Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1874-02-19


read the Proceedings Of the Board OF
sm,,eryisors. rs published in Jour paper
AIRING the last few weeks, and am glad
n notice some faint symptoms OF econo-
INV. ut last making their appearance Ia
IA. actions Of that Honorable body, but
,nnst confess that am somewhat sur
nri.ed to see that the only resolution Tor
The reduction of salary, which they
nassed. was the one reducing that OF the
Auditor: unless indeed the Board claims
some credit for the "MeCuliy amends
ment'' by which the compensation oil IL.
n. Lucas, alone Is reduced TO three dol
lars ger day, whiie that Of Messrs. Me-
,.nlly aud sherwood, still remains four
dollars per day. That amendment may
have looked like good joke 10 Mr.. Nc
lnily when be offered it, but am much
mistaken If the tax payers or Marion
county, do not look upon IL III q more
serious light. If Mersrs. McCuliy and
sherwood really wished TO eco2somize,
why were they not willing 10 share the
economy. Their action reminds one oil
rtemas Wards anxiety 10 put down the
rebellion. He was willing Ito make
great sacrifices; indeed to sacrifice all his
wife's able bodied relations, If only they
would not draft him." So it seems to
have been with Messrs. Sherwood and
McCully. They did not ere how much
reduction was made in the Auditors
compensation, or in that of Mr.. Lucas,
but, like the scribes and pharisees of the
Bible, they would not touch the burden
with one OF their little fingers.
Perhaps the reason that Mr.. Robinson
alone OF all the officers in the Court
House, was selected as the victim on
whom the Board should pour out all the
Walls Of its economy, or cusSedne5S, Is
because he was and is Granger, and
took an active part In the political cam
paigp, and perhaps assisted to knock
into Everlasting pi' some well laid
schemes OF certain parties for political
advancement, and by so doing incurred
emnity of 1.-THE powers that be-"
do not wish any one to understand
from this that am opposed 10 economy,
or object TO the reduction OF salaries but
10 all the economy being practiced upon
one man, or one Office, / do object.
Perhaps the Auditors salary was too
high; but he will certainly require as
much assistance as the office required
last year then why not allow as much
for the salary Of Deputy as was allowed
last year. AS the matter now stands and
supposing that he will need no more as
y
he will have to pay out of his SlZ00 salary
not less than 600 in addition to the $500,
which the Board fixed as salary of the
Deputy Auditor, which makes his salary
only $1,000 per year, $500 less than Mr..
Ewalt received last year a reduction OF
1874 per cent which shows plainly that
either there Is a wrong done to Mr.. Rob-
inson, or our Auditors have heretofore
been receiving one half more salary than
they really earned. Will the Board
please rise and explain
/ have understood that a member oil
the Board has said: "They would have
reduced the salaries Of some OF the other
officers, but the law did not give them
the power"
Now / do not like to accuse our Hon.
Orable Board of Supervisors of wilful
ignorance; but find by referring to a
copy of the paper In which the Proceed
ngs Of the Board during the September
session '73, were published the following:
The report OF the fees received by
Allen Hamrick, Clerk OF the Circuit
and District Courts, from April 9th, 1878,
to September LIST. 1873, inclusive, was re-
ceived and ordered placed on file; and
the Board ordered that the said Clerk be
permitted to retain all fees collected by
him pertaining to the duties OF his office
until January LIST 1874, provided that said
fees in aggregate do not amount to more
than Sl01D per annum."
Now, If the law gives the Board nc
control over the compensation of the
Clerk, what was the use OF the above re-
solution OH their part. The people OF
Marion county, do not elect them and
pay part Of them four dollars per day,
for the puipos OF having them pass foo
resolutions upon matters over which
they have no control and my opinion o
our Board is that they knew what they
were about.
When we examine the Code of 1873, we
find In Section 1888, this language:
"There shall be such compensation
paid such Clerk for his services in Pro
bate matters, out of the fees collected by
him for Probate business as the Board O
Supervisors may allow"
In Section 1874 we find that: "The
total compensation of said Clerk for al
official services, shall not exceed the
sum Of $1,000 In any one year."
But the law does not say that his tota
compensation shall equal that amount
The only construction which can b,
placed upon the law il that the Board o
Supervisors can regulate his salary, ~
TAR no cbiittiHS Ntittiu ittS, lpT SeCbIOt
| 37S7 OF the same Chapter, after givinj
the amount OF fees for marriage license
and speaking of fees for complete re
cords and all for the settlement OF estates
I-says: " Al of Which fees shall be pal.
into the County Treasury"
Section 37S5 OF the same Chapter ais,
| speaks OF witness fees which remain !,
| the hands of the Clerk for more than si.
months" and says that they ''shall b
| turned over to the County Treasurer
who shall keep separate account of tn
same and pay them out, upon prope
vouchers To persons entitled to receiv
| the same"
| / have looked in vain through the pub
lished settlements with the Treasurer fo
any account of "witness fund" Wer
witness fees all paid out before s.,
months, or did they become "iegai stea
| ings 81
While speaking of the County Clerk
/ wish to ask why our economical Boar
have never made final settlement wit
the last Clerk, Mr. Bousquet.
1 notice that the Board al every session
nearly. orders warrants issued i'm hi
favor, and see that small bill was al
lowed Ill. l.. Bousquet, at the last sessio Oh
| Now Mr.. Bousquet is gentleman, an
was good officer, but want to kno,
how long Marion county Is to pay Mr..
after he has retired to private life. n
doubt he received very nearly, ifnot alto
gether $1,000 for his last years service
before his retirement. LII so why does tb