The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1893-01-18
PAW PAW, MICH, JAN. 10, 1892.
The Probate Clerks Salary.

1t is provided by paragraph 5237 OF
Howells statutes as follows:
Each Judge of Probate may appoint
clerk to be denominated Probate
Clerk, and may revoke snch appoint
ment at his pleasure Y. The
Board of Supervisors may provide for
the compensation of such clerk, but un-
less they do the salary of said clerk
shall be paid by the Judge of Probate
and no additional costs or expenses
shall be made either to the counties or
estates of deceased persons in conse
quence of the appointment of such
clerk"
Under the sanction of this law, fol-
lowing the precedent of his predeces-
sors, Judge Heckert appointed a pro.
bate clerk and at the October session of
the Board of Supervisors that body
voted to allow the sum of three hun
dred dollars per year towards the COM
pensation of that official.
A few days before election the Dem
ocrat organ, for political purposes, at
tackled this action of the Board and
charged Judge Heckert with being a
salary grabber."
AS might have been expected, at the
adjourned session of the Board of SUI
pervisors held last week, the Democrat
members, for party purposes brought
the matter up and succeeded by close
vote in procuring a rescission of the
resolution under which the compensa-
ton had been allowed.
We have no hesitancy in pronounc-
ing this proceeding as unnecessary, un-
just and uncalled for and in stating to
the Republican members of the Board
who joined hands with the Democrats
in this small business that they were
guilty, not only of piece of bad polit-
ical policy but of poor judgment also
We have heard good many men, Re-
publicans and Democrats, condemn the
act as an outrage.
Any person who will take the time to
inform himself in the matter by WIS.,
iting the probate office and examining
the amount of recording and clerical
work which must be done, the large
correspondence which must be kept up,
the frequent and important counsel
which the Judge is called upon to give
gratuitously, and the real labor and re-
sponsibility which devolves upon him,
and the sort of ability that is called for
in competent Probate Judge will, if
not blinded by partisanship or seeking
to "even up" some personal grudge, or
deficient in appreciation of the situa-
ton, or so stingy and parsimonious as
as to be Incapable of being just, admit
that the small sum which the Board
foted for the Probate Clerk was richly
observed, will be fully earned, and
ought to be paid
1t was argued that men could be
found to accept of the Office for the sal
airy which the Probate Judge is allowed
without any addition thereto towards
the salary of clerk, and undoubtedly
such men could be found, and they are
of the class who are found agreeing be-
fore election to take less sum for their
services, if elected, than the salary al
lowed by law, a thing which they know
beforehand the law would not permit
Such men could not and would not per-
form the duties of the position, but on
the contrary could be relied upon to so
conduct the affairs of the Office as to
render their services dear at any price
Judge Heckert is, all things consid-
cred, the best Probate Judge the county
ever had, and the sort of treatment he
has received is poor reward for the
faithful record he has made.
If the Board of Supervisors would ex-
pedite their sessions and perform their
duties, as they well might, in half the
time they take, (the greater part of
which is spent in hanging around and
doing nothing,) they would serve the
public vastly better than by economic
ing unfairly in matters of this char
acter.