Dodge City times., 1889-05-23
TIVE soooLe COMMISSIONER.

on legal technicalities and distractions
as everybody knew who inteiligen,ly ex
amined the evidence and watched the
proceedings in court We have the opin
ion of disinterested lawyers clearly tc
this effect. 1t is also well known to many,
that John johnson, the favOrite cOntrac
tor was able TO give most damaging evi'
dence in that case, and that in some way
he was induced to keep quiet. We are
not guessing nor merely asserting about
this. 1t is true and can be established.
and further, it is generally understood
and currently reported as coming direct
from the free" yet guilty commission
ers, that they threatened and boasted
about getting even" for their attorneys
fees, and expenses paid in their own de-
fence
| Now comes the sequel, the key unlock
ing and explaining the situation.
A vault was contemplated, first prob
ably. in the mind of the favorite cOntrac-
tor, or the much persecuted(g commls
sioner, Mckinney. A fire proof vault in
the Court House. that convenient place
to squander, sink and steal the peoples
money. Forgetting the other contracts
of enormous cost; the trees set out last
wear without roots, at county expense;
the celebrated new roof costing the tax
payers between $4,000. and 5OO.OO,
when only $500 to $50. 90 In repairs of
the first quality tin in the old roof. was
all that was needed; forgetting that out
ragged taxpayers will in some way be
heard. Up comes the ready and favorite
contractor to put in vaults for the Pro-
bate and District Court records, at about
800. 90. See now the bills allowed by
the peoples servants, guardians OF the
county finances and business. The con-
tractor bill in gross. which may fairly
be supposed to include the entire job and
contract is allowed and paid at S143.6O;
then nine other bills and items are allowed
plainly connected with it and part of the
Job, amounting to S6721, and the paper
ing and work yet being done will bring it
up to about $4,000 or over.
Now let any practical mechanic who is
entirely honest and disinterested compute
the entire work and material used; let
him allow 81. 90 per day for common la
Dor and 81 90 per day for skilled labor
and he cannot dispose of over 100000 of
the 100000, nor over $3.50 of the s743
paid johnson, including the highest price
paid for material. These figures, follow
ing our three preliminary suggestions,
point doubtfully not to several alternate
conclusions, but directly and surely to
one. viz: the commissioners have got
even with the county which tried to
bring them to justice. Evidently the i'm
portant witness did not hush for nothing,
nor get such contracts repeated, without
rewarding the liberal commissioners.-So
liberal with the peoples money. Tax
payers or newspapers, or apologists of
any kind for Nc Kinney and Karch, fig
ure up the work and material in the vault,
yourselves, and thus establish what we
say.
This is but an item in the indictment.
Its notorious that much more tin was
paid for IN the roofing contract
than was there or was laid. lis notOri
GUS that the favorite contractor openly
boasted in advance, that he would get
this vault contract sure, and afterwards,
that he could have had $50 more for
it. Its notorious that Mckinney had
some painting done on his South Dodge
building at the suspicious time of the
other contract, and that he had large
quantity of the torn-ou tbut valuable ma
terial from the Court House. at this job,
hauled it away with his own team, with
out credit to the county, 10 whom it be-
longed. This done by another than a
trusted custodian of the peoples rights.
would be plain stealing.
But the Henry Skinner estate bill is, if
possible even worse. Uncollected. judg-
ments standing against Henry Skinner,
Que the County, these Doodle commission
ers pay him, through his administrator,
SS4 of the County money. For what?
Either for keeping his wife or his mistress
His sworn petition filed for divorce show
Ler as his wife. But for keeping neither
his wife nor mistress is the County liable?
And the excuse that she was insane, was
Occasioned by his own act-beating her
over the head with his revolver. nor did
he keep or care for her, but woman did
SO at perhaps So per week, while he
watched his Joint" and is allowed 81
per day by our Doodle commissioners.
And this too hastily, before the County
Attorney could offset the judgment due
the County, and after being fully noti
fed of the four or five conclusive reasons
against allowing the account, by County
Clerk Gallagher, who made a manly pro-
test. Yes, and while bills for the ldenti-
cal keeping" charged in SINNERS bill,
were before the board, and also allowed
at the same session, the honest account
of leading grocery is allowed for the
provisions to Virginia Mcpherson Skin
ner, then her-master is allowed 81 per
day for supplying the same with care, to
a perfectly harmless woman.
Had the commissioners not been advis-
ed, and not did this with their ewes open,
a sensible and charitable man might have
been found to excuse it on the ground of
mistake or ignorance, but not now. No
excuse can or will be made for it. Its
bold; inexcussble. disgusting debauchery
of an honorable County Office, and every
honest man in Ford county knows it.