The record-union., 1893-03-10
An Act to Establish q ''Uniform'' Sys-
tenn of County and Township Coy
ernmentS.

An Act to Establish ''Uniform'' Sys-
tenn of County and Township Coy
ernmentS.
EDS. RECORD UNION: | read your
structures on the county government bill
| this morning with pleasure. But they
were not comprehensive enough. Sacra-
mento County does not suffer more than
other counties proportionately. Why not
condemn the whole measure, as it de-
serves? 1t was conceived i'll iniquity, and
is likely to become the law through ig-
norance and dishonesty. There are prob
ably not dozen members OF the Legis-
lature who have read the bill through
from beginning to end. In its latest
amended form it covers l9S pages, and it
is not pleasant reading. Members have
gone over the class to which their re-
! spective counties belong, and with the
advice and assistance Of the office holders
and aspirants have fixed" the emolu-
ments on a satisfactory basis to all con-
cerned, except the taxpayers.
There has been no sGch wise, careful
and conscientious labor devoted to the
| consideration of the measure as its i'm
| portance imperatively demands. The
title of the bill is a misnomer. What does
uniform" mean? consistent with it.
self at all times is one definition, and a
good one. Let us apply this Specification
| to the use of the word in the title of the
county government bill. But we can't
! There is nothing in the body of the bill
! which will warrant such an application.
1t would be crime against the English
! language TO distort anything contained in
| that volumlnouS Act 10 fit its title. 1t
/ should be amended to read: IAN Act to
perpetuate the inconsistencies. vagaries,
inequalities and injustices at present ex-
isting in county governments, and to add
/ ttarc 81
| A legislator explained the County
! Government Act by saying that it was
not an abstraction; that it involved so
many people and so many interests that
| it was necessarily measure Of give and
| take" That struck me as being good
logic, if properly applied. Give to the
| boodlers, take from the people. That is
the history of the whole cumbersome
structure.
But why, shouldn't it be an
abstraction" Why shouldn't a
committee of the Legislature, in
considering a measure OF such
paramount importance to the people of
the whole State, be guided by principles
! OF abstract right and justice instead of
| being controlled in their deliberations by
the county bosses and boodlers from
| Siskyou to San Diego?
1t would be an abstraction" to incor-
porate in the bill a provision that all
county officers should charge 10 cents per
mile for distances actually travelled in
the performance of their official duties
1t would also be common sense and
common honesty. Why should different
officers In the same county charge differ
ent rates of mileage? Why should the
mileage in one county be different from
the mileage in another county? Why
shouldn'tthe mileage, at least, be ''uni-
form" throughout the State?
Another 'aEStFactiOnO NyOnl6 ba tn
! abolish the system of retaining fees alto
gether. Why should the officers retain
fees IN one county and not in another
| Why should part of the officers in one
county retain fees and another part in
| the same county not retain them?
Another abstraction" would be to
charge the same fee for the same service.
| Why should the Surveyor in one county
be authorized by law to charge $50 for
making a plat and the Surveyor in the
! adjoining county be authorized by law to
charge Sl00 for performing the same
service? This is the kind OF uniform
| ity' that prevails throughout the whole
/ bill. 1t is emiuently consistent with
itself' in its Inconsistencies.
| l might go on and ask hundred pertI-
| nent questions-Why the Sheriff of one
county should receive $4,000 year and
perquisites and the Sheriff of another
county, with perhaps larger population,
! S1,COV q" SSdl NllHOuG tue peTq u1SlIeS-
and so on with reference to other Offices
But it is waste of labor TO particularize,
when the whole measure is so rotten with
| inconsistency and dishonesty to the most
superficial comprehension.
What is going to be done about it !?
! That is hard rub at this late day, but it
is a question that must be answered by
| the Legislature. If the Act becomes a
| law in anything like its present form its
/ sponsors must be Judged by its iniquities
not by their ignorance. a. j. BROOKS.
! CAR VS. WAGON