Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 January 1913 — Suit to Be Brought Against Benton Clerk. [ARTICLE]

Suit to Be Brought Against Benton Clerk.

Fowler Review. It is announced that suit is to be brought against Clarence Norquest, clerk of the Benton circuit court, the charge being that he is illegally retaining fees amounting to $170.15. In 1909 the legislature passed a law dealing with the compensation of county clerks, wherein it was specifically stated that the clerks were entitled to retain the transcript fees of their offices. The state board of accounts declares this law is unconstitutional and demands that all such fees be turned over. To such demands Mr. Norquest has turned a deaf ear and advises the board to get a decision of the court to sustain their position before insisting on payment. Behind him he has the statute and against him he has the unsupported demands of the board of accounts. Mr. Norquest says if the fees belong to the state he stands ready to turn them over when the fact is properly demonstrated. On the other hand if they are rightfully his he proposes to keep them and he knows that once they are relinquished, regardless of what the courts may decide in the future, they are gone forever, and he is ready to have the matter tried in the courts. The accountants who investigated the books of James Turner have him charged with S9OO, a part of which was transcript fees retained under the present law. He has Grant Hall employed to look after his interests at any time the state board of accounts gets ready to push the case.