Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1880-02-06
The County Controversy.
LEWISTON, Feb. l, lSS

self Justice" but whose real name is
yet concealed from the public. | do
not suppose that many of your readers
are interested so much in the person of
the authors of these articles as in the
subject matter upon which they write.
For one, am not But /, and l pre-
sumo all other citizens of the county,
am interested in having faithful and
clear account given of the expendi-
lures of the county funds. This we
want in all candor and this the pub
lie are entitled to as often as may be
necessary for full enlightenment of
the taxpayers that they may pay their
taxes cheerfully as a necessary and
proper means of keeping up the ex
penses Of our county organization. ]
carefully read Mr.. Ewine's interview
with the editor of the TELLER, and in
the main thought it honest expression
of Mr.. Ewings opinion of county
matters. | admit that it was rather
severe upon some of the justices of
the peace, but from some bills Of ex-
penses of cases sent up for payment
to the county board l was of the
opinion that in those cases it was mer-
tied. It is well known that there is a
class Of people who seek to get some
revenge upon some neighbor
growing out of causes Of action which
are strictly of o civil nature, but they
fear to sue in civil action lest they
get the worst of it, and hence they
enter complaints against them Of a
criminal natu.a, thinking they can
thereby avoid paying costs Of court
and attorneys fees in case they lose
their cases. They thini, they will
thereby expose the ;aults Of their
neigLbora to the public, and when that
Is done by a suit they are satisfied,
whether the accused bo convicted or
neG In some Of these cases it NAV
oe dnicuit ior justices Of the peace to
d.. a2miae The degree of malice that
ontc!s i.t2 the case on the part Of the
prosecutions and if it be not clear the
justice does no5 see fit to tax the costs
10 the prosecutor. Now, | all Of the
opinion nat these are the cases that
give risc 10 much Of the expenses of
our justice courts that are presented
to The coaaty for payment, I am not
disposed 20 blame the justices 50 much
for their want Of determining when a
maiiciops prosecution takes place as
| ain the citizen who knowingly seeks
to avoid the payment. of these costs by
bringing a criminal action instead of &
civil action. Hence if / were JUS
tice ! would in every dou 5tful action
| brought under the statute Of crimes.
make tho prosecutor pay the costs and
not charge them to the county. In
this way the covert malicious citizen
would be made more careful abous
bringing criminal actions. So shrewd
are some of these malicious personsin
the concealment of their malice that
even the prosecuting attorney himself
is misled by them and his knowledge Of
the law is supposed to be far greater
than that Of a ma iority of our justices
of the peace. In other respects Mr..
Ewings interview ought to be salts
factory Il
Jqxee's" letter upon the e&pendi-
turgpf the hospital money, makes per-
sstHl illusions which, if they have any
soundation in fact, Justice should
have first exposed those facts by con-
elusive proofs in the shape Of sworn
statements which would tend towards
the impeachment of the officers en-
gagged in that expenditure, instead of
bringing the matter first before the
public by published letter over an
anonymous signature. When an at
tack of that kind is to be made upon
public officer it should be made in
form and so direct that the facts can