The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-01-11
HECHLER TO HOLD
ON TO $1,000
HE SAYS THAT HE GOT OFFICIAL
OPINION BEEORE COLLECT
ING HIS COMMISSIONS.
RIG MON VA-Special.-

r { II NJ o y d, VA-Special.-
Treasurer IL. G. hecnler, % Hen
rico COunty, is much irrItated by the
report o. the expert accountants, IL.
B. Boudar x Son, who suggest that
he has O.ercharged his commissions
from the county school funds. and,
therefore, owes the county a total sum
of $1,5OO.
Mr.. Hechler says that he will GER
tainly not p~y DacN tins alleged eX-
cess unless compelled so to do by a
court Of law.
1T has never been supposed for a
moment that the county treasurer was
guilty of embezzlement or question
able irregularity, and the charge is
simply that he construed q doubtful
statute in his own favor. And aprOpOs
of this it may not be amiss to say
that his construction OF the law pos
Silly is a correct one.
The treasurer has given out the
following statement about the mat
ter:
.'rhe only question involved is
whether the county funds and the
school funds should be treated sepa-
Eately or as a whole in charging COM
missions. ON February IS, 1908, this
- estiOn arose in the examination OF
Sbr- accounts by BOudar x Son, and
herewith is the opinion rendered by
Julien Gum, Commonwealth's Attor-
ney, and filed with their report. and
this is the authority under which we
d have been working ever since that
time:
lin computing the commissions TO
be allowed the treasurer for the col
lection and distribution of taxes levied
for county and school purposes,
whether all funds derived from this
source should he treated as one. and
s per cent. allowed ON the first $15,-
600, and 5 Il per cent. on the residue.
or whether there should be two funds,
allowing per cent. on the first SIS
On0 Of fund nd 2
the residue, l am OF the opinion, after
carefully reading the sections appli-
cable to the commissions to be allow
ed the treasurer, that these funds
should be treated separately and com
missions allowed accordingly.
(Signed) JULIEN QUINN
We have charged our commissions
on the basis Of the Commonwealth s
Attorneys opinion, and on that basis
we deny absolutely having drawn
more than we are entitled to. The
question in "A nutshell is this: -Four
years ago the Commonwealth At
>roThey rendered an opinion on the
commissions we should be allowed;
opinion, and TO this day we have had
no official knowledge OF this re-
versal. We are not in the habit of
running our office according to Gus
tom, but make sure we are right and
then go ahead. If we are not to be
guided by the opinion of the Common
Wealth's Attorney in writing, please
inform me who 1 should look to?
would like TO ask also that since this
same commission has been drawn by
all former treasurerS in Henrico coun-
ty only l am asked to refund ?"
Mr.. Gum, the former Common
wealth's Attorney, who retired from
office January Isl says that he has
rendered bat one official opinion, and
that was the one which authorized
the treasurer 10 collect his commits
sion on t4ie comfy and district school
funds separately.
Mr.. Eechler acted in accordance
with the only official opinion at hand
in deducting his commission from
the two funds separately" said Mr..
Gum yesterday. There is absolutely
no suspicion of criminal intent TO be
imputed to Mr.. Hechler's action, and
he will be perfectly rignt to sit tight
in the boat until the School Board
brings suit for the alleged oVercharge
and proves the point at the bar.
LAS to the quoted conversation with
Mr.. Boudar two weeks ago, in which
/ gave totally opposite opinion from
my former statement, that was de-
livered offhand in the capacity of
private citizen. Mr.. Boudar did read
his report to me, ii is true, but at the
time / was busy with other matters
at the courthouse and did not know
1T was being read for my approval"