The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-04-13
OUR NEW BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.


ty. In the new Board are seven who were
members of the last Board, viz: Messrs
Grenell, Feaster. Daley, Silvis, Krell, Todd |
and Parmenter. The new members are
Messrs. Dart, Campbell, Morey, Huntoon,
Hanna, Trent, Kerr, Jacobs, N. B. Wright,
Smith, Marston and Wray. Mr.. Kerr
has formerly been a member of the
Board, and is an intelligent and
useful member. Those who 60 out
are Messrs Jarvis, Lobdell, A. s.
Wright, Bowles, Gates, Martin, Donald
son, Dickson, Kenworthy, Little and Felix
The last Board inaugurated some i'm
portant and valuable reforms Itrequired
that county supplies, where practicable, be
furnished by contract, by the lowest res
ponsible bidder, and it thus saved a good
deal Of money to the people. The practice
was new one, and of course it reused the
opposition Of those who had been specula-
ting out of the peoples taxes. That class
opposed it violently. So did the political
bummers, who wanted to keep up the old
system by which each town Supervisor pur
chased votes by giving orders for county
supplies, for the poor and for other pur-
poses. This old political hummer mode
Of doing business has cost the people thou
sands of dollars unnecessarily. The prac-
tice should be stopped entirely,a and all sup
plies, where practicable, should be procur-
ed by contract, from the lowest responsible
bidder.
The late Board also inaugurated another
very necessary reform, viz: That of re-
quiring each bill to be supported by afhda-
Wit. The previous loose manner of doing
business gave an opportunity for the peo-
pie to be cheated out of many thousands
Of dollars by pretended poor bills" The
affidavit, while ii does no wrong to an hon
est man and an honest bill, chokes off the
little steals by which the peoples money
is taken from their treasury without an
equivalent.
The late Board stopped the $1,000 q
year the circuit clerk was drawing for clerk
hire, because the clerk himself was render
ing the county no service. This was a
good act The Board of 1872 allowed the
circuit clerk as salary $1,000 year. This
was $500 a year too much, but the Board
of 1873 could not reduce it for the reason
that the Constitution prohibits a salary be-
ing reduced during the term of the incum-
bent The salary should be reduced to
81, 500 year before another circuit clerk
shall be elected.
The Board of 1872 also voted an allow
ance of $1,000 to the circuit clerk for clerk
hire, and this sum either that or any sue
ceeding Board had right to reduce or in
crease at pleasure. The law requires the
circuit clerk to give his personal attention
to the business of the office This Mr.
Gould did not do, does not do, and refuses
to do,-therefore the Board of 1873 stop
ped the payment for clerk hire, saying in
effect, ''if you won't render the people any
service for the $1,000 which they are
obliged to pay you, then pay your own
clerks out of Il at money This was
right. The Board said another thing
I'VE are prohibited by the Constitution
from paying any officer for running his of
fee anything in excess of the fees collected
from that office. The fees received from the
circuit clerk Office donot amount to the sum
already paid to that Office and therefore
We will stop this 81 200 a year In all
this the Board was right, and the people
will sustain it,
The Board of 1872 fixed the Sheriff $
salary at s.. 500 year. The Constitution
prohibits the allowance of more than So
900 a year to any officer in counties not ex-
ceeding 10000 inhabitants. The popula-
ton of this county, by the last official cen
sus-and that is the Only legal mode of as
pertaining the population-was less than
10000 and the last Board Topped off that
extra $500 year-which was right.
These aud many other good things were
done by the late Board, body of men
who endeavored to act in the interests OF
the people in all things. 1t also made some
mistakes, which is to be expected of ev-
cry Board.
1t was a great mistake not to have
equaGzed the assessment upon town lots as
well as lands. 1t worked serious wrong to
many people, especially in Moline, Port
Byron, Milan and perhaps other towns.
Whether ii was from inability, or intention,
or neglect we cannot say-but plain duty
was there left undone.
1t also failed to provide for publishing
its proceedings in all the county papers.
This was serious mistake, and brought
Just censure upon the Board The fault
was chiefly that of Sup'r Bowles, who
could not be made to comprehend that
this course was due to all the people of all
parties. He seemed determined that peo-
pie who desired to see the proceedings
should all take the same paper-a very
unwise move. 1t would be an onerous
and unjust tax upon any man to require
him to subscribe for paper he did not
want in order to see what the supervisors
had been doing. Such tax would be ter
times the amount he would have to pay il
the ordinary mode of publishing the pro
ceedings. 1t would fail of its object anc
the result would be that not one man in ;
hundred would see or read the proceeding,
ut all. In this Mr.. Bowles was not oply