The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1867-12-17
LETTER FROM HEoOUMTY
SURVEYOR.
He Shows How the People are swindlsd
He Promises More Rich Revelations.

There Is prospect that the people will
now learn how they are cheated, year by
year, for the benefit of radical office holders,
office-seekers, and court house "barnaclesn
The radical majority in the board of super
visors having, at the instance of Mr.. Super
visor Joslin, of Yuma, cast slur upon
county surveyor Gould, and, in effect, taken
away his elnoluments of Office and broken
down his business, that gentleman proposes
to expose some of the means by which the
radical party in this county swell the taxes
of the people and eat out their substance, as
will be seen by the following communication
which we find in the Union, this morning:
Facts for the County.
MEssRs. EDTToRs:-It is probably time
that the tax payers of Rock Island county
should be made acquainted with the manner
in which the public money is being
or at least a portion of it. | would call their
attention to one fact in reference to survey
records.
Something like five years ago, the board
of supervisors, at the instance of C. H. Stod-
dard, procured a large, well bound book, and
appointed said Stoddard to transcribe all the
records of former county surveyors into said
book; which work was done by him at very
large expense-covering from 400 to 500
pages, with cost of 81 for some pages. He
has repeatedly boosted to me OF his income
from the county. As time rolled on the fod-
der got low on his side of the "puble crib, y
and he proposed to me that | should shovel
some over" thus: he wanted me to make my
records as full as possible" for he was to
get twenty cents per hundred words for copy
ing them. But | always had a horror for
shoveiling, SO he went for" the board of
supervisors again. He tStoddard) drew up
q whereas and resolution. asking the board
10 request him to transcribe the unofficial
records OF the last eighteen years, into his
record books, thereby legalizing his surveys
and adding feathers to his nest. The board
did as he requested. Surveying requires a
great many hgures-here are some: During
the five years that Stoddard was county sur.
veyor, his records fill sixty pages OF this
large book. Still there are sixteen or sew
enteen years work left for him to copy, and
that with full power to do as he wanted me
to do. viz: make them as wordy as posi-
bic" The man who offered this resolution
,,Pledged himself to me, before elected, that
.e would do oil he could against me- and in
ris respect has kept his word. was in
.ulns1 that he tried to have my nomination
tnlo"sNoverboard by the board of superyi-
s sois Nall, and get Stoddard nominated
nsoeao' oeeahis was "check-mated." Again,
aooue . yea ago, the board took action snd
si ~ plos.re copies of the original plats
anu neiu ho.eaof the county. The docu-
menus caihe 70 na' about two weeks ago,
and, as / understand swera no;d Gov 1ssIsI'
Upon examination, 1ound them VOW Az
cient, and made the facknown - .c..ll.-I
| whereupon he Every WHISKY" nointsd ,ho,.,
out to the board on the eth ms, an ,d1 ~
this "barnacle," being alwaysuresan,t OH n,La ~
there is money to be made, wasspnon,aS -
examine said document, make q rote ef "
rors, and report the same to the ps,per -,
thority. On the 18th inst. | prol,..a =" ~
the board that as it would be of gre,t4,,a
vantage to me to use these plats and ma
TO copy from, tor my own use, I would =
the meantime compare them with q copy OF
/ the original notes In my possession, and re-
port such errors free of charge. But this
was stoutly and fatlyrefused. Now, we will
| see what 1t will cost the county to do this
work. For the benefit of the people of this
| county, who elected me their surveyor, pro-
pose to look into the action of the board of
supervisors, and also into the action of C. II.
Stoddard, whom the people did not elect
his shall do with entire reference to the
peoples interest, and shall fearlessly report
from time to time, the result of nv invest.
cations. Ii it hits somebody, Unjust be par
doned, as keep the peoples interest ALWAYS
in view, and shall neither look to the right
nor left to avoid hitting some supervisor or
surveyor, OF other official; so look out for
Josthng of some of the nice castles built in