The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1902-01-30
A TAX PAYER
Gives Ills Views on tho illegal Fee
Middle.

IN article in that almost obsolete
sheet, The Hooking Sentinel. 1
refer to the article signed,
"Sylph," which signature was at
tached thereto for the purpose of
concealing the identity Of the
author of the same, Lewis Green
The object Of said article and
others which have heretofore ap-
peared in that paper, is very APP
parent.
AS Lewis has distorted and
colored the facts in each of said
of which he is the author,
/. beg leave to make statement in
order that the public may know
something Of the truth Of the mat
ter he has so grossly .misrepresen-
ted.
To start with, Judge Wright
appointed that committee upon the
written petition of twenty-five or
twenty-three persons, at least
twenty of whom were tax payers.
If there were not at least twenty
taxpayers names on that petition,
certainly the able attorneys who
defended the ex-office holders |
would have discovered it. II there
were that many on it, which has
never been denied, Section 1131
Revised Statutes of Ohio, was
complied with, and Judge Wright
was bound under that section to
appoint the committee, which duty
he performed as an honest, fear
less, just Judge should have done.
Suppose, however there were
not the names Of twenty tax-pay-
ers on the petition, what defense
is that to suit brought against
a man, an ex-office holder, to COM
pei him to put back in the county
Treasury, money which he has in
his pocket, which does not belong
to him but belongs to the county2
Will you please answer in your
next article2
But, says Lewis, committee to
investigate was unnecessary be-
cause there were other committees
appointed each year to examine
the commissioners report. Now
Lewis that comm ittee can't exam
inc things not in the commission
ers report, and if County Audit
or drew his warrant for an amount
not due him, without an allowance
thereof by the commissioners, as
the law requires, and presented
his warrant to the treasurer and
got the money on it, no statement
thereof would be found in the
commissioners report. Twenty
taxpayers had the right however
to have an investigation Of amounts
PAID out Of the County Treasury,
including amounts paid upon al
lowance of the commissioners as
well as amounts paid WITHOUT an
allowance by them. The people
have some right to know where
their taxes go. The statute gives
them the right to an investigation
and if the law is wrong, Lewis had
better have it amended.
Again he says, "None of those
Committees even insinuat-
ec that any illegal fees were TAX
en- from the County Treasury"
If his memory is not badly wreck
ed he knows this statement to be
absolutely false.
In 1893 when Petit and Vickers
in conjunction with the Prosecut-
ing Attorney examined the Com
missioners Report, a great many
items of illegal fee were reported
by the committee. If any one has
forgotten this, or doubts the truth
Of the matter, let him examine the
newspaper files containing the re-
port Of that committee in the
Auditors office. THE SUPREME
COURT OF OHIO AFTERWARDS HELD
THAT THE ITEMS REPORTED BIZ THAT
COMMITTEE AS ILLEGAL, WE'RE
ILLEGvL.
Again the report Of G. ".
Wright and Carl H. Buerhaus in
connection with Prosecutor Petit,
in 1897, shows many illegal expen-
ditures, which occurred before
Petit came into office. If anyone
doubts this, let him examine the
files in the Auditors office. In
1893, Squire Brooke and Prose-
cutor Petit again reported few
| illegal fees. For nrOof Of this we