The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-08-31
rs THERE A COURTHOUSE RING :

A Third Letter From MT. Ames Regard
Ing the Asdltsr's aad CesnrnSssioners
Ornces.
TIE scandals connected with the build
ing OF the a.mshouse are still fresa IN the
minds Of the people The commissioners
saw Ct 10 order an investigaiion. ano 70
that end appointed COMMITTEES consisting
Of ]. C. Red ward, D. NJ Hughes. }. ;.
Mcclellan and C. +. Retire 70 "investi-
gate" each ~ . salary Of 40 per oay.
Trey also appointed J. Z. boyden for
sorae service which is not specined Ia tne
record. and William Box. TO assist the
commissioners in investigating the charges
against the county commissioners" each
ct . salary OF S. Ter day. Mnatever
charges were moo;ed were made against
the county commissioners As men. ana
not against them as agents OF the county.
In other words, il Was the Judgment and
integrity Of Mr.. Fred Gasch, Mr.. john
Wooding and Mr.. A l. Rutneriord tna.
acre Questioned, and II anybody necoed
any vlndication or withdrawing II was
these gentlemen; the people OF me county
required neither the one nor the otner-
Yet, after the Investigation" and these
immaculate gentlemen were indicated,
the people we're eooliy required 10 foot the
bills, which are a. follows:
General Fuaa No. eo,7gl. sKfr 1853
70 J. c. Redward-
-Four days eornmittss duty at almshOuse..sso 90
General Fund No. e0,ssA sErr.. iSs&
Eleven days serysee On slmshouse invesn-
ton ct ~
Total .......-...--.......-. ~
sss %
The $40 vas paid by Purchasing Agent Cheek
No lila
General Fund No, Isl. sEPr, lSsS
Three DAYS conmit.es duty a, slmshOuse. $50 90
General Fund No. hes. sEFT, 1888
Four days' committee duty at almshouss. $40 90
General Fund No. 207S3. sErI. 1888
Three days COMMITTEES duty at slmshouse. $50 90
General Fund No. 2l,266. OCT. ISIS
For assisting the county commissioners in In
vestigating the charges against the county COM
miSSiolers IN the aimshouse matter.
For examining the slmshouse and comparing
the plans and Specifications in commissioners
once with the building:
Railroad fare. ........-...........s 20
seven days expenses, at 81 o.............. II 50
Seven days salary, al s6..............----. 4 W
Total ......................-.... 70
General Fund No. y, sSl
To G.. ii. The
Detective service in october, 1898 ......s i91 IS
Extended comment on these various
bills is not necessary. They show upon
their face that the people engaged upon
this work were not in il for their health.
The sums paid are such as 4 grateful GRIM
inal would pay for a valuable service,
especially If the payment could be made
with somebody else's money-'Ten dollars
day for committee dutyi" six dollars q
day for some unmentioned servicel Six
dollars day salary, and $3.50 day for
-r.f 81. -
sioners; and finally, sl92. 10 for detective
servicel"
II is currently stated that the detect
i've" service was in consequence OF a GER
tain publication that appeared in the
Oregoniaa, and which was TO the effect
that there was something wrong in con-
nection with the King county almshouse,
and so anxious were those honorable gen.
tlemen to discover the author of that pub
LEGATION that they placed a detective upon
his track and squandered $192 Of the peo-
pics money in the search.
That the allowance of these claims to
be paid out of the county treasury was
perversion of the public funds to their
private uses, and that IL was impossible
Tor the county to derive any benefit what
ever from any of these expenditures Is,
think. perfectly plain.
Ii they may pay out the public money
for n personal ''vindicatIon," what may
they not pay IL out FORT Ii the county
commissioners are entitled to have the
county pay tor their vindication, then any
other person accused of maladministra-
ton OF q public trust would be entitled 10
the same thing. Yet when Judge Sachs,
of Jefferson county. was sought TO be
impeached the state did not reimb1rse
him for the expenses of his "vindication."
The commissioners of King county did
not attempt to furnish counsel or assistance
, to George ID. Hill when he was accused of
cmbezEling the county funds. No one
thought that the city of Seattle should
contribute to the defense of Adoiph Krug
when charged with the Encouragement of
the city funds. But in each OF the in
stances cited whatever expenditures were
incurred by the state, county or city, was
in the prosecution of the supposed culprit,
and in the attempt to discover the evil
dences of his guilt How any man with
any sense of honor or decency could have
consented to have fastened the expense of
an honest investigation upon the people OF
the county. Is, | think, past the under
standing of the ordinary CITIZEN; but If
the so-called investigation was for the
purpose of q whitewash and to cover up q
series of malodorous transactions. it
would be consistent with the character OF
men capable of such conduct to fasten the
expenses incident to such "whitewash"
upon other shoulders than their own.
4. F. AMEs.
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