The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1905-02-10
InIoulties of tho Foe System.


circuit court in Lansing has
bettered conditions very materially,
Ingham county can furnish many cases
illustrative of the iniquities of the fee
system to parallel the following, cited
by the Grand Rapids Press:
can excellent illustration of the
workings of the fee system is reported
from Battle Creek. A boy named
Smith worked for a teamster, who
owed him So and who refused to pay it.
The boy borrowed log chain from the
teamster's wife and sold it to raise the
money due him A deputy sheriff To-
Gated the boy in Detroit just as the lad
was about to return home, but went
after him Notwithstanding. The mile
age amounted to $24 and the fares 50. 90.
The boy was taken to the jail at Mar
shall and back and forth to Battle
Creek until the expenses amounted
above $40 When the case had been
fully investigated by the prosecutor,
however, he found no evidence. to con-
vict the lad of larceny and ordered him
discharged. The county, of course,
must pay travelling expenses of $40 oyer
a SO log chain.
Gradually the counties of the state
are coming around to the salary sys-
tenn for sheriff, and instances like this
emphasize the desirability of the change
The declaration of Sheriff Carroll that
he will make no effort to defeat the sal
airy bill for Kent county is creditable to
his good sense, and is q satisfaction to
those interested in the measure"
If the legislature of Michigan wants
to accomplish something that will put q
stop to the greatest source of graft in
the state, it will pass measure abolish
ing the fee system. 1t is a constant
source of temptation, and there isn't a
county in the state that does not suffer
through the rapacity of its officers
whose compensation is made up of fees.
Honest officials follow 'precedents, 4"
and there are few precedents that are
not bad. Dishonest officials work over
time figuring out new ways of mulcting
the public purse, thus establishing new
presidents for their successors. This
process has gone on and on until in
every county in Michigan there has
been built up system Of charges that
in many instances is criminal to great
er degree than buccaneering.
In this day when the mouths of so
many are filled with denunciation of
graft, it seems strange that more at
tention is not paid to the fee system.
Its possibilities are illustrated in the
case of the Wayne county coroners, yet
every county in Michigan can furnish
similar, the degree of offense
merely being measured by the amount
netted by the benefciaries Lansing
In a discussion at the meeting of the
State Supervisors Association in Ian
sing this week the question of doing
away with fees was considered at
length. We quote part of the discus
sion as reported by The State Republi-
can which will interest Shiawassee
county people:
Zone of the supervisors from Kala-
mazoo said that the sheriff Of his county
presented bills last year for more than
s20, 900, but A. B. Crane, of Owosso,
said the little county of Shiawassee had
Kalamazoo "beat off the boards"
why" said Mr.. Crane, last year
the sheriff's bills alone amounted to
s23, 600 and this did not include the fees
Of any of his deputies. One deputy had
q bill of 81, 700, and he was employed by
the sheriff at $50 per month, the sheriff
the difference. This was true
in the cases of other deputies, he said,
some of whom only received $50 per
month.
why" continued Mr.. Crane, "the
5h sriff's board bill amounted to $4,000
and he receives 80 cents per day for
boarding prisoners. Now, the capacity
Of the Jail is only 90, but when it is
figured out that $1,000 will board 40
prisoners 1856 days. How was this done?
Well, will tell you, Prisoners would
be sent to the Jail for ten or twenty
lays, and after being kept there three
Dr. four days would be released, but the
sheriff would charge full time for their
board.
"The facts are that the sheriff made
himself independently rich during his
'our years in office" said Mr. Crane.
During his four years his personal
claims amounted to over $4,000, and
his does not include what he made
from the fees of his deputies, to whom
ne paid a salary"