The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-03-07
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
More About Fee System

To the Editor OF The Age-Herald.
Assuming that The Age-Herald stands
for the material advancement and lasting
henefit of Greater Birmingham and her
peonle as a whole, I would respectfully
request and solicit your cooperation in
presenting this letter to your readers III
the interests Of our city.
The recent political activity manifested
by the several candidates for sheriff has
drawn forth from one or more OF the as
pirants an opinion that the fee" system
as applied to that office should be abol-
ished. or at least greatly modified. From
a practical standpoint, each of the candl-
dates might well afford to coincide in this
view. secure in the knowledge that the
new sheriff will have been indicted into
office ere any legislation can be enacted.
and further assured that IL ininical 10
the office, 1t could not be made operative
until the expiration of his term. There
fore 1t would seem to behoove the soldier
in the ranks, the taxpayer, to keep this
natter in mind and alive until success
shall have crowned their efforts in recti-
fyinR the system of administration of all
OFFICES wherein the perquisites are the
fees"
The sheriffs office is rot singled out as
the sole offender, but is merely cited as
being typical OF other instances and Of
1ces In the courthouse susceptible or be-
irg MIXED; nor Is the office OF county So
licitor herein referred to, except as Illus
trative of the sslutary results achieved
tnder salaried officials.
The voice OF the people has craven into
should suffice for the individual (snd most
happily we hear OF no restitution among
our ex-sheriffs). The sheriff's emoluments
are predicated upon the existence of
crime, and are proportionate TO its ex-
tent; and the present administration has
illustrated the most elastic conception
of offenses, as the annals of our criminal
divisions will show The Individual purse
is. made to contribute the golden grain
from which the sheriff derives sustenance
yea, even to the degree of waxing fat!
roes the county treasury derive any BEN
eft from this scheme of private enrich
ment? Unquestionably 1t does not: per
contra, the wholesale arrests longest our
criminal dockets with cases in which at
tendance of witnesses thereby devolving
Upon the state, the county is compelled
to issue the well-known scrip" In
passing, 1t might be of interest to note
that while this scrip Is of 81 par value, the
only present method OF redemption Is it's
surrender to scrip buyers for the consid-
Grafton of rs cents on the dollar. How
long shall we submit to the prostitution
Of a sovereign power in the interests OF
personal ACKNOWLEDGMENT when the rene
dy is within our grasp. why not put the
sheriff on a salary basis, and let the coun-
~ rccuperate from an anaemc financial
condition by having the 'fees'' (of integ-
rsty) flow into her Golfers? Experiment?
Not at all. In the office of county solicit
tor the true incentive for bona fide con-
Point, and In this Instance the proceeds of
the fees" go TO the county. The position
OF solicitor Is salaried. and during the
present administrator has added to the
county excheuuer many hundreds OF dol
lars over and above the cost Of mointen-
ance, despite the remission of costs In sew
cral hundred cases recommended by the
solicitor where justice tempered with mer-
cy was commended to alleviate distress.
Certainly the devisement of a remedy
for this III should call forth the best ef-
forts of those who truly represent the
lAity before the fee-icide germ gloats
ever its conquest of determination az Icf-
ferson's resources. Very respectfully.
JOSEPH fiERREN.
Birmingham, March 5, 1910.