, 1890-12-31
EyTR4VAGANCE

Those who expect the present leRislA
ture to exercise anything like economy in
voting the pubho money or fixing salaries
and creating new offices will be sadly dis
appointed. The period when positive ex-
t~ravagance will be reached is now forth
coming and if the closing days do not
wind up in riotous expenditures then all
present signs are misleading.
The desperate efforts being made to
push through a bill creating the office Of
attorney general is 4 case in illustration.
The statements Of Judge Riner, made
during the constitutional convention, to
the effect that If a separate supreme
court was granted the lawyers there would
be no demand made for the creation of
the office OF attorney general, are
still well remembered. Judge Riner
then expressed the belief that the Office
was unnecessary and nothing has since oc-
CURED to change the sentiment of the
people in the matter. The office wa
therefore abolished by the constitution,
but the legislature feels differently on the
subject. A short time ago the sentiment
of the house was strongly set against the
bill, but it is strongly backed by the lobby.
Influences are now being brought to bear
10 secure It's passage. The vote by which
it was defeated will be rsconsidered Fri
day afternoon and it would not be surpris-
ing if it should pass. Tho passage of this
bill will cost the taxpayers about 5000 a
month.
The mine inspectors bill has passed
the senate. 1t allows that official 81. 500
a year aud travelling expenses, equal to
$500 to $4,000 a year. 1t was conf
IDENTIFY expected that this salary would be
cut down to about 81. 500, so that with its
contingent fund the Office would not cost
the state more than $1,000 a year.
A stock bill has passed both houses
To put it in operation will involve an out
lay Of little less than $4,000 a year for
the next two years, These mounts are
voted with the most serene disregard Of
consequences.
The house has passed a bill defining the
duties of county clerks and fixing their
compensation, THIS salary for counties
of the first class is placed at 81, 900 as the
constitution requires, He is allowed a
deputy at 81, 200 and If, 10 the judgment
Of the county commissioners a second dep
uty is required he is appointed. The con
stitutional convention contemplated the
merging of these two officers bnt the
legislature Is determined to give the
county clerk a separate salary as ex-oficio
register Of deeds. The bill as first in
troduced in the house gave the
ex-ofi0o register 5000 for ZACH
million dollars or fraction thereof assessed
valuation aud $50 in additio. COR each
illion or fraction thereof over the first
fTiIIiiion AS the bill thus stood it affected
each county according to its financial
ability to bear the burthen. But the out
side delegates wouldn't stand it. They
did not believe in giving a county clerk a
fair salary and an additional salary for per-
forming the duty Of register of deeds
which the law made part OF his regular
duties. OF course the Laramie
county delegation was determined
to give the county clerk this
additional salary. They couldn't work it
SO the burthens would fall alone on the
taxpayers Of this county. but they came
pretty near it. As the bill is now
amended every county clerk in the state
will get (provided the bill passesl an an
nual salary as register of deeds OF 5000.
Ia counties having an assessed valuation
of over IS, 900. 900 land this can only APP
ply to Laramie county, the county clerk
is allowed in addition for his services as
ex-offcio register OF deeds, $3.50 a year
for each million or fraction of a million
assessed valuation, amounting in all
to $l,40O n year, which with the
$2,0 900 a year given to the county clerk
gives the respectable cembiDed salary Of
$1,000. The Laramie delegation is never
too proud to give Its own county the
worst of it. 1t the other delegations wish
to have their counties excluded all well
and good. So long as Laramie county
has big salaries saddle6 on it our own rep
resentatives don seem to care. 1t was
the same way with the salary OF county
and prosecuting attorney. The outside
counties insisted on having the salaries
brought down TO fair proportions.
The salary of the Laramie county
prosecutor was Mt first reduced
from So, 500 to $1,000 ayear. 1t was alter
ward insisted by the Laramie delegation
that it should be raised to the original
figures. As this was no funeral of the
outside counties this was readily accom-
plished and so Laramie county is destined
to pay Its prosecutor 90. 500 a year.
These are q few facts which lead US to
believe that the Laramie deleg ,tion at
least will not be more economical than
the law allows.