Los Angeles herald., 1891-11-05
ssAS "A GROSS WRONG BEEN FERfE-
TRATBD ON THE TAXPAYERSp GU
BBRNAYoRIAL' JOBBRRY.

Has "A GROSS WRONG BEEN FbhFE E
TRATBD ON THE TAXPAYERSp GU
BBRNAYeRIAL' JoBBRRY.
The Evening Express has totally
failed to answer the questions addressed
to it by the HERALD on the issue of the
furnishing of the new court house. Il
squirms considerably, and absolutely
begs the question. AT some stage W.
shall answer our own, queries. AS thu
grand jury is supposed to have investi
gated the special matters as to which
we have been curious we shall wait tt
see what light, if any; that body throwI
on them. Their report might possibly
greatly abfidge our labors, and we shall
not anticipate it unless it. should bt
greatly delayed.
Cur evening contemporary points out
8 trifing error made by the HERALI
with regard to the furnishing OF Judge
Wade's court room. 1t is sometimes
quite helpful that minor mistake oi
this kind should occur, for it admits of a
clear and succinct statement OF the es'
genital facts Which are confrmatory OF
the HERaLD's position. The detail S
shout the bench in Judge Wade's
court room sustain all that
we have advanced about the reckle IS
extravaganza in furnishing the ne W
county buildings.
Judge Wade desired to have his bench
modelled on his own plans, and had an
estimate made Of the expense. He
found that the work would cost $400 by
furnishers other than the Los Angeles
Furniture company. This bench was in
every respect as good as any of those
which had cost the county 81, 800 in the
other court rooms, as fitted up by the
Los Angeles Furniture company. When
the great discrepancy between the
charge OF the favored company, ofwhich
Governor Markham lis president and
principal stockholder, was pointed out
the difference between $40O ard, 81 800
the only point of divergence which
could be found in the workmanship and
plant, was that the other benches-the
$500 benches-had inscribed upon
them the words fiat ,jnstitia." That
was the only conceivable discrepancy.
1t is for the taxpayers to determine
whether this inscription should have
counted for 81 400 in favor of the Los
Angeles Furniture company.
Now it is very immaterial whether the
HERALD is exactly right in details or
not. We are substantially right. What
the people of Los Angeles know is that
q furniture company, of which the
governor of the state is the head, has
made it cost the Taxpayers of Los An
geles county over $4,000 tos furnish
their new court house. They know'that
the original specifications have been
departed from, and that the sum which
most people supposed would be ample
for that purpose has been exceeded to a
monstrous degree.
They know that the governor oi
California should not be mixed up in
any such iobbery.
That an honest newspaper will expe'
rience difficulty in getting at the bot
tom of such shutting and jobbery there
is, of course, no reason to doubt. In the
first place, the governor OF the state, a
Republican, is mixed up in the mess. In
the second place, the board of supervisors
is unanimously Republican. Is it at all
likely that they will give away the Off
cial head of their party, and themselves
as well, in any event? This intensifes
the scandal which this journal is deter
mined to probe to the bottom.
1t is a lamentable thing that the board
of supervisors is unanimously Republi-
can, but this misfortune to the taxpay'
ers is intensified by the fact that every
one of our six superior judges is a Re
publican. We mean no disrespect tt
these gentlemen when we say that il
would be more than ridiculous to ex
pect that any one of them would inaug
urate campaign against his own party
Our chances, therefore, of finding {
Judge Wallace and an elisor are very
limited indeed. We think we risk moth
ing in assuming that the people of Lot
Angeles will never again place them.
selves in such helpless position.
As result of the absolute dominance
by the Republican party of the city and
county of Los Angeles we find that oul
taxes have swollen to tremendous pro
portions and that sort of Nitellian Law
ishness characterizes every detail OF oul
city and county government. Our es
teemed contemporary, the Express
places it's vision with reverent affection
on Governor Markham, General John
son. the board of supervisors and the
Republican junta generally, but we de-
cline to become fetish worshipers. We
aim to drive the governor of the state
out Of questionable jobbery and ped
ding transactions for his own advance
ment. and to protect the taxpayers from