amount an
,ually to $500 annually. and Butler
county to $500.
But in our own county of Washing
on. II the bill as formulated by the
ommi.tee and fathered by our Senator
lad become the law, not Is per cent,
lot any limits, but all of the fines and
'enalties collected by our courts and
of all the fines and penalties
by the mayor Of the city of
isrietta, would have been the very
mall portion that Washington county
would have had to contribute ID. her
law Library Association and even as
moothed down by the House the law
low is that we must pay over quarterly
o this Association 25 per centsof the
eceipts from all fnes and penalties
mentioned heretofore-and this for no
pecified time, but until the law is de-
Jared unconstitutional or amended or
epealed.
This law contains nothing more
han is granted to great many other
ounties, and ifa Bar Association shall
e organized in this county. the pro-
eeds derived from this law will be
MY very small portion OF the ex-
ense of maintaining library of which
ot only the association but all public
tiicers of the county and city will have
he use and benefit"
The Common Pleas and Probate fines
nd penalties from March 1st, 1896 to
iarch 1st, 1898. were in excess of s3, 100.
he mayor of the city of Marietta paid
yer to the county treasurer upwards
+ $4,000 on orders signed by the ciay
Jerk, which read as follows:
Office OF Clerk OF the City of Marie tia.
No. S5S. Marietta, o.. Jan 80, 1897.
ir. Edw. Meisenhelder (Mayor).
Pay to Treasurer OF the City of Mari
tia, two hundred fifty-two and 9o-lOo
ollars.
On account of General Fund fines
nd licenses collected in January.
s252.90. CARL BECKER. City Clerk.
The above is the order for January,