, 1885-03-07

SATuRDAY............MAhcI z, 1885
MANY wise moves have been made
Nv territory, county and city officials
since we came 10 this country, some
n them were truly indicative Of su-
Dnrhuman Inspiration. The most
Wonderful phenomena presented IT
self al the last session Of the board Of
commissioners. Spokane county Is.
and hos been for fepr years occupy
Ing a private building at a rental OF
5000 per annum as court house at
Cheney, the county seat From time
20 time the board have been request
ed to buy this building. Already
they have paid more rent than the
bniidInp would cost. This session
the building was offered for S5O0Ol
and possibly could have been bought
for less, owing to the developments
10 the trensurer's affairs. In this
ease the building would have been
been almost paid for In advance and
the county would have been nothing
out. Stanley Hallett tried bis best,
did all In his power to make the rest
of the hoard see that even II the
rountv seat was at some future time
locafed n Marshall, Deep Creek Falls,
on possibly Spokane Falls, this prop.
ertv would not be lost, but would
still be the property Of the county.
But. IN their stubbornness, Piperand
Anderson held that they would pay
$500 rent rather than buy the build
ING Al the same price. This Is how
some OF our officers squander the
county funds. This ls how they full
an tho duties they have obligated
themselves TO Perform Cheney 1''-'
baae.
Underlying the strain Of virtuons
indignation and the public parade Of
soucitous anxiety for the welfare Of
the dear people In the above parox-
ysm, saperinduced by the gigantic
discovery that economy should be
the single aim Of every public ser
want, Is a strata Of selfish alarm that
has become a nightmare to rufie the
feelings of every resident Of our
neIghboriug city. Biased by motives
that are not necessary at present to
dwell upon, the attempt Is made to.
mislead the people by statement
not only devoid OF truth, but that is
SO constructed as to leave the erro-
neous idea that the present board Of
commissioners, ora majority thereof,
are to be held accountable for the
existence Of a condition Of things
that Is not at all credItable to our
county government The present
situation is that brought about by a
manipulation 0f county affairs ex-
tending back over several years, for
which the present commissioners
are no more to blame that the strang-
er who has recently settled In our
midst to make this his home, and no
one is more cognizant Of the facts
than the Tribune, that has taken 81
anfair and untenable a position on
the subject. That the county pays
an enormous, outrageous and shame
full rent for a collection ramshaekley
buildings that are a disgrace to
county Of the size, wealth and Inn
portance Of Spokane is the effect Of
fostering and encouraging a court
house ring, dlsgraceful in itself and
a by-word among all honest people,
and Is an existing ulcer on the body
polite for which our present board Is
not responsible. II Is the result Of the
that a credulous public
put IN the sire4s promises Of a small
clique that desired to use the county
rs a means for their own aggrandize-
ment, and the outgrowth Of a system
Of abuse Of public good nature that
has been practieed for several years.
When Cheney secured the county
seat, through means, II we are right
~ informed, that stamps the mana
gers rs boss schemers, the land upon
which the present county buildings
stand, and which is the property Of
the county, was leased for term Of
six years to a private individual, who
at once puts up houses and turns
around and rents them to the COM
Inisaioners ata villainous rental. The
act itself BY which the county was
put at the mercy Of one man i'm
presses the Intelligent reader as the
very acme Of imbecillty, to put the
most charitable construction upon
the act Blindly lead by the Cheney
faction, tho commissioners were
plant tools, and they cheerfully did
whatever their masters wished This
is the situation inherited by all who
followed In thatofIlee, and who have
been, through force Of circumstances,
compelled to follow out the pro-
gramme laid down by those organiE-
ing the county government at
Cheney. The real object that the
people Of Cheney had was to force
The purchase OF these buildings. It
was q well laid scheme, and nothing
but the bare fact that men were
chosen for the Office who would not
fawningly knuckle to the mandates
Of this domineering crowd has pre-
vented the foisting upon the county
Of a lot Of rubbish that would be dear
as a gift But the Tribune falsifes
and Intentionally misleads. Spokane
county Bas not s'for four years occu-
pied a private building at s25OOD
rental; the Tribune to the contrary
notwithstanding. The buildings
have only been used for two years, a
fact with which that sheet Is per-
feetly familiar. The commissioners
only pay $3.50 per year rent, and not
$500 as above stated. Even that is
too much, and II a private citizen
was asked an equal sum for the same
accommodations the owner Of the
nronortv would he without A tenant.