The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-02-20
The Audiso..- 0mce.


The CLARION has reform record oil
which it has no cause to blush aud we do
not intend to go back upon it, but We
would respectfully suggest that the fea
1 ture in the Fee and Salary Bill, which
passed the House yesterday, doing away
entirely with the perquisites which attach
to the Auditors office and providing .
contingent fund, is neither timely nor
an economical measure. According to
our understanding of the bill it pro-
perly leaves the perquisites which
attach to the Treasury and Secretary of
State Departments, and strikes out alone
those which pertain to the Auditors of
fee. Why this discrimination?
Heretofore the Auditors office has
been a sort of favorite department with
the Legislature. There is where the
bulk of the drudgery of government is
performed. 1t is place of immense re
sponsibility and endless work, and the
Legislature heretofore has not be-
grudged a fair compensation in the
way of perquisites for extra work.
For the last eight years this office
has been in Radical hands. The
present incumbent inaugurates a new
era-a Democratic era-in the Auditor 5
Office. He comes fresh from the very
hearts of the people,. redolent of the
inspiration of the masses to restore the
integrity of the Government as well as
It's economy Nevertheless the bill
seems susceptible of the construction that
| the Auditor is not fit to be entrusted with
fees, and that even the contingent fund
to pay for extra work is not safe in his
hands-that if extra work is needed he
must not contract for and compensate
the labor according to his own ideas of
its value, but he must pay for it accord
ing to the judgment and order of the
Governor. 1t virtually puts the clerical
force of this Office under the super
vision of the Governor instead Of
under the Auditor who was elected by
the people to fill the office, and has given
heavy bond for his faithful perform
ance of the duties and responsibilities of
his place. 1t puts one State officer I'M
der the surveillance of another in way
the Constitution and the people never
designed, and thus degrades it to a mere
quartermaster's department to an army
division.
We are we'll satisfied that members do
not desire to put an indignity upon the
present incumbent of the Auditors of
fee, but is it not apparent that the bill
has this appearance. And whence the
necessity? How much will the State
gain by it? Five hundred dollars under
the most favorable working would more
than cover it. In fact the effect would
be to throw a wet blanket over the Au-
ditor and all his assistants, paralyze, to a
considerable extent, their zeal and pride in
its behalf, mar the public service, and
cost the State great deal more than the
present arrangement. These socalled
Prerequisites" allowed under the laws of
the Reform Legislature of 1876 cannot
reach over two thousand dollars year,
possibly not over one thousand, not
enough to disturb the main driving wheel
Of the State Government, even if the
whole amount could be saved to the State,
which, Of course, it could not be. We
make this statement upon the best au-
thority And if the Auditor saves any
thing for his own individual pocket
out of these Prerequisites" it will be
the result of mis- own extra la
Dor, or the extra labor of his
willing staff of workers. 1t is Just
possible that these men whom he has
drawn to his assistance might be willing
now and then to put in extra service for
him without compensation, whereas if
they were doing this extra work for the
State they would be unreasonable enough
to want to be paid for it out of the con
tingent f@nd. Nothing can be saved by
this measure but a good deal can be lost.
With this view of the effect and tenor
of the measure, and with entire Difference
to the majority of the House, we would
respectfully suggest that it would be a
proper thing for the Senateto reject.