The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1895-02-07
LOCAL HOLD up
The County Pays Judge Huff
ford's Junketing Expenses.
Taxpayers Justly In
censed.

COrvalllS, Or., NOV. ON. IoS4.
Benton county to w. 8. Huftord, Dr.:
Oct. "a, 25, z6. 27, to expenses to Port
land to attend county judges convention,
including fare, board and lodging, $l4.
Allowed Nov. 7, 1894, $l4.
F. j. CHAMBERS,
No. 9,l71. County Commissioner.
The above is taken from true copy
of a bill presented by Judge Hufford to the
county court and allowed at the November
term The editorial in last weeks GAZETTE
has called forth storm of inquiries in re-
gard to this matter and as to the present
management of our county affairs.
There seems to be no excuse whatever for
the "holding up" of the county as was done
in the payment Of this bill. Judge Huford's 8
attendance upon the convention of county
Judges was matter of his own volition.
The said convention was a self-constituted
one, from which the counties could gain no
possible good. It is true they recommended
the cutting down of salaries or fees of other
county officials, but whatever legislation
was needed for the county could have been
impressed upon the legislators at home.
There is no legal authority for the payment
of junketing expenses of county judges.
The office Of the county judge is in the
court house and he receives fixed salary.
Taxpayers are saying that it is NO wonder
the county has made such little progress in
the reduction of its Indebtedness if such
"hold-up" bills as this are regularly al
lowed. Four years ago last July the county
after building the courthouse and defraying
the expenses of $75, 600 food. was about
$44, 600 in debt Since that time there has
been practically no change in the tax levy,
yet the county's indebtedness, according to
the exhibit of last July was nearly SAG, 900.
There were no improvements made during
Judge Hufford's administration to account
for any great expenditure. 1t il true, ths
| taxes for last year are greatly delinquent.
but still il is a mystery that the county
debt, instead of being greatly decreased,
has actually grown. 1t shows either igno'
rance, carelessness or fraud In the manage
ment.
Judge Hufford went into Office in 1890 on
salary of 500 per annum. This ought te
have been fortune to lean and hungry
lawyer coming from the wilds of the va
quina, where he had for years subsisted on
clans and salt air, but he still had q cramI
in his hand, and he had hardly warmed his
| judicial bench before he met with other
county judges for the purpose of agitating
| the raising of their salaries. By the usua
political wire pulling the legislature was
prevailed upon to give them what they
asked. The salary for this county was
raised to 5000. The ordinary man would
consider this ample remuneration for the
little time and work the judge must devote
to bis duties. But Judge Hufford was still
unsatisfed. There was no prospect for a
further increase of salary. The next best
| thing was to do less work. So when the
county division scheme came up Judge
Hufford furthered it to the best Of his
ability. He himself wrote the bill that di
vided the county over which he presided.
This bill fixed the salary of the new judge
of Lincoln county. There was no provision,
however, for the reduction of the salary OF
Benton's county judge, although by the
division he was relieved of about one-half OF
his work. Taxpayers of Benton and Lin
coin now pay $1,000 for the same services
which Judges Burnett, McFadden, Bryson
and Holgate ably performed for $500. This
Yaquina type of lawyers may be of very
select variety, but is rather too high priced
for the pocket books of common taxpay-
ers.