Los Angeles herald., 1892-01-10
FURNITURE AND THE STATE EXECUTIVE

While the report of the grand jury
has been carefully pruned, the enormity
of the expensive details of the furnish
ing of the new county court house has
been sufficiently disclosed by that docu-
ment. AS far as we have gone the out
lay amounts to $9S,00O. Think of that,
ye hard-bested taxpayers! Is there
man in Los Angeles county who would
not have been up in arms if it had been
limited that the furnishing OF this build
ing would cost even $4,000? The old
abracadabra of alterations in the orig
inal specifications was used to cinch the
taxpayers. Every one knows that in
building house the trick is to ring in
an ornamental cornice, which probably
costs $50, and them to bring in sweeping
charges to the amount of $4,000. 1t was
the business of the board OF supervisors
to protect the people from this stale old
trick.
Why should tie taxpayers be looted?
In the bills for furnishing the new court
house there are items of $500 which
would not have cost over $3.50 if we had
had board of supervisors that was
really alive to the interests of the tax
payers. Ninety-eight thousand dollars
is large sum the way things 60 now-a-
days for furnishing public building.
Half of that amount would have amply.
sufficed to furnish the new court house
Lnl 70 ha fa M ho+ ho
Los Angeles Furniture company was in
the field, and determined to bear off
largesses OF untold amounts.
OF course, to admit of such splendid
spoliations of the county treasury, there
must have been a great deal of ''inhu-
ence." And there was.
The Los Angeles Furniture company
is simply another name for the Hon. H.
H. Markham, the governor of California,
and its principal stockholder and whilom
president. He is its president now for
aught we have been advised.
Why should the Hon. H. H. Markham.
governor of California, in his capacity
of guide, philosopher and friend to the
Los Angeles Furniture com pany, and its
principal stockholder, be engaged in the
business of furnishing our county court
house?
The thing is highly indecent.
1t is not only indecent, but it is highly
Improbable to the taxpayers, whose in
terests the Republican board of super
visors should have guarded.
Even a Republican grand jury was
obliged to find that the expenditures for
furnishing the court house were extrav-
agant and exorbitant!
Who is the principal beneficiary OF
this extravagant and exorbitant expend-
iture? Who but the Hon. H. III. Mark
ham, the governor of the state?
Away with such travesty on politi-
cal decency. Jobbery Of this order
would excite a riot in staid eastern
communities. The friend OF Dan Burns,
the defaulting Republican secretary OF
state, prefers to Doodle in safe lines.
When a timorous and halting grand
jury of his own party is obliged to
arraign bim obliquely, low indeed has
the Office OF governor of California
fal1enl
A governor of the great state of Cali
fornia ought not be found peddling out
furniture to board of supervisors OF his
own party. If be should turn up in
this role, however, he ought to figure as
an honest man. The biggest swindle Of
the age is the tremendous spoliation in
yolved in the furnishing of our splendid
new court house. Gross exaction
reaches from turret to foundation stone
OF this beautiful building, as far as the
Los Angeles Furniture company has had
anything to do with it. Shame a
thousand times shame-.on iobbery
which makes each individual taxpayer
plunge hie' land little deeper in his