Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1889-12-16
The Marshal. His Deputies and Compensation.


the use Of a conveyance Is a necessity.
The MARSHAL His Deputies and Compensation.
We have devoted as much time 10 an ex-
animation Of the marshal's Office proper,
his books, accounts and manner Of doing
business, as justice 10 our other and cur
rent business would permit.
The emolument returns, we did not ex-
anime: but confined our inquiry mainly to
the matter Of charges and fees for the ser
vice Of criminal processes, from lSsO 10 the
present time. We lind that in lSSO-l-2,
when actual expense was charged, team
hire cost SO per day for a double team, -
for single horse; 81 to $50 per day was
charged during this period for subsistence.
From - to - this item for team hire,
when actual expense was charged, in
creased 20 as high rate as SIS per day for
team aud subsistence In some instances
the deputies were employed at stated sal
aries the marshal furnishing his own teams
and in such cases had all the earnings or
the deputy. Other deputies worked on
commission. getting from GO 10 - per cent
Of their earnings; in such cases they usu-
ally owned and used their own teams, but
in some instances the teams We're owned
Jointly by the marshal and his deputy.
We find that during
TIE ADMINISTRATION OF MR.. DYER,
sion. say 60 per cent. fer illustration. the
marshal retained 20 per cent Of the actual
expense for team hire as well as upon other
items Of the actual cost, that Is TO say, If a
deputy charged = for a team and - for
subsistence, total SO. the marshal retained
- Of that amount, Notwithstanding both
these items were supposed to be actual eX-
pcuGItureS.
A dispute seems 10 have arisen between
the marshals Office and the first comp
trOller Of the treasury in respect to this
class of charges. the comptroller holding
that SO per day was an excessive charge
for a team in an actual expense account, and
IL was thereupon reduced TO 81 per day. II
was then represented to the comptroller
that 81 was too low, and that the deputy
marshals would resign rather than accept
the reduction. Upon that and other repre-
sensations Of ike purport, a compromise
price was established, viz: $ for team and
= for subsistence
This was the maximum. beyond which
no charge for team hire or subsistence
would be allowed. il being distinctly under
stood. however. that all charges for &C
tual expense. instead Of mileage. must be
limited TO the actual disbursements, so
that where a team costs -. - or -. as the
case may De- all charge in excess OF such
amounts were fraudulent and would be
disallOwed
Notwithstanding this. it seems that in a
large number Of cases, where actual eX-
pense was charged. it was at
TIE UNIFORM RATE
Of $ per day for the team when in truth il
cost much less than that sum. For in
stance: Deputy Marshal Armstrong was
working for co per cent Of his earnings; he
served a subpoena in the case Of the PEG
pie ". Taylor in the Second district in No
vember. lSS1. at an expense Of so, $40 Of
which was charged As actual expense for
team. The deputy owned his own team
MIR Dyer had ~ per cent Of this $40; that
Is TO say, the deputy received So, which
represented the actual expense, while Mr..
Dyer had the balance, $40.
There are many other cases Of this char
actcr which might bemade exhibits herein.
but the foregoing Will serve TO point out
very common method Of doing business in
the marshal Office.
The present marshal also insists that this
is a proper way 10 charge actual expense;
because there are many times when they
fail 20 make service Of criminal process and
in all such they lose money, therefore, -
per day Is a proper charge FOR team, no
matter what the actual cost may be, and
marshal is justified in taking 70 per cent
commission from his deputy, on actual eE-
pense charged. as IL cannot make any
difference TO the government whether the
deputy or the marshal gets the money, or
what the actual cost Of the team was, so
long as the department will allow =.
From our investigations Of these matters,
we do not believe that the department Of jus
tice or the accounting officer OF the treasury
department intend that the marshal shall
profit by an actual expense account charged
by his deputy This Is evidenced by the
fact that the department required the depu-
ties 20 make oath that the items charged for
were actually paid and necessarily incur
red
In closing this part Of our report we sub
nit the following letters, as bearing upon
the subject.
WASHINGTON LETTERS.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. q, 1Sss.
Major Frank Strong, general agent de
partment Of justice, Washington, ID. c.
My DEAR SIR AND FmEND-In connec-
tiou with my management Of the peniten-
tiary there is Just one thing intended. 10
have mentioned 10 you when / saw you
last: but il slipped my memory, which is
this: OF course you are aware that my
team runs back and forth between SalfLake
and the penitentiary every day hauling
prisoners and supplies, etc, TO ana from
the penitentiary. The matter which de
sire 70 speak about is this. Me, srs. Reming-
ton y Johnson from whom / purchase all
my Supplies for the pen except dry goods,
pay me 50 a month for hauling their sup |
pics 70 the pen: If ] did not haul them /
they would have 10 deliver there, but they |
prefer 10 pay this amount TO have them
HtlSA- Is luere any Objection 10 lnlsl
As you see By the vouchers / sent in, L
have not charged anything since last July
Tor potatoes furnished the pen. | have my
team 90 all the blowing out there and all
the work around the place. but have the
government feed them and viii not charge
anything for potatoes hereafter, except
what I may have to buy. / raised a poor
OF Of potatoes last fall, or rather there
we're more prisoners last fall than we
'aised potatoes to feed and we are now
'uyiug; but hope this year to be able TO
aise enough 10 do the place.
/ am managing the place just the best /
now how, az economical as possible, as i'll
we're doing 1t for myself, and the cost OF
eeping the prisoners has been kept down
D very reasonable figures. Last month II
'as less than 40 cents % the man per day.