Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-10-29
MIR. GihSnn,s Views.


EDITOR HERALD The leading editorial Of
your issue this morning is devoted to criti-
cisms upon my management of the County
Recorders Office. This gives me an oppor-
tunity of replying openly to statements
which have, for weeks past, been privately
circulated by interested parties.
Briefly stated the points intended to be
made against me by your editorial are:
1st-rhat have not given to the Office the
attention necessary TO its. proper anu EN-
cient adm inistTation.
2d-That have received from the county
a large salary for services which have nev-
er performed. -
These would be serious charges II they
were founded on fact, but that they are not
so found ed is susceptible of easy proof
When it became evident, in Oetoper, 1880,
that some one would be appointed by the
Board OF Supervisors to I'LL the once for the
uneXpired term, my efforts were ~ nrst eA'
erted to secure the appointment OF o gentle
man other than nyself. When circumstan-
ces subsequently caused the Board to look
with favor upon my own appointment.
was asked wnat bearing my business inter
ests would have upon my duties as Record,
err | answere l that as Recorder would
consider it my first duty to see that the bus
iness of that office was properly attended
to, and whenever, in the opinion OF the
Board, l failed so to do, my resignation
would be at its disposal. meant what /
No complaint made by any member of the
Board, either in public or private, has yet
reached my ears. ON the contrary / have
received from them, from members of the
late grand jury, and from individuals hav-
ing business in the office, many compli-
ments as to its administration.
For a few months after my appointment
was able, by strict economy and The adopt
ion of certain new methods, which fncreas-
ed rather than diminished the thoroughness
of the work, to carry on the business for the
monthly allowance OF s7So, prescribed pWer, a. by
ever, the business increased as it soon did,
to Unprecedented proportions. was obliged
to do one of three things, viz: carry on the
office at a pecuniary loss, resign, or apply
to the Board Tor relief. l decided TO take
first the latter course, and in so doing l laid
before them the expenses rendered neces-
sary by the business of the preceding month
and upon that basis asked for such an al
lOwance for the ensuing month as would
enable me to pay the wages oil deputies and
copyists, and receive for myself such COM
pensation for my own services and respon.
sibility as l Was justly entitled to. That
course / have pursued from month TO
month, sometimes being allowed one depu
ty, sometime two, aud sometimes five, as
stated in your editorial. These various al
lowances have been made uniformly, be-
lieve, without a dissenting vote from any
member of the Board.
When it is remembered (and believe
this is a generally recognized factl that
most of the gentlemen composing the Board
are more disposed to err ON the side OF strict
economy, than OH that OF unnecessary ex-
penditure, this seems strong prima facle
evidence of the propriety OF the allowance
as above stated.
In addition to this, regret. on my own
account, to say that at dife ent times, owing
to the large increase of business OF one
month over that of the month preceding, l
have found allowances based upon the
business of the preceding month insuf-
month and have consequently been out OF
pocket. Something tnat l trust will not
again occur.l At no time has the balance
to my credit reached anything like the
exceeded what any alrminded, intelligent
business man would readily concede that
was fairly entitled to. You are grea ly in
error when you say that the saving effected
inures not to the benefit of the county, but
CT fmyself.
Any one fully acquainted with the duties
of the Recorders Office must admit that
even if Recorder devotes his whole time
to the office, he would be unable, with us
present business, to dispense with single
one of the force now employed there, as
only receive for myself such compensation
as am fairly entitled to while devoting
part of my time to the office, IT follows that
a competent man devoting his whole time
to the office must either require a greater
allowance or be sstis fed with a salary much
smaller than he could command elsewhere.
l do not believe that the people of this
county wish that an officer should be paid
less thsn his services are worth or that they
would be willing to place incompetent men
i public positions for the sake OF saving
in salaries.
tiers OF fact.
The compensation of copyists in the office
is now slightly greater per folio than 1t was
prior to my appointment
1t may occasionally have happened thatin
a day not more than one hour of my time
was required in the Recorders office-but II
SO, 1t has rarely been the case. While no
account has been kept of my time. 1t has
always been subject to the demands OF my
public duties.
trust that the spirit of fair play by which
have always endeav0red to be actuated in
DO tiles as we'll as in other matters, Will
lead you to accord to this communication
the same publicity as has been gwen 70
your criticisms upon me contained in this
issue.
As rejoinder to the above, the HERALD
has to say that while Mr.. Gibson in his
courteous reply takes notice of certain
minor matters, he seems to avoid the
prime and the only true issue in the prem
ises, which is, that the County Recorders
Office being one OF great Importance, per,
son seeking election thereto should attend
to its duties in person. 1t is not usual In
such an office for one person to run for 1t
and another carry it on.
1t is difficult to see why II the Recorder
were in person to attend to the Office the
same number of deputies would be neces-
sary. This would not be SO unless the Off
ciai were mere figure-head and an incom-
petent, which decidedly Mr.. Gibson Is not:
1t seems as If he were unjust to himself. If
1t is a losing game to Mr.. Gibson, or one at
best which he cannot afford to give his time
to, why does he seek election to it? Why
not let the man who Is to do the duties run
for the office, and the people will know for
whom they are voting?