The Iola register., 1898-12-23

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A grand jury is not popular. At
least great many people who really
want to see the prohibitory law en-.
forced and all the people who do not
want to see 1t enforced, complain bit
terly whenever Que is called because
OF the big money 1t will cost the tax
payers.
AS a matter Of fact grand jury
does cost money. The REGISTER
asked District Clerk Miller how much
:he last one cost aud these are his fig.
ures:
Per Diem and mileage of jurors. ...... S 5O7 O9
Per " witnesses. Is1 90
Clerks fees........ O.. ............ 12j 81
Total cost of grand jury ...........s 1928 45
Soa grand jury does cost money.
And after all it is not so very much
money, when you consider how many
people there are who pay 1t. The to-
tai assessed valuation of A Hen coun.
ty is, in round mum bers, S4, 600, 600. 70
raise 81 200 on this would require a
levy of u trifle over one .fortieth of one
per cent That is to say, u man whose
property is assessed Mt 81 900 will find
his tax increased just twenty-five cents
by reason of the grand jury.
But perhaps the grand jury ought
to be held accountable FIR the sixteen
liquor cases which were lried at the
last term Of court. MIR, Miller fee
bill shows the following:
shefiHs iees ..,. ........,...... ........ 2SS 2S
Clerks fees ..................., 2S3 %
Sieuographers fees. ..,..... ........... 300
witnesses ......... e. .............. 5000
Total cost Of sixteen trials eos. ....... slesi2i
Hence the total expense tntailed
upon the county by reason of the
gtand iury-provided we assume that
uone OF these trials would have been
brought if the grand jury had not
met--was 50, ,207.60
There Is still another item of eX-
pense that might he charged up to
the grand jury-provided it is to be
held responsible not only for the trials
but for the verdicts and the sentences
aud that is the board of the prison
ers while serving out their Jail sen
tences. The aggreRa sentences
amount to 2970 days, and If these are
served out in full, the cos 10 the coun-
ty at forty cents n day Will be 81, los.
Adding this to the other sums aud
we find the grand total of the expense
OF the grand jury, the liquor trials
ana the board of prisoners to be
Sl3D5. 80. The levy that would he
necessary to raise this sum ny taxing
the assessed property in the county
would be one-tenth of one per cent.
That IL to say, a man whose property
is assessed at 81 900 will find his tax
es increased by Sl0O on account of the
grand jury.
But II the grand jury is to be held
responsible for all that the liquor tri- |
ais cost the county, it must, in fair
NO tltbllth Nlln NIlul lll6 tOul-
ty gets out of the fines assessed The
aggregate amount of the fines impos-
ed is So, 100. To this should be added !
$500 on account OF Ransom's forfeited
bond, making 1900 all told. Hence,
II appears by II simple sum in sub
traction, that if all these fines were
collected the county would be s., ,204. 81
the gamer 10y virtue of the grand
jury. VIII they be collected? That
depends. There is talk that the
county attorney will bring action
against the property in which the Of
fense was committed to collect the
fines and COSTS. As the law allows
him five per cent. of the fines thus
collected there is some inducement
for him to do this, and IL he does,
there is no telling what may happen.
All of which Is respectfully sub
mitted.
Ene Dauf