The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-10-02
CRIMINAL CARELESSuESS.

to cover himself with. 1t does not APP
pear that an earnest serious method
has been employed by them to meet
out justice.
Dishonesty is criminal, but in the
conducting of public affairs careless
ness may be criminal. Extravaganza
is criminal also. If this present county
court is guilty of criminal carelessness.
1t too ought to be investigated by the
grand jury.
This paper does not pretend to pre-
sent one tenth part of the entire mat
ter in this issue. There are acts galore
which demand explanation and which
can only be brought to the light by
the grand jury calling the clerk of the
court and its officers before it and
probing them hard. There should be
no naif way business in this matter
either Every question should be keen
and incisive. The utmost vigilance
Should be exercised, as there are a
thousand and one little ways to evade
telling the truth, the real and the
whole truth. This assertion is made.
not with any view of rejecting upon
the character Of the clerk who is a
careful official.
Beginning with the first Of the year,
selectmen Geddes, Roberts and Chris
topherson have expended thousands of
dollars contrary to the letter and
spirit of the law. Money has been
lavished in such a way that nothing
remains to show that the expenses
were needed; that the accounts were
either proper or legitimate.
As stated. by careful conscientious
search of the records of the county,
Including the files and claims. which
IN hundreds of instances have been
fixed since they were paid. The Herald
this morning is enabled to present an
array Of evidence which merits the
careful consideration of those whose
duty it is to see that public funds are
administered in a proper manner In
this connection it may be well to
state that when the county selectmen
asked for bonds, they told the people
they anticipated they would pay off
a good portion of the debt this year.
Instead of paying off The debt. unless
all signs fail, every dollar of the county
revenue viii be exhausted ere the first
Of the year 1896 dawns. The county
attorney, at the meeting on Monday,
sounded the alarm and the selectmen
were evidently surprised to learn that
they were SO close to the danger line.
But it is a fact nevertheless that of
the tax levy for this year, only $4,000
or $4,000 remains for them to squander
and, at the rate of $4,000 per month,
the average so far, the length of time
this will last can be easily figured.
No deduction can be made in rela-
ton to the actions of the present
county board, other than this; they
are either grossly and criminally care
less, or absolutely corrupt. 1t remains
for them to explain to those in power
their position after this array of evil
dence shall have been acted upon. In
some cases their actions seem to have
been Of studied character while in
others they betray an intense ignor-
ance Of the law which is plain upon all
matters relative to their actions. The
legislature threw around the peoples
money safe guards which xere in
tended to protect the taxpayers from
invasion. These have been over rid
den and ignored. Not only by accl-
dent. as it might appear, but when the
of the court was called to |