Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1873-07-23
adjourned.

The Constitutional Convention ad
ljourned on Tuesday, tho 18th, unit
the 10th of September. On the quos
tion of the removal of tho State Cap
ital, which is annually agitatod BY
demagogues, the Convention has adopt
ed nm amendment which declares thai
"no law changing the present loca
ton of the capital of the State at Har
risburg shall be valid, until the same
shall have been submitted to the peo
pie at a general election and ratified
and approved by them" The follow
ing sections, regulating the salaries o
all county officers and changing th'
modo of electing County Commission
ers and County Auditors, have also
been agreed to. The effect of the 5tt
section will be 10 give to the minority
party in a county ono member in each
board:
SEC. 3. An county officers shall be paid BY sal,
ary TO bo prescribed by law, and all fees attached
to any county Office for and on account Of The
| State and county, as may DO directed by law
The annual salary of any such officer and hil
clerks shall not exceed tho aggregate yearly
amount Of fees collected by him.
SEc. 4. Tho Legislature shall provide by law
| for the strict accountability OF county, township
and borough officers, as well for the fees which
may be collected by them ns for all public or rnu
nicipal moneys which may be paid to them.
SIC. o. Three County Commissioners aud three
County Auditors shall be elected in cf.eh county,
where such officers are chosen, in the year 1875
and every third year thereafter. In the election
Of said officers each qualified elector shall vote
! for no moro than two persons, and the three per
\ sons having the highest number Of votes shall be
declared elected. Any casual vacancy in the OF.
leo of County Commissioner or County Auditor
shall be flled by the Court Of Common Pleas oi
the county 10 which such vacancy shall occur, by
tho appointment Of an olec,or Of the proper cOun.
ty who shall have voted for the Commissioner oi
Auditor whose place is to be filled.
SEc Q. The terms Of office Of all county ofieorl
shall begin on the first Monday Of Dcceinber noxi
after their election.
II tho public good is to be bartered
away for party interests, the amed.
ment relating TO the election Of
County Commissioners and Auditors
is n success. Men must be qualified
by experience TO properly discharge
the duties Of these Offices. Under the
present system of annually elecling q
member, two arc in Office who have
bad from one 10 two years expert.
enoe, and therefore competent to in.
struet the new member. The con.
templatcd change turns all out at the
end Of three years and puts three new
men in each board who do not know
tho books nor pigeon-holes, much les:
tho tricks and games practiced BY
sharpers to rob and plunder tho Treas
ury. Let our banks, machine shop:
or railroad officers pursue similar
policy of turning out all their en-
ployes at the end of three years, ant
what would be the result? Confusion
everywhere. A reform that resulti
only in the interest of party, and over
turns long and well established prin
ciples, had better be abandoned. A
Commissioners or Auditors office car
no more bc properly conducted by
green employees than a blacksmith
shop or shoe shop. And body
composed Of 33 statesmen betray very
little sense where it sets up the re
verse and adopts policy which not q
single member will practice in bis owl
business affairs. Not member ol
the Convention would ever leave Phil
adclphia by the Pennsylvania Rail
road if they were informed in advance
that the officers of that road has
turned off all their old engineers, con
ductors and brakesmen, and hereafter
each train would be run by new mel
who.had never passed over tho road
The policy of paying county officers
a salary, and the payment of the fees
into the county treasury, will result
very benefcially TO the Taxpayers il
populous counties, where the fees are
enormous, provided the fees are paic
into the Treasury This has always
been the policy with tho State officers
at Harrisburg. But we have heard il
asserted thousand times by parties
who know something about IL tha
thousands of dollars arc never account
cd for, the clerks forgetting TO keep {
correct account. If this is the cas-,
in but thrco offices what will be tht
result when thousand are created