The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-06-11
THREATS FROM THE CIRCUIT CLERK
What the Constitution Provides.

presented bill of 5000, for clerk hire,
that sum on the ground that the
Board of 1872 voted him 800, month
for that purpose.
The allowance voted in 1872 was re-
scinded by the Board of 1873, on the
ground that the Board had the right to
chang the clerk hire at any time, but not
the salary of the clerk during his term OF
office.
The bill presented by Mr.. Gould was,
on motion of Supervisor Feaster. rejected.
And now it is given out by the echoes of
the circuit clerks office that Mr.. Gould will
sue the county.
With Geo. d. Gould, as a man, we have
no fault to find. We regard him as
clever fellow, with whom we never had an
unkind word and against whom we never
harbored an unkind thought. But Cir
cult Clerk Gould is an official that it is our
duty to criticise. He was elected by the
people, and in accepting the Office and
taking the oath he contracted to render his
best service to the people. 1t was for
this service that the county board voted
him salary. The law requires him to
give his whole time to the duties of his
office He not only does not do so, he rem
ders it no equivalent whatever for the
81, 900 year voted to him, but hangs like
leech on the people for his pay refuses
to give his attention to his official duties,
and refuses to resign. The law requires,
in such cases, that the officer be removed,
and Judge Peasants ought to insist that
he shall resign, or else he ought to declare
the office vacant, as the law directs that he
shall do in such cases.
Mr.. Gould not only sucks the $1,000 a
year out Of the pockets of the people and
renders no equivalent, but threats are
made that he will sue the people if they
don't pay for running the office and give
him his $4,000 year besides. And the
Republican managers in this county have
not the courage to stand up and insist that
this officer shall work for his salary as 9TH
er officers do.
How much of chance would Mr.. Gould
stand to win salt, under these circum
stances? None at all. The Constitution
of this State, Art Y. Z 10, is as follows
| The county board = shall fix he compen
sation OF all county officers, with the amount o
their necessary clerk hire stationery fuel and othe
expenses, and in all Cases where fees provided
for, said compensation shall be paid only out OF
and shall in instance exceed, the fees aetna !,
Collected they shall not allow either cf them NOR
/ pr aNuuGl THAN y . 5000 IL counties contain
! ing 1000 aud not exceeding 30 900 inhabitants:
Pr0Eided, that the compensate IN OF no Office
| shall be increased or diminished during his term
office All fees or allowances by them received, il
excess OF their said pensatlOn, shall be paid in
| 10 the county treasury.
What is the plain English of this?
is that I'VE, the people, when we made
this Constitution, intended to fix things s,
that the fees Of these offices shall supper
and defray all expenses Of running them
and in heavy counties, where a larg
amount of fees is collected, we will pay
fair compensation for running the office
and have the balance Of the fees in GU
treasury. And we have previously requir
ed that every officer shall work for his pa
or shall have his Office declared vacant
That is what the people say in their Con
stitution and laws.
In cases where the county board omit
or neglects to fix compensation then tn
officer is entitled to all the fees, and pay
his own help.
Can Mr. Gould explain to the peopl
how they are to be benefited by maxim
him a present Of $1,000 u year for doin
nothing for them. Why should they mo-
rather, leave him to get what fees he ca
and pay his own help? And when he doe
not collect enough fees IN his office to pa
its expenses, does he claim that the peopl
must suffer for it, and give him $4,000
year for no service? The amount of fee
actually collected in the circuit clerk
office is the maximum sum the count
board can expend ON that office for all I'll
expense Of running it,incuding pay to Nj
Gould, his clerks. his stationary, his fue
his gas and his other legitimate expense
, Of the Office If he don't collect fet
enough to cover all these items he can q
r no more under our constitution, no matt,
' (if the board Of 1872 did fix his salary at
higher rate. The constitution declares tn
5 these expenses shall be paid only out
the fees Of the Office and shall in no i
stance exceed the fees actually collecte
If the Republican Ring in this eoun
: think they can take $1,000 year out
the peoples pockets for party leader wi
+ renders only party services and does
d work in his office, they will realize the
d mistake by and by. The people wont stal
n that kind of ''bossing"
Long on Bourbon.