The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-04-24

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it was of Importance chiefly to the
people of Birmingham
He then took up the subject of the
fee system and said in part:
Reform In sherif's Office
| a"It is generally supposed that the
sheriff of this county derives. through
the fee system, a revenue of approx
imately $4,000 a year. The services
rendered by him justify no such ex-
travagant compensation. He is paid
out of all proper ton to the work done
and out of all proportion to the sal
aries paid other equally important pub
| lie officials. If common estimate be
| true he makes out of his office eight
| times as much as the sovernor of the
state, and nearly as much as is paid
the three judges of the city court, the
two judges of the circuit court, the
two Judges of the criminal court, the
| chancellor. and the Judge of the Bes-
semer city court. combined I believe
In fair salaries to public officials, but
the excessive income of the sheriff OF
| this county Is absolutely indefensible
| He should be paid fair salary and
the excess should go into the public
treasury. That his compensation can
| be intelligently arranged in this man
ner is demonstrated by the fact that
the same work, are paid on salary
basis, the fees charged going into the
federal treasury.
| Economic government and Justice to
the taxpayer should prohibit excessive
payments either in the shape of fees
or salaries to any public official. but
the least of the evils incident to the
conduct of the sheriff's office under
the present fee system is the excessive
compensation received by the office
holder. The fees paid to the probate
Judge and to the clerks of the courts
! in no manner affect them in the per-
formance OF their official duties, but
the fee system, as applied to the sher-
ms onice, has an alarming tendency
TO cause the sheriff to prostitute and
ABUSE his tremendous power for the
purpose of increasing his revenue. The
sheriff of Jefferson county receives no
more for relentlessly chasing down a
coldblooded murderer than for raiding
negro crap game, and the immense
number of arrests for minor offenses,
the raiding of crap games and whole
sale arrests In the red light district,
would seem to be due more to a de-
sire Tor revenue than to any intel
ligent effort to improve the good order
OF the community. 1t has even been
charged that decent white men, well
known in the community and capable
or making bond have, in contravention
of law. been deprived of the oppor-
tunity of making bond until after they
had been subjected to the humiliation
OF being locked in jail SO that the
sheriff might receive a few additional
filthy dollars in the shape of turnkey
fees.
THE sheriffs office of this county
under the Zee system has become SO rich
prize that enormous sums of money
are spent In contesting for the office by
the various candidates. I have heard II
estimated that in the recent contest for
the sheriff's office the various candidates
and their friends spent an aggregate OF
approximately $4,000. Such a purse
breaking campaign is not only disastrous
to the candidates, but 1t tends to de-
oauch the morals of our people to en-
courage venality among voters and TO
prevent our elections from being an
honest expression of uninfuenced popular
Judgment. The losers in the recent cam
paign were bankrupted, and the winner
enters upon his official duties after such
an expense that it will probably become
necessary for him, as for his predeces-
sors. to squeeze out of the office, under
the extortionate fee system, the last pos
sible dollar
1T Is a waste of time to condemn the
methods of any particular official. The
system has produced the methods, and
the system must be changed Let no
cheerful optimist suppose that the fee
system as applied to the sheriff's office of
Jefferson county can be changed without
prolonged and intelligent campaign. or
course under our constitution no change
can be made which will affect the emolu-
ments of the nominee in the recent pri-
mary. Lit 1t be remembered that the
sheriffs of the state have formed an Or
ganization for their mutual welfare and
advantage. The best efforts of our
strongest men will be required to accom-
plish this reform, the need of which is
universally admitted
Condemns Road Tax
Mr.. Percy expressed himself as being
strongly in favor of the improvement of
public roads, and said that II a bond
issue should be necessary to establish an
adequate system of modern highways ex-
tending all over the county, he would
heartily support it He said, however,
that the indefensible feature of our pres
ent system of taxation is the road tax
levied upon the individual citizen The
amount of revenue derived from the
road tax required of the individual citi-
zens during the past fiscal year was
stated by Mr.. Percy to have been $4,000;
I'll ktuOuHt ltbiBuluChHL iut COMPARISON
with the hundreds Of thousands OF dol
lars derived from property taxation:
Mr.. Percy said:
1.-The exaction of So per man from the
citizens of the country, to maintain the
public roads, is but drop In the bucket
in comparison with the general income
of the county; is not needed for the
purpose for which 1t is levied the gem
eral funds of the county being ample)
and is an unjust, negotiable and inde-
fensible burden upon that portion of our
population least able to bear IT. that the
miner who tolls the liveong day In the
bowels of the earth, the mechanic con-
fined to the shop and the farm laborer,
should be required to pay a manhood tax
for the maintenance of roads which they
are unable to use, Is neither fair nor
necessary. The imposition of this tax is
one of the many conditions making 1t
difficult to induce the needed workmen
from other sections to locate here. The
day workman enters the Birmingham
district he becomes liable for road tax
and II he fails to pay he Is garnished or
arrested, and to an unjust tax is added
an outrageous burden of fees and costs"
In the conclusion of his remarks Mr.
Percy expressed himself as heartily in
favor of liberal policy of education
including the opportunity for scientific