Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1883-10-17
THE COURTHOUSE.


over, and little more explanation is
needed Messrs Mattingly and McNett
saw their duty and performed it fear
lessly. In answer to the charge tbat
the investigation was move to stir up
litigation through the stoppage of
work on the building, it is only neces-
sary to state that the work is going on,
and is at present conducted in a man.
ner satisfactory to the county. In this
connection it is but fair to the mechan-
les at work to say that, so far as the
mechanical part of the work is con-
cerned, aside from the bad job in the
vault, nothing better could be asked.
Mr.. Concanon, the foreman, came here
with an excellent reputation as a skill
ful mechanic and has, by the character
of his work, fully shown that the
reputation was deserved.
Regarding the payment to Mr.. Bah
cock, it may be rs well for the people
of the county to understand that,
instead Of receiving nothing on the
work of the first month, he received
$4,000. The work amounted to
about $1,000, and in order to facilitate
payments, the Funding Commission
made contract with him for placing
the bonds. He agreed to place them
for one and one-half per cent and
received warrant for $3.50. He also
received from the Funding Commits
sioners bonds to the amount of $4,000.
For these, as he had been paid for
placing them, he owed the county their
face value. This sum he was per-
mitted to retain by the Commissioners
in consideration of the accommodation
but with the understanding that it
would be counted as money received
on the contract. Otherwise he would
have been continually ahead of the
county. The work for the next month
amounted to about $12 900, making a
total of $4,000. Now, if The Commits
sioners had paid Mr. Babcock $4,000,
as was demanded, he would have
received $4,000 more than the sum TO
which the work and material furnished
amounted. The District Attorney and
Commissioners McNett and Mattingly
simply did their duty to their constit-
uents in their action in this matter.
No county officer has a right to go
aside from the plain path marked out
for him by the statutes, and while the
officers mentioned did not think that
Mr.. Babcock contemplated any wrong,
they had no alternative but TO act
according to the law and protect the
interests of the county, whose business
they are managing.
The nonsense about star chamber
proceedings needs no reply except the
false statements regarding the appoint
ment of ID. II. Munro, the new archi-
feet. This appointment was made in
open Board on the afternoon of the
last day of the session.
A rather mixed report of the pro-
ceedings has been published, in which
the curious actions of those interested
in having the crooked work ut the
Courthouse continue was smoothed
over as much as possible. There was
also an intimation that but few of
the taxpayers were interested in the
movement. That but few signed
the petition was because even one
signer would have answered the pur-
pose. Nearly every man in the county
would have signed it had it been
necessary BY way of parenthesis, it
might be limited that an investigation
is not resisted, but rather demanded,
by those who have nothing to fear. !.
The account given IN the last issue
of this paper is exactly correct, as will
be seen by reference to the records of
the Board, That it was disagreeable
reading to the few who endeavored to
prevent the investigation aud reforma-
tion can be easily understood, and
while as tinanciers and builders their
failure will be remembered, the
broad mantle of charity should cover
their petulance.
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