Ottumwa weekly courier., 1878-07-24
Democratic Criticism.

The democrats seem to have been
thrown into a spasm at the remarks
made by Capt. Fee, in accepting his
nomination at the convention that
nominated him, about economy. The
Captain said that with the long line
of names of able men who had sat
upon the bench i'm this district, in
view, he should endeavor to keep the
Office to the high standard they had
lifted it, and if there was anything in
which he could improve, it would be
his duty and pleasureto do it. That
if elected, he would promise to run
the courts on the most economical
scale possible. That he would prom
ise to waste no time i'm securing ease
to himself, nor in unnecessary delays
or adjOurnments. That he would be-
gin early and work late, as good sound
business principles would demand,
and the interests of litigants and tax
payers would require.
Now we think that every man in
the district will endorse this platform
laid down by the Captain and throw
up his hat at it's announcement, as a
guarantee that it will be carried out,
and not one cent needlessly expended,
and we appeal to every taxpayer if
this is not a sound platform, and one
that every man who knows Fee knows
will be followed. We do know, and
the people know that the courtslgrind
slow and if there is a man in this dis
trict that will and can hurry them up,
it is Capt. Fee.
Now, how do the democrats meet
thissOund declaration of the Captains?
Why, by saying he got a good deal of
money as prosecutor. We do not
know how much he received as pros
ecutOr, but we do know, not one dol
lar more than he was entitled to un-
der the law, and we challenge the
whole democratic party, individually
and collectively, to find one dollar or
one cent that he has received that he
was not entitled to. Wedo not doubt
but that the Captain received good
round sum for his fees, for we know
that during the time he has been pros
ecutor there has been more crime than
at any other time in the history of the
COuutIy, diIu uO uldu WHO HIS ulItu
the Office ever had so hard work as
he. At the beginning of his term the
courts were Overrun with criminal
business, but with the warm reception
that was given the offenders by the
Captain, sustained as he was by the
court, crimes have been reduced and
criminals have sought some other and
safer retreat. And to-day there is
less crime and less violation of law,
and especially the liquor law, than at
any other time in the history of this
district, and this by reason Of the un-
relenting enforcement of the law and
the sure conviction of offenders by
Captain Fee. His pay may have been
large, because of the increase of crime
and the amount of his labor. If any
lawyer, not an officer, had done the
amount of work Capt. Fee, as prose-
cutor, has done, he would have charg-
ed five or ten times the amount the
the prosecutor got. To illustrates: BY
the report Of the Secretary of State,
i'm WapellO county we find % persons
charged with felOnies, and all were
convicted and IA of them sent to the
penitentiary in the year 1876. Now
the law allows the district attorney
twenty dollars for trying felony, but
who ever heard of the lawyer for the
defense charging only twenty dollars
for defending on charge Of felony?
Their charge for that kind of cases is
from fifty to five hundred dollars.
The law allows the district attorney
$40 for trying case OF mlsdemeanor,
20 ON plea OF guilty. II for the felo-
ny cases in Wapeilo we allow only an
average OF $l0O for the attorney fOI
the defendant, the whole amount
would be $2,0O, While Capt. Fee
would only get $4OO. The balance
which Capt. Fee received in that
county would pc fees in other cases,
sen sambn ai ,of bosaa seng ho%aas WHISKY y Keep,ns