The herald., 1896-06-07
president of the city council, has already
left for the east

That County Clerk Newln has ig-
nored the Democratic party in his ap-
pointment of deputies to attend to the
registration of voters is undoubtedly
true, and that he is merely tool in the
hands of Hervey Lindley, the Republi
san boss of Southern California is more
than patent. Otherwise the sound busi-
ness rule of putting men to work who
know how to work would have been OBJ
served. A grocer does not engage the
services of a youth who does not recog-
nize a difference in the taste of salt and
sugar, and hands out the one instead of
the other to his employers customers;
neither does a bank engage as an ac-
countant person who is not on speaking
terms with the rules of arithmetic.
Mr.. Newlin's selections for registration
clerks show that business principles
have nothing whatever to do with the
appointments. Nothing but pull and
usefulness at caucuses, primaries and
elections goes. Men who gravitate from
one office in the court house to another
and from one office in the city hall to
another, when press of business demands
the appointment of temporary deputies,
are those who have now again pressed
their claims and been successful. These
politicians are in succession deputy as
SCISSORS, tax collectors, auditors, registra-
ton clerks, and as a rule are as emil
nently untitled for the first position as
for the last. The faces of these individ-
uals are quite familiar to people who
frequent the court house, and the ap-
pearance of an appointee who has not
grown grey and stoop shouldered chas-
ing an easy job" that will last two or
three months is apt to give one a shock.
What these hunters after public pap do
when the snaps" give out no fellow
has ever been able to find out, but they
get no clerical work from business peo-
Pile; that is certain enough, because they
noI11d NJ nf fill tho hill co "a otn
County Clerk Newlin had nearly one
hundred and ninety applications for dep
utyshipS as registration clerks. 1t is to
be supposed that all of the applicants
We're not chronic office seekers. which
ought to be a disqualification at all times
in an office run on sound business prin-
cipleS and not to dish out rewards to
the faithful. 1t is also to be apprehended
that among those 100 needy persons look
ing for "jab of wOrruk" some had suf-
fcient intimate acquaintance with spell
ing and a pen to do satisfactory labor
May be this is a mistake; perchance it
is not but it looks very much, from the
appointments made, that a disregard
for the way of spelling is a necessary
adjunct for appointment.
Something which has never been done
before has been inaugurated by the
present county clerk. 1t was necessary
I or the work of some of the registration
deputies would have become the laugh
ing stock of all who got on to it's deficien
cies. That was the appointment of an
editing" clerk. a man of knowledge,
whose duty it is to revise every one of
the registration affidavits to see that his
fellow clerks do not fall into a violent
passion with the we'll accepted manner
, of writing household words. When a
registrar writes State of Name, instead
( of Maine. and another speaks of Mis-
| souri, as Masonry and third spells the
name of a voter one way notwithstand-
| ing that the voter himself signs it diff
+! ferently at the bottom of his affidavit, it
will be seen how great the need is of at
| least one man who is not altogether ap-
pointed merely because he is a success
! in his ward when it comes to corral votes.
| 1t may be said without fear of contra
! diction that an ability to do the work
! of registration quickly. neatly and ac-
| curately has been deliberately consid-
| cred as reason for being turned down.
On the other hand, a good pull consid-
J cred strictly from a politicians stand
point. has been the open sesame. But
remember that the county pays just the
same, while the band plays on.