The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1866-01-06
RELIEF oF BOISE COUNTY.


the Report of the Joint Committee on the bill
introduced by Mr.. Campbell entitled "An. Act
for the Relief of Boise County,"
They say thatHit requires no argument to
support the position, that it said County mas
been compelled by the force of circumstan-
ces, to expend money for the benefit of the
Territory, and that the Legislature has made
no appropriation or provision for such expen-
ditures, adequate to the circumstances, that
the claim is one which is justly entitled to
the candid consideration of your honorable
body. If the County has been either com
pelled to support Territorial prison convicts,
or to turn them loose upon the community
thereby endaugeFina the lives and property
Of the people and giving up the country to
utter lawlessness, the justice Of its claim is
obvious. Ifthe Territory has had the use of
the County's money for long period, that
money should be returned"
"Haying determined the fact that no pro-
vision was provided for these expenses at the
time they accrued, and that the claim still re-
mains unsettled, it remained for US only to
ascertain the amount SO expended by the
County, either by cash paid through the IN
etrumeutality of special preferred warrants,
unpaid, for which the County is liable" !"
s.Your Committee on entering on this por-
tion of their Investigations, were met with
one serious obstacle. Many of the County
records. bills, vouchers, and other important
papers relating to this Indebtedness, were
DESTROYED by the FIRE at Idaho City in May
last. The amount of that Indebtedness
claimed in the bill referred to US, is fixed in
% 30 70 was
by SPECIAL committee, appointed in January
last by the Board of County Commissioners
of that County, to whom the matter was re-
ferred with instructions to ascertain ana re-
mort the amount paid by the County for these
Territorial purposes.
tsThe process by which we attained the re-
sult now submitted to your honorable body,
was necessarily entirely different from that
adopted by the former County committee; I;
and the slight difference between the two re-
sults. derived through two independent chan
nels. is perhaps the best evidence that could
he desired of the spirit ofcandor with which
that report was made, and of the correctness
Of the estimate arrived at, and now submit
ted for yoHr action.
"If the former Board of County Commis-
sioners had complied with its duties, in aud
ing alf bills to be itemized, there would have
l,eeh 40 difficulty in at once ascertaining the
amount for which the County became liable
for these Territorial prisoners. On investi-
patton. however. we fnd that s1ch was not
the case. In many instances, and in fact
most.of them. no items were stated in the bill
and none entered on the record OF proceed
ings. Nothing appears on record except the
name of the party preferring the bill anc the
amount allowed in hGlk. The most inson-
cruous elements often appear together in
eome of these bills: for instance, we md IN
one case $640 allowed for making out a copy
of the DELINQUENT Tax Listand boarding pris-
oners. without particularizing the amounts
This manner of transactfVg public business
of an important nature, so vitality affecting
the interests Of the puolic, calls for the Sc
yerest condemnation on the part OF your
Committee. This negligence of the Commits
r;oners was not only gross, but criminal.
The principal case in which we ind full
.,atement Of bills allowed by that Board,
onrears in the last days proceedings as the
Iast act of that body, written up after the
poord had gone ont of Office, in which said
poard MARKHAM, Geer and Van Peltl paid
themselves in cash, by preferred warrants in
the sum of $3.50 90
'D "As no satisfactor, result could be drawn
from this source, your Committee were com,
nslled , to adopt different process 70 arrive
It any satisfactory conclusion, For that 1,: pur-
80 ~ ne have taken the list of the i've Terri
Pos:, rr;soners. the dates of their conviction
sSa .S' length of time in which they were held in
o6rement 1uS in the County jail up to Jan
S0nI S0t 1868, together with what is believed by
:. a.'; to be reasonable rate Of compensation
~. m hoard and guard also for blankets, med.
toF DO ..ardance' IRONS, &c. The list of names
lca, .hs Ave territorial prisoners will also be
Oh o. -. n the official Report of the Territorial
Prison Commissioners.
REHABILITATION.
poard of Prisoners ,zVV " "
C1nthing and Washing. aLo lo ~ ~
SGsdicai Attendance ....-'s's..'. e4v o ~ ~
%nordinr Prisoners, .......... ....... 1921 w w
4aons ond Ironing Prisoners, .......... lso " "
pent 4lUI Of Jail and Hauling Prisoners. q %
Aaxoo ~