Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1906-11-02
Struck in a Vital Spot.

Our investigation into the license
question during the past two weeks
has proved an eye-opener in more
ways tban one. We started out with
the sole purpose of comparing the
records of the present collector with
that of his predecessor, without any
idea that discoveries made in the
course of the inquiry would develop
damaging condition of affairs in
volving tar wider range. When we
reached the point, that no record OF
licenses sold had been kept anywhere,
We were astounded. We consulted
the state law to see if such safe
guard was not required of the Office
FOLDER by the codes. We failed to
find such a provision. Still we could
not get rid of the idea that such a
requirement was or had been incor
porated in the law. We looked up
the hook o; Ordinances of AmadoI
county, printed in 1899, and searched
through Ordinance No. 81, providing
what purported to be a complete
license system for Amador county,
still this particular provision was
nowhere to be found. That ordin-
ance was passed at the July meeting
OF the supervisors in 1899, and went
into effect the following month of
August. The book contains no ordin-
ance passed subsequent to that date.
The conclusion, therefore, is newt
able, that the order to compile and
print the pamphlet embodying the
living ordinances was made immedi-
ateiy following the passage of the
license ordinance therein set forth.
When we stumbled upon this vitality
important omission, we were non
plussed for time, but decided to go
behind the printed record, in the
hope of finding the missing link, and
when and how it came to be dropped
out of the chain.
Going back to the original Ordin-
ance book in the clerks office. dating
back to the time when the supervisors
we're empowered to pass local laws
not i'll conflict with general laws, we
found that our pre-coDceived idea
that such provision concerning the
keeping of license record was cor
rect. Section of ordinance 6, passed
in October, 1884 starting the local
license system, reads as follows:
Sec. 4-The tax collector shall keep
in proper book the name of each
person who proeures license, the
business fol- which the same is pro.
cured, the time for which such was
issued, and the amount paid therefor
This was plain enough. 1t covered
the subject amply. With such a re.
cord it was easy to find the informa.
tion we have sought in vain to find
the past two weeks. 1t was good
start, in line with straightforward
revenue methods.
With this as starter we traced
the history of the license business,
through all its various changes to the
present time, so as to locate the
mighty change for the worse that has
come over the subject since. In DC.
tober, 1885, Ordinance No. u, on this
subject was passed, This particular
clause was retained, even IN more
imperative terms than before, Section
4 reads:
1t shall be the duty of the said
license collector to keep an itemiZed
ledger account of all kinds of Licenses
sold, to whom sold, and the amounts
received therefor. Said license col.
lector's ledger shall be constantly
kept on file in the recorders office
lat that time united with the clerks
ott1ce) of Amador county as a public
document.
Ordinance No. Is, passed October
1886, does not set out this particular
section, but it does not repeal it, so
it was up to that time an effective
law. Ordinance %, providing for
licenses, passed January 1888, pro-
vided for the keeping of an itemized
ledger account, in terms Substantially
the same as the above quoted section.
In this shape it renamed for over
eleven years, the itemized record
being mandatory. In July, 1899,
under the administration of U. S.
Gregory as sheriff, with the district
attorney, clerk and auditor the same
q rH
ed, and book of ordinances ordered
printed. In this ordinance the above
named wholesome provision is left
out. Not only this but it is expressly
repealed by the terms of little joker
in the following language.
Sec. 2l-All ordinances and parts of
ordinances in conflict herewith, and
all ordinances covering the same
ground or passed for like purposes,
are hereby repealed.
The last part is rich. 1t means
that the ordinance then passed was
the whole thing. Any safeguards
contained in previous ordinances and
not incorporated in the law then
passed, we're brushed aside as of no
consequence. Many changes have
been made in the license ordinance
since that time, but this essential
clause has never been re-enacted.
In this way the very life of the
license business as far as protecting
the interests of the license payers
are concerned, has been DESTROYED.