Rockingham post-dispatch. [volume] (Rockingham, N.C.) 1917-1965, 1922-06-01
To the Voters, Male and Female,
of the Thirteenth District:

Az tuG VVSSAOy xouko anu OAAAHA1A
of the Thirteenth District:
l am in favor of cutting overhead
expenses by abolishing all unneces
sary offices and decreasing all ex
cessive fee bills that taxes may be
decreased and on this platform am
a candidate for Solicitor subject tC
the action of the Democratic Pri'
mary.
We have heard much recently
about High Taxes, and certainly one
cause of high taxes is high salaries
of officers.
The office of solicitor is one of the
best paying offices in the State, and
a large part of the SOLICITORS pay
comes out of the Taxpayers.
know that there is general i'm
preston that the fees of the solicitor
are paid by defendants who are con-
victed, but that is true only in cases
where the defendants are let off by
paying a fine and the costs, which
is only a portion of the cases. In
most felonies and large per cent.
of misdemeanors the defendants are
insolvent and the counties have to
pay the costs, which comes directly
from the taxpayers. In these cases
the witnesses, sheriffs, clerks and
other officers except solicitor get on
ly half fees. The taxpayers have to
pay the solicitors full fees as the
law now stands, public law extra
session, 1920, Chapter 81, and as a
result in the district the office of So
licitor paid last year as follows:
Arson $1,492.00; Union $1,000;
Stanly $4,000; Richmond S1,779.00;
Moore $1,42600; and Scotland
$90500, making a total of $7,459.5O,
largely paid by the taxpayers for
prosecuting the criminal dockets,
which only consumes approximately
II weeks or about one-third of the
solicitors time in the entire district.
In addition to the above total the
solicitor receives not to exceed 10
per centum of the amount collected
for prosecuting and collecting all
penalties and forfeited recognizances
entered in their courts respectively,
and a fee to be fixed by the Judge
for performing duties for the ap-
pointment of receivers of estates OF
minors; and in passing on the re.
turns of the receivers in such cases.
Also twenty ($20.00) dollars paid by
the State for each week of criminal
court held in the district, including
mixed terms, as expense mOnsy,
court or no court, so they attend,
and everybody knows that the State
gets its funds from the people Of
the State by taxation. If the State
had to pay the solicitors full fees
it would neeessitate a levy of a spe-
cial tax for that purpose.
The total fees will efficeed $4,000
or more than the governor of North
Carolina receives for a years SER
vice. In addition to the above stat
ed facts he has at least two-thirds
of his time to stay in his office and
look after his civil practice | also
most strenously oppose prosecuting
defendants by splitting and accumu-
lating indictments and piling up
costs for the purpose of making adj
ditional fees, whether paid by the
county or defendants. Officers, wit
nesses and taxpayers, are you get
ting a square deal? You can read
lily see that the solicitors are getting
entirely to much, when you consider
the small amount of time they are
giving to the service of the district;
and at the same time most of it
comes out of the. pockets of the tax
payers. Everything is one the de-
cline, and there is no reason why
salaries should not decrease, espe-
cially those that have been placed
on the mountain peaks. I-haye been
advocating decreased salaries, econ.
omy and less taxes for sometime,
and | ara willing to start the ball
to rolling by accepting my part OF
the decrease, and take the initiative.
To show the unfairness Of the
present fee bill, the January term
of criminal court cost Arson county
$1,062.36. The solicitor received of
said amount S604y00 paid by the tax
payers of Arson county. In add
ton thereto the solicitor received
from the taxpayers of the State
$1,000, and from defendants where
judgment was suspended ON pay
ment of costs $16400. Making the
solicitors total fees $7SS for approx
mately four days service.
In the case of State VS.. Coot
Crump, Pete Carpenter, Alfred Wall
and Bennett Kirby charged with lar
cency Of an automobile OF ]. w.
n ysnero and hy.oa l<;nes ~ nnllo~s1se,