The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-03-10
WARM REPORT MADE
JACKSON GRAND JURY GETS AFTER
OFFICIALS.
Former Tax Collector and the Present
Incumbent, Together with other
OGicers Of the County Are
Criticised.

4
scottsboro, March Especial THE
| grand Jury which has been in session
| for the past ten days adjourned yes
| terday. 1t examined z4a eases and
returned fifty4four true bills. This
grand Jury just adjourned has without
| a doubt, made the warmest report OF
any jury ever before in the history
o fthe county. 1t handled some OF the
county officials without gloves, and In
| It's report do not mince matters. 1t
| handed out a few hot ones to Ex-Tax
Assessor Prince and also present Tax
Collector Rorex, as well as the county
commissioners.
1t says In part;
I'VE have examined the county poor
house and find ten inmates. Some
complaints have been made of the
scarcity OF wood, and we recommend
that the keeper, Mr.. Webb, have
sufficient wood to keep them warm in
the winter months and not require
these poor cripples 20 go TO the noun
tain and pack it ON their backs as
he has been doing.
we ind on examination of the
Treasurer books that he had on hand
following funds to wit:
OF the fine and forfeiture
fund i. $3.50. -. S4ol.fo
pike and public road fund. -. 670.35
The special bond fund. ..... 1896
The bridge fund 80. s..... 6l4.56
FOf the general fund .......... S.35S.40
And on actual count of the money,
we found. this TO be on hand.
IN some instances we find warrants
that have been paid by him that fail
to specify on what account, we sug-
gest in future all warrants or vouch-
to specify on what account. We sug-
attention OF the treasurer to section
1886 OF the code for a form to be fol-
lowed by county treasurers, and rec
onimend that he conform strictly to the
forms as there laid down.
I'VE find that the various justices
of the peace over the county have been
very slow to report the condition OF
their dockets as to criminal cases and
some have. made no report at all In
one or two cases the report of the Jus
tices have been so late that witnesses
have been summoned before the grand
| Jury and cases docketed that we after
wards learned had been settled in the
, justice court. We also find that they
| have utterly ignored Section 5f36 of the
Criminal Code. and that in only one or
two Instances have such reports been
made to the county treasurer" I'VE
recommend that the clerk send to the
justice OF he peace an exract of his
report pertaining to their duties and
call their attention to their dereliction
and urge them to be more prompt In
the future.
1T becomes our painful duty to re-
port a gross negligence, or a wtllful
violation of duty on the part of some
lof our. county officials. We find our
tax book for the year 1905 in most
depIorable condition ana for which
there is no excuse On comparison of
| the ass9ssment sheets as given In by
| the tax payer, with the tax books as
| filed with the Probate Judge, such
gross irregularities that the most igno-
rant could hardly fail TO observe. The
mistakes are so numerous and gener-
al that we feel impeiled to censure both
| the ex-tax assessor. Mr.. Prince for
making, and also the commissioners
court for receiving such book.
we found on this comparison that
| a general raise had been made on the
assessment as given in by the tax pay
ers, especiI1y on the personal property
| In numerous instances where the tax
payer had given in clocks, watches,
| guns, and pistols for from 81 to 81,
| they had been systematically raised to
| so. When mules and horses had been
| given I'm by the tax payer at from $3a
| to 40 they had been raised to 500 and
$3.50 and in many instances he had
| been assessed with property he never
| owned nor had given in for taxes and
| in many instances his real estate had
| been raised.
"These blunders are so numerous and
so general that we feel impelled to say
| that they were not mistakes. but a
wiilful and deliberate violation of a
sworn duty 1t Is true that Mr.. Prince
diselaims any knowledge of his irregu-
larity and our investigation of the mat
ter shows this to be true, but he should
| have known it, and he cannot be held
bIameless for not supervising the work
of his employees and seeing that 1t was
correct.
at was the duty of the commission
ers court, as we understand the law, to
make a thorough comparison OF this
tax book with the assessment sheets OF
the tax assessor and to certify to its
correctness and If they had done this.
we feel quite sure they would never
have received such a book, therefore.
we are forced to report that our COM
missi0ners hawke been derelict in the
discharge of their duty in this regard or
having wilfully violated their obliga-
ton to their constituents in not refus-
ing to accept this book and requiring
the assessor to make a new one.
1--WE hope and trust that such blot
as this may never again be put upon
the fair name of our county by her
officials and that this may be warn
ing to the present and future officials
of the county.
I'VE find and report that the tax
collector in preparing his stubs from
the abstract or warrant book has in
nearly every instance In which there
was a fraction on any item OF taxes,
raised II from a fraction of cent to