Los Angeles herald., 1891-01-18
SUNDAY, JANUARY Is, 1891.
PROSAIC FACTS-CAN WE DAM(N) EX-
TRAvAGANCEP

The abolition of useless commissions
would be godsend to the people ol
California. 1t would be in the line oi
honest and democratic government,
with perhaps the exception of the harbol
commissioners, land it is doubtful whether
even they ought to be an exception
they do no earthly good. The practice
of creating commissions right and left
started with the Republican legislature
of New York, and the idea in making
them was to override the will of the
people of New York city, who were
Democratic in overwhelming ratio, and
whom Republican legislature could
not permit to 60, ern themselves. The
example, vicious one at best, has been
extensively initiated elsewhere. A con-
spicuous illustration OF the useless
ness of the New York commissions was
given by the action of General McClel-
Ian, who had been appointed com mis-
sioner of docks in New York city; and
who, after holding the position for sew
eral months, resigned it with the ex-
PLANTATION that there was nothing in its
duties that justified him in draw
ing salary of $4,000 year.
Commissions are the merest sinecures
wherever they exist. 1t would puzzle
any one to point to any good the rail-
way or bank commissioners have been
to California. These posts were created
for no other purpose than to provide
places for partizans. The duties OF the
state board of equalization could be
readily discharged by board which
should consist of the controller, the
stat6 treasurer and the governor. The
whole design in California seems to be
to do as little work and draw as much
pay as possible. A standing proof OF
the ,uselessness of the present state board
of equalization is to be found in the fact
that San Francisco is yearly allowed to
escape with the payment Of about one
half of her rightful proportion of the
taxes OF the state. If these officials
really counted for anything such gross
injustice as that would not be tolerated.
One such fiasco as the election OF Beer
stecher as a railway commissioner
should have resulted in the abolition of
that body. II the present legislature
Shall really sweep these sinecure COM
missions away it will have at least one
claim to the kindly indulgence of pos
terity. But will they? The tempta-
ton to keep up tat Offices for alert poll
ticians is very strong.
The tendency to the multiplication OF
offices in not only the state but in the
cities and counties of California is posi-
lively appalling. No official seems to
care to make even pretence of doing
any real work. They are one and all
looking out for assistants. To give an in.
stance in point, take the office of city
attorney OF Los Angeles. This gentle
man not only has an assistant city attor-
ney but deputy city attorney. By
liberal stretch of the imagination, let us
admit that he needs an assistant, but
why have two assistants? When it
comes to parceling out the peoples
money there is All absolute recklessness
that no business man could introduce
into his personal affairs without figuring
in bankruptcy proceedings inside of a
year. Take the case of the city auditor,
Lopez. Here is an official who is al
lowed two assistants, and one of them,
we have been informed, ON the ground
that Mr.. Lopez is not familiar with the
science OF bookkeeping. That be-
ing the case, Mr.. Lopez should
either have sought the nomina-
tion to some other place, which would
not have been SO exacting on his mental
attainments, or remained out of politics,
or he should have paid his second assist
ant out OF his own pocket. When it
comes to squandering the money Of the
city or county or state treasury, every
thing goes.
The sap,e minimum OF work and max
imum Of pay prevails in the case OF our
courts We are supposed to have six de-
part,nents grinding out legal grist all
the time except on Sundays and holi-
days. As a matter of fact, four judges
would be ample to do the work Of Los
county as at present consti-
tuted. We had six judges before Orange
was cut off, and we have six now.
II some ambitious town, like Pomona,
succeeds in getting new county organ
lied, and walks off with half of Los An
geles county as it exists today, we should
still have those six judges. AS Christ
said of the poor, these we shall always
have with US. They are handy things
to have about county, but it is just
possible to have too many of them.
And so we might continue, for col
umns, to point out where we are over
served, and where the money of the peo-
Pile goes without just equivalent. But
what we are chiefly anxious to impress