The herald., 1895-11-19
TINE By V FO2H0SK
The City Col Gil Proceeds
to Ike It
POLICY OF RE1RE'HAEA1 BEGINS
Municipal Extravaance to Be
Curbed in hture
WASTING THE PE0N.E'S COIN
The Magnitude of the Pr sent Grand
Jury's Work
Tracing Shortages and Discovering Leaks
No Easy Task
The Property Room of the Crimini Courts
to Be Thoroughly Looked Int to
Ascertain What Became
the Unclaimed Exhibits
Tracing Shortages and DiScovesg Leaks
No Easy Task

the Unclaimed Exhibits
Already the work of the Herald ID ex-
posing the extravaganza prevailing In the
management of the affairs of the c,anty
government has borae fruit. In the city
government state of affairs equally as
bad. II not worse, has and does vet ex-
LIST. There are numerous unnecessary
deputies who crowd the city hall and
draw fat salaries for doing nothing.
Many CITY contracts are ift al exhorbit.
antly hi n igures. rheA money of the
city taxpayers is dispenseh xitA equally
as lavish haad as the Eetsnue that an
nuaiiy hcEs mtg tbs COMFY treasury.
~ Yesterday tue city council COM
i.asnced. in small way, the work OF re-
trenchment. A bowl went up, however,
as soon as the salaries Of two mem bers of
, the police department had been reduced
to very fair compensation, thai was
heard around the council ohamebr all the
Afternoon. One jauitor's position was
wined out of existence and here the work
of retrench m .nt for the time ceased.
The grand jury has not yet reached the
city hall in its investigation as to the
disbursement of public funds. but when
it does gat there it will find that there Is
ample opportunity for the exercise in a
judicious way of the pruning knife to
trim not only positions, but also salaries,
for 1t is fact that the Los Angeles city
government is a very costly affair from
start to finish. The city hall is filled up
with wire pulers of the Repu blican
faith who were potential in tn, last Re-
publican city convention, and who later
did telling work at the polls.
Just as an indication OF the high pres
81 re basis at which things are running
observe this.
COMPARATIVE SALARIES.
West Virginia is good little state with
800, 900 Jsop and an assessed valuation
of $17O, 0Oo, 900. Los Angeles city has s5,-
QUO population and an assessed valuation
of SAL, 200, 900. OF corrse the defense will
be made that the salaries of the officials
of this city are fixed by charter. They
are. This does not, however, explain
away the fact that the salaries paid are
large and luscious. To illustrate it glance
over this com parative statement:
WEST VIRGINIA. Los ANGELES CITY.
governor s 2 2ooo Msyor. c,s Ss0o
Auditor ...... 2 1OOAuditor.. 5000
T easurer -. I.400 Treasurer 2,40o
AdJt General. 800 thief of Police 5000
supt Instrt'n. 1,5opl Sup't Schools. 5000
elk Sup court. 1000 Police Crit elk. ], 500
Chief Justice. 900 Polio Judge 2,ODO
Atty General. 1,UuO city Alto ney. 5000
Total. ........s1455 Total. 1923 900
These are only few of the offices of
the city govern The comparison IS
made as 10 the salaries paid stat- officials
. l. I 49,
the corresponding office in the city gov
eminent. Now West Virginia has some
pretty good men filing executive posi-
lions Governor W liam A. McCurkle
il to be compared to Mayor Frank Racer,
and really he is not distanced as regards
men -ality or general worth. revision
OF the salaries the city charter fixes is
the II lief that is demanded. Heavy sal.
aries are not necessarily an indication of
heavy ability: for Street Superintendent
Howard gets the same salary that the
gov. rnor of Georgia does.
But later some points of extravaganza of
TIE city government that are not author
lied by the charter will be pointed out
actual waste OF the taxpayers money
that. if not wilful, amounts to almost
Grim inaI ignorance on the part of tn, Sc
who should be the watch dogs of the city
treasury.
GRAND JURY'S TASK.
The task which the grand jury has be-
fore it is a gigantic one. To expert the
books of every county officer; to discover
the defalcatons, the shortages and the
thefts; to investigate the claims that
have been allowed and raid; to discover
the leaks: to try to ind out whether thu
army of deputies employed Care actually
required snt needed. and To ascertain If
they render a service that CORES ponds
with the salary the board OF surervi ors
is paving them, is no light Job. 1t re-
quires the mastery Of Iabvrinth OF de-
tails that are mystifying in their maen-
tude. Then there are many, many other
matters which the grand jury is com
pelled to investigate.
HARD TO TRACE
Shortages are found and the question
Is to find how they came about and who
received the benefit OF the stolen money.
Take, tor instance, the shortage of ex-
Chief Deputy County Cler3 Frank Fan
ming. 1t Is now freely charged by those
no in his lifetime cla ned to be his
friends that he tloi $500 or therca bouts.
OF course it is easy enough to charge de-
relicnon to dead man. 1t is conven-
tent thing for the living to d, who
mi ht otherwise be them selves suspected.
But there is some question as to whether
or no CDlel deputy RAINING ulu take all
of this money, il he took any OF it, lie
was only n the position VIII re he handled
the mo9ev t,r short time bef re he
went north and died. Now if Tanning
took that $500 in tn 1t short time there
is no excuse ttr mis- chief not being oil
most Immediately aware OF the fact. Yet
for some III Dnths after Mr. flaming left
Los Angeles the board of supervisors, out
of sympathy fo- him, continued his SAL
airy.
The claim is made that Fanning's
shortu2e has been made Goo1. No record
of that fact is in the possession of the
comfy auditor or the county treasurer.
Mr.. Ward 81 ANS. though tat he made
the deficiency good by raising the mon V
indlvdu lily among AIS friends and pay.
ing it back Def re II could be ported.
COUNTY PROPERTY.
There is is year another investigation
that this grand jury Will max, that will
consume time. In the record room If the
criminal depar: ment all exhibits are
kept tina. are introduced in evidence at