Los Angeles herald., 1892-01-13
THAT STOLEN REPORT.

for the grand jury on the accounts of the
Whittier reform school, and which was
atnlen from the files. was duplicated
yesterday, and in another column will
be found synopsis OF its features. 1t
makes interesting reading for taxpay-
ers.
That the name of ]. M. Damron fig
ures in the accounts OF the school is not
to be wondered at. The honorable Jim
was member-a Republican member
of the legislature which created the
school, and the fat fees he received he
undoubtedly earned. No one will ques-
tion that statement, though an answer
to the interrogatory, How did he earn
them might cause even his cheek to
mantle with blush.
One of the most delicate pieces of
work done by the Hon. Jim is the charge
In his expense account of trip he took
to the east in the interest of the reform
school, of personal toilet, $780," The
plain, everyday citizen will perhaps
wonder at this. Indeed it gives occa-
sion for wonder. A fifty-dollar "per-
sonal toilet" is not an ordinary article,
and it is not known that the Hon. Jim
was ever accused of possessing such
thing, but as he got paid for it, he must
have had it; the evening contemporary
who recently interviewed the ex-states-
man on his political views ought to send
special commissioner to him to ascer-
tain what personal toilet is, how
often it is taken, how it costs $780, and
whether he uses them since he severed
his connection with the reform school.
Another interesting assertion is the
statement that when DIR. Lindley was
appointed superintendent, at salary OF
$500 per month, there was special pro-
vision in the resolution which was
adopted, that that sum should be his
only pay, yet he is credited with collect
ing large expense accounts for trips from
Whittier to Los Angeles and back.
Another interesting item is found in
one Of Hervey Lindley's expense ac-
counts, in which the entries are made
of Incidental expenses, $685." and i'm
medistely following miscellaneous ex-
penses not enumerated above, $780,"
The little fault OF letting the contracts
for the building OF barns, corrals, poul-
try houses, ETC., without the formality
of advertising for bids, does not cut
much figure. for when the building of
the girls college came up, the law was
complied with, bids were asked for, but
the report states that bid $34S5 higher
than the lowest one was accepted.
Our old friends in the Los Angeles
Furniture company bob up again. They
put in bid to furnish desks at a total
of s787 80, while another firm offered to
supply the same articles for $495 90, yet
the offer of the company of which the
governor of the state is president was
accepted That is very eloquent fact,
and needs no comment.
The extensive purchase OF punch
bowie, whisky glasses, liquor tumblers,
champagne tumblers, corkscrews, punch
glasses aud kindred articles, may not
seem exactly appropriate to q reform
school, but one indicative of iovial
disposition on the part OF those they
were purchased for. The report, how
ever, fails to atate what use these arti-
Giles were to be put to-; perhaps they
were to be utilized as object lessons for
the juvenile offenders.
Altogether the report is so full of
point that it can easily be understood
why it was stolen. It seems to entirely
sustain the minority report which Judge
Smith yesterday knocked out, and it
corroborates the verdict Of the people at
large, which was entered some months
ago when the HERALD began its cam
paign against the present political venal-
ity in high official places.