Evening journal., 1908-10-07
Wednesday. Oetober Z. I9os.
THE COUNTY OFFICES.

A SUDDENLY developed and woeful inter
est in the pocketbooks of the taxpayers
is felt by the Democratic opponents of the Re-
publican management of affairs in this county
and they are raising dusty clamor about the
officials of the Court House. The impression is
sought to be created that the officials OF the
Court House engaged in an unheard OF pill
lage of the people. and only by the grace of the
restoration of the Democrats to the management
of the county affairs can the taxpayers be assured
of proper and economical government. There is
much sand throwing, but it will not blind those
who recall the Democratic mismanagement of the
county affairs.
All persons who are in the least familiar
with the conduct of the Court House offices
know that the pay of the officials is less than it
was in former years. They know that the change
in the pay received by those officials has been
saving to the county In the former days, before
the Republican reform was made in the method
OF compensation of the Court House officials, no
one knew the exact pecuniary value of the offices,
but we do know that the compensation of these
offices is not nearly so high as it was under the
Democratic mismanagement There is abundant
testimony TO that effect. There is plenty of evil
dence that the office of recorder of deeds for in
stance is not worth so much by far TO the present
incumbent as it was to him before this change in
the method of compensation went into effect.
Under the old system the recorder got all thefees,
and they were many thousands of dollars, and the
county had to pay incidental expenses of the
office. too. Now the fees go to support the office.
The fee bill under which the Offices of the re-
corder of deeds, the register OF wills and the
clerk of the Orphans Court are working
was passed by the Legislature of 1905 and went
into force in January 1905.
The compensation of the holders of these
offices has been considerably reduced. The
offices of the clerk of the peace and the prothon-
Otary do not come under the provisions of the
new law until next January. The salary of the
clerk of the peace after that date will be $4,000
the year and small percentage of the fees. The
compensation OF that office after the first of the
coming year, therefore will be greatly reduced
and at the same time big surplus in fees will so
10 the county, which in the past received none OF
the fec receipts Of that office excepting those
collected in the State courts.
Instead of the incumbent Of The
office getting all of the fees the county
will get a big share of them. Democratic
clerks of the peace received very large compensa-
ton for their work and they were appointed by
the governor. Under the old Democratic rule the
people were forbidden even an opportunity tc
say who should fill that office. There was nc
Democratic cry of economy. No comparison was
made OF the compensation of the clerk of the
peace or of any other office with the pay received
by laborers.
It may be mentioned as an instance that III,
office of the recorder of deeds did about Szoc
worth of work for the county which was paid by
the Levy Court before the reform bill went into
effect on January I, 1907. Since that, work ha
been done without expense to the county.
Prior TO January I, 1907 the appropriation 70
printing and stationery by the Levy Court wa
about $1,000 year, and was not charged to an
particular office at that time. That same appro
priation or $1,000, was made BY the Levy Cour
for the fiscal years beginning July I, 1907, an
July l. 1908, but the different offices are charge
with the amount of stationery and record book
which are furnished them, which was not the cas-
prior to the time of the new law going into effec
The fees of each Office now 80 toward meeting
the expenses of the office.
This is another saving to the county It
well to remember these facts when the situation
is being distorted to make it seem that the office
are being conducted at greater expense TO tn
county
Another point to be Observed:
The fees now imposed under the law 10 be col
lected by the various county officers are muc
less than they in previous years. The las
Legislature, a Republican body. revised III
schedule OF fees and made great reductions in tn
amounts to be collected from the public in fee,
Some of these reductions made in the interest 4
the public are as high as seventy-fve per cen
The object of these reductions was to make IN
offices merely seif-supporting and TO wipe or
the extortonate fee charges imposed under ol
Deniocratic-made laws. Not word about thi
comes from the Democratic carpers.
AsKePablean Legislature reRealed 1hc =dolIs,