Evening journal., 1906-11-19
AFTER TWO
FAT OFFICES
Special to The Evenlng oJurnal

Special to The Evening oJurnal.
DOVER, Nov. 17.-All the newly
elected county officials in Delaware win
assume Office under a new arrangement
Of remuneration
None of the heretofore fat county
Offices i'm the State will pay the large
and apparently iimitless compensation
to incumbents afforded by the old fee
syslAn, but all win be paid by Nat SAL
airy.
The last provision OF the new salary
law calls for an allowance Of ten per
centum of all fees, IN addition to the
hat salary, this provision has caused
some speculation and anxiety among
the new office holders which prominent
lawyers have settled beyond a doubt.
The ten percentum of fees is simply
an allowance OF a few cents to pay Toy
the extra bookkeeping required under
the new arrangement. All the fees
must be turned over To the county
treasurers. The clerk Of the peace for
Kent county. for instance. who Is now
to be paid a fiat salary Of $500. will
hereafter receive a liquor license OF
5000, which must be accompanied by
the clerk Of the poace'a 80 or S1.5D
The 5000 Is turned over to the state
treasurer and the $3.50 to the county
treasurer. on the first secular day OF
each month the county treasurer adds
the column Of S1.50 clerk Of the peace
fees and makes payment TO the clerk Of
ten per centum OF the amount or d
cents for each Si.50 fee. 1t is simply
q nominal payment to cover the IN
creased cost Of the separate system OF
bookkeeping required.
Under the old order the clerk of the
peace received an allowance of $500 as
secretary Of the Levy Court. 1t Is nov
interpreted that clerk Of the peace
who is TO perform all duties whatso-
ever, now performed and fulfilled by
said officer" could not accept 500 al
lowance from the Levy Courts without
subiecting himself to indictment by tho
grand juries OF possible forfeiture 0l
office
Another singular change in the new
law Is that IL gives the coroner Of Kent
county a salary OF Si.O0, but TO the cor
oner Of Sussex county. who has more
than twice as much territory TO cover
it gives only 5000 And yet there are
always fourteen candidates for the Of
nee of coroner where there are two
for other county Offices.
The salaries OF the respective Offices
I'm Kent and Sussex counties are now
to be-
sheriff, 5000; clerk Of the peace, 81,
500; recorder Of deeds, 81 800; prothono.
tary, Sl,50o; register Of Wills. s15OO: reg.
istrar in chancery and clerk OF the or.
phans' Court $1,000: coroner (Ken
county,, $1,000; coroner, (Susses county
$500 The sea'ers Of weight and meas
ures are ALSO Put under a different sal
airy IN the various counties.
Concerning the clerk of the Orphans
Court and registrar in chancery tn,
constitutional lawyers have recently
decided an interesting question.
one person is always selected to ~
these two county Offices and this is nov
more than ever necessary because @
the small salary paid to each, $500
which is good living when the tw,
offices are combined. Lawyers in New
/ Castle county and In Sussex, including
Judge Boyce. decided that as there were
/ two offices. two separate bonds ant
two. separate duties. the man woul,
have 20 run twice on the blanket ballot
New Castle and Sussex, therefore. cacl
ran the same man twice, Sussex NV,
years ago.
In Kent, however. the situation wat
| different The county was close AMI i
fturnei out that one man got in by onl,
200 majority. IL one man was to be Gu
ne might be cut more in one place than
another, and thus ensure the election q
uwo men. So, by mutual agreement
the offices were combined and N,
nominees ran in only one place on IN,
ticket.