The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-12-29


he legal committee and after two hours II
nd half discussion, the Auditors as s.
ociation decided by two-thlrds vote a
hat the tax ought to be paid in local C
,ption districts as well as any other To- S
,ality. Shortly after, Auditor Jones,
)f Toledo, got decision which settled q
,he matter, and the State has received g
tens of thousands of dollars, that hith-
erto went unpaid, and Logan county ;
has profited by it thousands of dollars.
The first year the Auditor attempted
to collect the Dow tax here, he had the
hearty cooperation of Treasurer Ebrite
and Prosecutor Odor, and together as
sisted by Marshal Herman and Sheriff
Sullivan closed all the saloons, and
hauled the supplies to the Treasurer's
Office and locked up the saloons. They |
were threatened with personal suits, |
and some of the most prominent law
yers of our town told them they could
not collect the tax and might get into
trouble. They met all kinds of dircour-
agements, threats, ETC., but made it so
warm that the numerous boot-leggers
had no place to lay their keg. Nobody
would rent them a room. We chased
them from the store rooms to the wood
shed and stable, and when they found the
premises could be held, we began to get
them under control and collect some
tax. We then went for the outsiders,
and educated the liquor seller and
property holder to the fact that it was
cheaper to pay the tax than to receive
visits from the officials. Prosecutor
West and Sheriff Shaw have done good
service but the Prosecutor has not al
ways agreed with the Auditor, and has
compromised some cases for less than
the Auditor thought could be and ought
: to be collected. The fight to collect
the tax, and it has been fight, has not
been pleasant one, but the committee
Z admit that the receipts last year were
over $4,000, and for the year begin
g ming last May the Auditor put on th'
books over SI4, 900. l feel that by year.
9 of persistent work, putting on the book
g all men who were lodging the Dow tax
e against whom l could get evidence,
u have made the county thousands of dol
: lars, and suppressed scores of obnox
ious bootleggers. | have paid out man
dollars of my own money, and hav
81 taken my own horse and gone miles a
e ter evidence, and if the committe
e thinks it is easy to get evidence agains
ID violator of the Dow law let them tr
y it. There have been numerous violatol
+, whom l have not been able to get ev
Z" dence against that would stand
u court but in the last year or two the
u, have been few and far between.
y The committee reports that the Au
itor was allowed for services under IL
Dow law, for the past year S556. 10,
at over 5 per cent of the total collection
or (which the committee deems exorbi
IS ant" Like Flanagan, the commits
no is ''off again" because,
80 80 1st, They did not know for wh
length of time the collections ran.
- was part of the two Dow law years, al
~ not for one year, so they did not knt
the amount of collections and cons
quently could not know what per ce
it was on collections.
n I'd, They did not know that the Au
90 itor's allowance was over per cent
-, the total Dow law collections, for tn
ev based their report on the net collectiO
for of parts of two years, and did not sta
nd that on collections where the Audit
ba hunted up violators of the law,
ob Prosecutor took TEN per cent of
,4u gross collection, the Treasurer 4 I
n~ cent, and livery hire, Marshals, Sh
"a ifs or Constable's fees and other
tho penses were taken out before the l
di- collection was reported.
i've Sd, The committee did not take il
re- consideration the fact that many of t
Try cases that the Auditor put on the boo
ter were compromised for less sum tn
ind he put them on the books for, and
md should not be held responsible for
hat shortage. For instance, last SUNNI
the Auditor put Levi Welch on
Idi- three years, with penalty amounting
he 81, ,440. Against my protest and wi
tor out my knowledge the case was sett
art by 'Robt. Young" for $500, and a
vas ceipt given him in full to date for
to Dow tax. Young has made his tho
self ands in the business, and | believe
BILE pected to pay, and ought to. Lal
aw deficit!
he A clear case against S. Shellabars
the was taken to court, and the first
ow Auditor knew he saw in the papers ii
the case had been nOllied. No ca
tor No deficit. No per cent.
ON Russell's Point has been a well kno
did resort, and it is generally conceded Il
nty a paying liquor business has been c'
his Quoted there. The Auditor put Marsh
lily on for years tax, and he ca
t If in and promised to pay in few da
law No cash was received, and the Coul
and Treasurer's books say: ''Dropped
i've the Prosecutor and Treasurer" Il
ate money should be collected yet.
but The committee went through the ira
uld actions of the Commissioners of
had carefully, and reported as they bell
all ed, but | want to say that they are n
'ect taken, both as to my fees and my int
the probation of the law.
would not have taken up so mucl
-. I L