Amador weekly ledger., 1858-03-06
VOLCANO. March ID. 1883

4.
to be against the sentiments EXPRESSED bv NV.
sell and others, in favor of the division Of
the county officers.
NOW wish to answer some of the bare
assertions of the said editor.
FIRST he seems to say that a few politicians
around Jackson are making strenuous efforts
4 70 divide the officers, &c A person to recall
the lirst section Of that article would suppose
ne 6neto that the feeling in favor of division
had not got farther than the suburbs of Jack
son and such is the impression | have no
douot he intends to create, as far as in his
power lies. No man, however, who has taken
the trouble to talk with his neighbor will be
deceived thereby, as the feeling is universal
throughout the county either to divide .he
oilicers or reduce the fees, and not make
single man rich at the expense of the poor
and unfortunate who work under him. have
heard expressions strongly in favor of both
the reduction Of the fees and the division of
the Offices, from most Of the leading men
around this place
Next he says the clerks Office does pay
about $1,000 year, out of which clerk hire,
&C. has to be paid Now, Messrs. Editors,
when wrote you that the clerks Office paid
about So, 900 clear, had no direct means of
ascertaining what the actual receipts were
| have since, however, learned from reliable
sources that the total receipts of the clerks
ofhce, as at present constituted, are about
$4,000 year, leaving net balance to the
tornnateindividua who gets that Office Of from
$1,000 to $4,000, after paying all expenses,
clerk hire included. The clerks Office alone
! my oh , - D E0n al, 81,
der'S Office about $4,000 to $4,000 year,
and the auditors about 81, 500 to $4,000 a
year clear ; and if the editor of the Sentinel
will take the trouble to look over the books
in the clerks Office, he can soon convince
himself that such is the fact Does this look
like starving" or causing a man to " steal 2"
! 1t is true it might induce the editor afore-
said to steal but | do not think that any
honest man, such as should, in all cases, be
elected to such Offices, would be induced to
steal under such circumstances. Again, he
says you compel him to be selfish and shah
by individual, &c. Here he hits the nail on
the head. We have even, since this has been
a county, been furnishing our county officers
with money to make themselves good custom
ers to the bars and billiard saloons to treat
the public to make themselves popular, by
calling up the crowd to drink OF every bar.
If the officers wee divided it is conceded
that the holders would have to attend to
their legitimate business, and in measure
let politics as they now are alone; and that
is the leading object with me--to reduce the
pay Of the public officers so much that the
peoples money will not 20 to pay for votes
at elections in the manner it has SO often
done in California. | have no reference to
any particular State or county officers |
mean California in general
The Tax Collector pays his deputies | 8 per
cent for collecting, while he gets 10 per cent,
making the % per cent. for keeping the ac-
counts which makes the Tax Collectors re-
ceipts, for the year 1857, (sce report OF
Board of Supervisory three thousand dollars
on the foreign miners licenses alone, and that
too for only keeping the accounts and settling
with the collectors, without doing any Of the
labor or paying the travelling expenses of
:" self and horse" Now does any sane man
suppose that collectors would work from
month to month when they were not making
enough to pay expenses? 1t is a well knowa
fact from this evidence that they can pay
themselves at Is per cent. collecting foreign
miners licenses, and the Sheriff gets the 10
per cent for no labor but only keeping the
things straight.
| have frequently heard it said that when
you hear a man say there is not an honest
man in the world" thatit is positive evidence
that there is one dishonest man within hear
ing Now that is just what think when the
aforesaid editor said "The salary of each
officer will have to be increased in order that
he may live honestly or he WILL STEAL and be
tried for it or resign, and the county will have
to pay the expenses of another election"
think the same when he says further, it
will create three more offices, three more men
will give up the honest avocations OF life and
mix in the filthy and muddy waters of poll
ties, wire work, spend their money to furnish
an indefinite quantity of bad whisky lie, chat,
steal votes, degrade themselves, &c, &c"
Now, Messrs Editors, | honestly think that
the best thing you can do, if you are in favor
of division, is to publish the article OF the
Sentinel in full, because | think it, in some
parts the best argument in favor OF division
that have seen.
| understand him to say that we have no
honest men in the county who will conduct
the peoples business fairly-only take their
fees away and they will "ic, cheat and steal"
Yes, the people of Amador are tired of
furnishing men money to carry on this " IN
triguing, trap springing, tax evyng, etc,"
and will therefore say with one voice divide
the Offices and see if there are not enough
of honest men in tue county to fill them hon
esty, punctally aud faithfully.
| am little curious to know if the editor
Hi not rnnn;rn a hou.,e frnu, .o1nn rartins In.