, 1888-01-13
Grand total

Grand ....S22,52
The cost price to the territory has been a fraction over
$3.50 per volume, so that the price SIS per copy, leaves
but a small margin in favor of the territory, providing all
were sold, but the territory will never be able to sell and
use l~egitimately more than two thousand $4,000 volumes
even if the present revision should be retained for over half
a score of years, which in our changing condition is far
from probable.
Tie feeling seems to be general that taxes are becom-
ing high, and the tax payers are call aloud to the NUM-
cipal authorities to hold them down. Good business sense
is making the same demand, and relief is expected from the
Tenth Legislative Assembly. The eXective can ouly bring
this to the attention of the law-making power, with such
suggestions and recommendations as commend themselves
to his judgment, but in the end the remedy is in your hands.
In the first pace a comparison between the pay of fed
cral, territorial and county officers in Wyoming, will de-
velop the fact, that the difference of pay between the federal
and territorial officers is very slight, but that the principal
county officers by reason of salaries, fees, etc, get double,
yea, quadruple that received for equally valuable services
by federal and territorial officers. What is the result -?
Many of the important county officers have been able to
p~erpetuate themselves from year to year and term to term,
by reason of the princely pay and emoluments of their
offices. Not only is this a continual drain upon the tax
payers, but it Is building up and sustaining a monopoly for
those officers who have the control of the machinery in each
county, to the exclusion Of equally capable and deserving
men who may lawfully aspire to public offices, and to the
injury and oppression of every taxpayer. This state of
affairs is not confined to any political party, nor am l point
ing to any particular set of men, but dealing with the broad
principle that upright public servants are deserving of a lib
eral remuneration for their services and responsibilities; but
certainly not more so than hundreds of private individuals
holding equally responsible places, and rendering equally
valuable services to their employers. Business men are
willing to pay good salaries to their faithful and trusted
employees, and they are willing to be taxed to pay liberal
salaries to the public officers, but not a dollar more. The
time has come, it seems to me, to revise the laws of fees
and salaries, and place the public officers upon the same
plane and level with those in private life, performing like
duties, and bearing like responsibilities.
Another drain upon the public county purse is
THE GRAND JURY SYSTEM OF SIXTEEN.
In a sparsely settled country and with large counties,
the per diem, mileage and service of officers amount to a
good round sum annually. 1t is difficult to get sixteen
jurors together, and more difficult to keep them and get
work out of them. A smaller body, say six with five to
find a true bill, would do double the work of sixteen, and
every day counts in the bill of expenses with witnesses
waiting and under pay. To change the system would, 1
presume, require a re, ision i'll part of the criminal code $50
that trial could be had upon sworn complaint, without any
action being required by the grand jury but it would be
tar better to do this than continue a system cumbersome,
unsatisfactory and withal expensive. A careful examina-
ton of the expenses incurred at the terms of the district
courts, will convince any man, that n remedy should be
found, and that right speedily. There are many other
points connected with the jury system of to-day, the detec-
tive system, the special law system ad iafnium, which all
go to swell the bills, and help to make up the aggregate ex-
penses which have become burdensome and absolutely op-
pressive.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.
The office of county commissioner is by far the most
important of any in the county, and yet less thought is
than to any other county officers. In the hurry and scurry
of electing county officers who draw large salaries, the
county commissioners are usually lost sight of unless some