Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1893-12-02
THE WORK OF THE GRAND JURY

| The grand jury which was in session
in this city and county from Thursday,
Nov. 10th, to Saturday, Nov. 25th in
elusive, made more thorough invssti-
CATION and more exhaustive report OF
the affairs of the county government,
than has been recorded in many years.
The several county officers are compli-
mented upon the condition Of their re-
spective Offices and of the records Of the
same. The attention Of the board OF
commissioners is called to the danger
from fire TO which the records Of the
county are now exposed, and the board
is urged to provide some secure place OF
deposit for the valuable books and
papers, which in their present condition
are liable to destruction by fire. The
jury calls attention to certain business
transactions of the past year, and while
not alleging that any one has been
guilty Of dishonesty, II does question
the legality of certain expenditures Of
county money. The portion OF the re-
port just referred to will undoubtedly be
looked at from different stsndpoints and
a diversity ofopinions be expressed. But
have been revealed 10 that body in the
course of its investigations. Acting on
| it's knowledge of the law of the state,
the jury questions the right of the coun-
~ commissioners and assessor TO the
amount of salary allowed them during
the year ending Oct. 3lst, 1898, also the
legality of allowing commissions on the
sale OF bonds, or in other words the sale
of the bonds in question for less than
par. That doubt as 10 the legality of
these proceedings has long existed in
the minds of some of the tax payers of
the codnty. is we'll known, and the grand
jury, while not settling this doubt, has
made possible its settlement sometime
in the near future. In so doing it has
rendered all concerned a valuable SER
vice.
The jury fnds further that during the
twelve months ending with October,
1893, the county expenditures have ex-
ceeded its revenues to the amount of
Sl8,964.88. The financial panic Of the
past summer and fall, and the conse-
quent extraordinary condition Of the
money market, are In great measure
responsible for the slow collection of
taxes and the deficiency of the revenues
which flow from that source. We do
not believe that it can be charged that
the county money has been stolen or
wasted during the period under consid-
Grafton, but il is fact that this startling
deficiency does exist; that at the be-
ginning of this winter the people find
themselves unusually hard up, and that
the prospect for material increase of
the cash resources ofthe county is very
poor. Under these conditions, with
which We are now brought face TO face,
IL becomes the duty of every office hold.
er of Custer county to make an earnest
and honest effort 10 curtail the expenses
Of the county, and TO thus afford their
tax paying constituency all possible re-
lief
The report of the grand jury gives
every person who cares to read and con-
slider it fair insight into the affairs Of
Custer county, and it will be of interest
and value to every man who pays his
taxes, and who expects to continue to
do so. Two good results of the investi
CATION and report may be reasonably
expected, viz: lst. the settlement for
all time of the question as to what salary
the county officials are entitled to.
End. the adoption OF a policy of rigid
economy in the administration Of all
county affairs.