San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-02-18

Jue county COuHllsslOueT = COuI1 loi niS
appropriation of public funds was fully
anticipated; the sympathy of the court,
the officials, the friends of the accused,
the array Of able counsel for the defence,
the influence of the press belittling the
offence, the care in the selection of a
jury; everything presaged the result.
n
Every one feels that the verdict of mot
guilty" was necessary TO relieve the i'm
pending shock TO the community, threat
ening the entire fabric of our county gov
eminent.
The defence put up by the county iu6 &c
and commissioner s, of their entire igno-
rance of the legislative enactments of
lSs9,-that they had acted upon
the statute of 1887; and had not the re-
mott st knowledge of the fact that there
were any other laws except those en-
braced in an old copy of Sayles' treaties
would have been amusing were it not for
the fact that it convicts the entire body
of incompetence and unfitness to fill the
very important positions they occupy.
A plea Of ignorance of the law,it seems,
excuses a public official for gross mis-
application of the peoples money,-such
plea would be kicked out of court II
made in behalf of some poor, ignorant,
illiterate horse thief.
The facts as disclosed on this trial are
simply that in July 1891 Mr.. Lindner, Mr..
Huth's deputy, presented a bill to the
commissioners court for taking stats
tics of $500, claiming that that amount
had been allowed Mr.. Huth'S successor
the year before, under the law of 1887,
The county commissioners paid 1880,
one-half. the state to pay the balance,
without further question, or without look
ing into the law, or examining the
sLch an amount had been paid
to Mr.. Poor. Mr.. Huth, did not find out
that he was not entitled to this money
until the late grand jury began to inves-
tiCate, when he brought the news TO the
county judge from Austin that the law OF
1887 had been amsnded and that he was
only entitled to fee not to exceed 10 cents
head for each farmer, &c, that he
should enumerate. This was the first
intimation that this body of men had that
there had been a legislature in session
since 1887, or that they had passed aay
laws for .heir.guidance.
Each of the commissioners court went
on the witness stand and Swore that they
were entirely ignorant of the laws passed
by the legislature of 1889. That no copy
Of such laws was in their possession,
that they had voted the $500 believ-
ing they had right to do
so, aud that the same amount
had been paid TO Mr. Poor; in IA Il, they
just took DR.. Lindner's word for ii. they
did not even take the trouble to look at
the records of their own court to see
what was done the year before. Two Of
the commissioners, Umscheid and Boer-
ner, have been commissioners for hve
years, and they swore that they voted
the &, 800 under the impression that it
was the amount they had allowed Poor.
The county clerk testified that in 1888
Poor had been allowed $3.50, but after
the law had been amended in 1899, that in
1890 he was allowed S2C0,-or 800 by the
county, and 500 by the state; in 1891 he
had been allowed $3.50 SIP by the coun
W. The records were accessible TO the
assessor and the county court at all
times.
What a humilating disclosures; show
ing the utter Incompetence, and reckless
character of the commissioners court in
disbursing the peoples money.
These men, who have power, as, as
serted by the district attorney equalling
the despotic rule of the Car of Russia,
levying taxes, fixing property valuations,
crea ting debt, etc. actually pleading
ignorance as justification for an offence
against plain, unequivocal law OF the
state.
The county Judge and his associates
have secured verdict of mot guilty" Of
a crime. at the expense of their character
and reputation as officials. They should
tender their designations at once.
The official organ of the county prints
a long editorial maligning the two late
grand juries for finding indict-
ments against public officials, charg
ing that these indictments ema-
mated from political reasons, and
spite; that the late grand jury's action
was prompted by member of the grand
Jury who seeks to be Mr.. Huth's success
Sor." Such charge coming from the
official organ of the county deserves at
tention. There were twelve prominent,
worthy men on that grand jury, who was
it? was it Poor or Ramsey or Frost?
SuCu CudTRe IL ds seIlouS III Tvs Siimi
nal CHI aracter as the indictment Of the
grand jury. The people will be the jury
10 try this charge.
This same official organ says: THE
Grand jury by this action has made itself
the laughing stock of the community.
Now the people do not see anything very
funny about this thing; they really feel
very serious about it; the fact that they
have county administration that goes
on the witness stand and testify TO their
ignorance and incompetence to avoid con-
viction for misapproDriating public