The San Francisco call., 1895-11-03
A COMMON SUSPICION.

1OPuid1 Sy hlOlolh ACSdlQiAS
integrity has been expressed with re-
freshing candor by the Grand Jury of
Solano County. That body has overhauled
the work of the Board of Supervisors, and
has found it in a great part rotten. It
discovered that half the revenues of the
county were devoted to road purposes,
that in applying these funds some of the
Supervisors violated the law and diverted
the funds to their own pockets and those
of their relatives. 1t then coolly declares:
80 place half the revenue of the county
in the hands of any five men to expend
when and where and through whom they
please, and then expect them to pass upon
the bills in the interest of the people, is
expecting too much, and yet they are
doing that very thing"
Why is it too much to expect of public
officers that they will honestly disburse
the public funds intrusted to their care !?
Why should it be expected that there
would be a greater likelihood OF dis
honesty if half the revenues of the county
are placed at their disposal for certain
purpose than if less proportion were so
placed? This is very interesting matter.
The Board OF Supervisors of a county is
not the only authority charged with the
honest disbursement of the funds. Before
any claim may be paid it has to be ap-
proved by the Auditor, and the law makes
him responsible on his bond for the faith
full and intelligent use of his authority.
After his approval the claim goes to the
Treasurer, who in turn is charged with a
similar responsibility on his bond. Both
must know that the money is honestly
expended.
In short, the law is all right; the whole
trouble lies with the officers elected to put
it in operation. If the money in Solano
County has been improperly applied the
bondsmen of the Board of Supervisors, of
the Auditor and of the Treasurer are
equally liable, and if the Grand Jury does
its full duty it will cause proceedings to be
Instituted to protect the county, recover
the wrongfully expended money and
punish those who have connived in its
improper expenditure. On this subject
the news from Solano is: 1.-THE Grand
Jury is determined to bring the Super
visors to terms, and unless the abuses
complained of are at least modified the
Supervisors may hear from them again."
If this is a full statement of the inten-
tions of the Grand Jury, which is COM
posed, we are assured, 'of stern-faced
farmers, many of them from remote parts
of the county and none with any sym
pathy with the political rings and combi-
nations that have placed the patronage in
the hands of a few" we begin to find the
source of all the trouble. The Grand
Jury is assumed to be responsible body
OF men who represent the decency and
patriotism of the county. If it fails in the
full discharge of its duties it proclaims the
prevalent indifference of the people and
explains the presence of political rings
and mbinations organized to plunder the
county. Shodld Grand Juries do their
wAole duty such rings in any county
would be impossible. But it would be
unreasonable to expect such action from
Grand Jury in any county whose voters
place the agents OF corrupt rings in Office.
We regret that Solano County happens
to be the one which furnishes the text for
these observations. 1t is an exceedingly
fertile county and could support in COM
fort very dense population. 1t IS no
worse in a political sense than some other
counties. We believe that the toleration
of political rings with corrupt purposes
does not express the moral sense of the
county at large, and that the present state
Of affairs is merely the result Of a negli-
gence which is amazingly prevalent.
But such negligence, wherever it exists, is
a reproach to the intelligence and honesty
of the whole community and sure bar
rier against immigration and development.