The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-02-01

Our actions must be viewed In this Wight
We confess TO many imperfections and mis-
takes. We were not lawyers to be- able TO
know and conform to las Mr.. Cowap would
have us) all the nieeties and Refreshments
of legal requirement. The law did not re-
quire us to be skilled. We were chosen
from our respective districts presumably
because Of our good characters and fair inel
telligenee. We endeavored to learff our lez
gal duties and comply with them. Our pre-
siding officer the judge of probate, Is Y
learned lawyer, grown old in the praetlcf
OF his profession and a man of the most
upright life and character. His advice wa
daily given us and freely followed
Some Specific Charges
We pass to some specific eharges
Fist-We inspected the roads when nov
engaged In duties at the court lhoussF
under the local laws requiring or US IN
spections of roads and charged per diem 1ols
it, The charge was the custom eStaplshs
by our predecessors under the written oplnf
ion of prominent practicing lawyer tnfs
they were legally entitled to It, we thousht
were entitled to our per diem free OF eI-
pense, and hence charged cost OF traHspo17
tation. This expense varied with the coln-
missioners because of the great difference
in the accessibility of the road districts r
trayersed by dummy and electric railways
and some with other facilities MT Lacy .
district is very large and inaccessible. l1ie
Inspection ana SUPERVISION u IOe'uo ~ A.tS
district required his whole time when not
at tho court house and necessitated thet
keeping OF an extra horse. This Is calat 20
of tho most abundant proof by the pest ot
testimony 1t must be remempereu tHa'
Jefferson county spent hundreds OF thou-
sands of dollars on her maeadamizea ana
common roads within a few years she 70
doubt leads the south in roads. IhSy ave
her special pride They need and are given
constant care and supervision. Some OF our
practical pixies should have, perhaps IN
small way, the section boss and hands OIL
railway. =, -,
But we cannot enlarge upon all these
charges without swelling this communlea-
tion beyond all reasonable BOUNDS. ne
reader of the charges we hope did not
skim over and pass Judgment without care
full analysis of the charges for hihseh'
Aiowsnce of Accounts
Second-In allowance of accounts against
the county, the system of acting upon e6
parte affidavits in verifieation OF CLAIMS,
has not prevailed since the passage num-
Der of years ago of the local law reqqlr-
ing the commissioners of this county TO
make all purchases, ETC., for the county
Every purchase, rule, Is known TO ana
personally capable of verihcaton py at
least one member of the court Furtner,
written orders and stubs are always en-
ployed. No claim has been allowed Win
out scrutiny and entire satisfaction OF IT'S
correctness. Judge Porter gave his opln-
ion that under the local law, ex parte am
davits were not necessary. The system
employed is surely safer than TO allow
any one to make purchases and contracts
and have their claims passed upon eX pslrte
affidavits. Abundant proof could be- made,
if necessary, upon the subject. srzt -
Third-We assert that it can be salts
factorily established to the satisfaction of
any one that the presence of one of the
commissioners at the court house at all
times is imperatively necessary. We do
not understand that the same person must
stay there. Ii he should, his road inspee-
ton duties could not be attended to. -,f5
Fourth-As to allowance of ex gobtclo
claims, experience has demonstrated that
in every case, with every officer entitled
TO ex officio services, an termination OF
services rendered would produce several
times tho maximum amount allowed by
law Hence the maximum was generally
allowed without itemizaticn. Perhaps
strict coniafmity to the law in the matter
ought to have been observed, but We are
sure the county lost nothing by the course
pursued. III
Expenses of Vaccination t2o" .
Fifth-All virus in small epidemics was
purchased. by the county health ofloer-eass
required by law. We were not responsible
for the quantity, cost nor where pur-
chased. Almost necessarily, in the conduct
of an alarming epidemic, in county like
Jefferson, where demands for drugs and
medical aid were most urgent and pressing
every day, the purchase of drugs had to be
committed to the health officer and county;
physician. We did this in the last cpl
demic, and in the trying times of that pc
Rod we did in all respects the best we
could. 1t is not our fault that the expenses
of such an exigency are necessarily great.
AS to the number of vaccine points used it
must be remembered that very great pro-
portion Of the population was vaccinated
each several times before success.
(6) 1t may be that our dona tions to the
Mercy home, United charities, Omaha ex-
hibit and the Commercial club were not
within the authority of the law. The Mercy
home and United charities were for the DOOR
and'needy. They greatly relieved we think,
the county aims house. All the donations
were within numerous precendents of our
predecessors. They were under great pop
ular demand, with the greatest publicity,
for the public veal. No one objected. The
governor, citizen of the county and large
taxpayer here, made no objection. AS gov
ernor he has no right to object We were
not aware that. they concern Mr.. Cowan
We think We are not culprits on account OF
these donations but public benefactors.
Clerk Hire
% AS to clerk hire and typewriting: It
was very necessary, We thought, to have
all jury lists (there being very many of
them in this county where several jury
courts are held almost continuously, for
nearly ten months in the Year,, very care
fully made out, and We hired it. done at
reasonable charges.
80 The court mot Mr.. Lacy gave Lacy's
klnsmen the important contracts they re-
cAved One contract a half-brother obtain
ed as the lowest bidder. The contracts
wall o. ont III Il,
no one complains that the county was in
the least hurt.
go AS to fuel furnished to the county:
The court house, Jail, aims house and small
pox camp had to be supplied, and many
charity orders gwen. About an average of
$50 persons in jail; fifty or fifty-five paupers
in the aims house. Small pox camp ran
about eight months, with from twenty-five
to fifty inmates Moving cinders cost $50
per month while the boilers ran at the court
house and Jail. The court house and jail .
steam-heated by great boilers and furnace
conSuming much fuel had to run dtIrins q