The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1896-03-14
CORRECT THE EVILS.

county 0nAlfo, we 90 not wish TO u
understood ~ taking up the fight OF
criticieing the acts Of any officer in Z
personal manner. What We may have
to cay will be said for the public good
and in the interest OF the tax payers re
gardless Of who 10, or 10 not, to blame
for the financial condition OF Kootenai
county.
AZ We have before stated. the present
commissioners ordered $40, 600 less war
rants drawn in 1895 than the amounts
Of previous years. This saving is due to
the practice Of economical methods BY
the board and the falling of OF busiaese
in general, less litigation in the courts,
and the hard times have also contributed
to that end. We believe the commits
siOners have acted in good faith and for
what they believed to be the best inter-
ssts OF the county, yet they have made
mistakes. We believe they made mis-
take when they hired q county phi ysicisn
At stated yearly salary, although they
followed . precedent, and Mr.. Ander-
sons position on this point seems to b
the true one. The law does not author
Ire the appointment OF . county
physician any more than it does that Of
county attorney. They have an I'M
doubted right to employ either when
necessary; but the necessity must exist.
In his charges that officers who are
serving the county on . regular salary,
have drawn extra pay in certain cases-
against which he protests-his position
will be upheld BY tho public. A busi-
ness man would not hire . clerk to cell
dry goods at a stated salary and pay him
extra wages for doing work in another
department of the store, and We sss no
reason Why ordinary business methods
should not b spplisd to county Affairs
in this case.
Mr.. Anderson's statement that DR..
Wsnz has been making . clean profit of
e per head, weekly, on the keeping Of
county poor seems to BE- justified by tn e
statement of E. 3. Andrus and 10 not
deneisd in a subsequent affidavit BY the
same person. We quote from the first
statements - follows:
That at the time the contract VA.
made with the county Commissioner
for keeping the poor, br. Wepz agreed
with me to pay me IS per week II
would keep the poor, and / agreed with
him for that price, and dealt with him
entirely, and be contracted with the
county. don't know what he got from
the county. He paid me IS per week.
and when the county warrants ver.
drawn, DR.. Wenz took them and don't
know what the amounts were. / never
received . county warrant for $50 dur
ing the month Of April, 1895. I never
received warrant during the month OF
August, 1895, for $253. l never received
. warrant for October, 1895, for s2l3. |
never received . county warrant for
January, 1896, for $3.50. Inever received
. warrant for January, 1896, for the sum
oil $o9. II these warrants were drawn
In my name l knew nothing OF it, Ii
was further agreed that l shoald get 81
per day for nursing if they required it.
And 1t was all the same price if il was
one or dozen. There was a mart of
the time l did not get anything for nurs-
Ing because they we're able TO take care
OF themselves, and during the last is
months have not received rs much As
20 for washing all told, and my wife did
AZ the washing during that time that
the paupers had DONE" (signsd.)
+. 3. ANDRUs.
The statement was made under oath
and few days later followed BY an
attempt to undo what be had said in the
above. A comparison OF the two places
the keeper of the county poor in a very
nnenyiable position and will 20 far
towards sustaining Mr.. Anderson's posi-.
tion. We quote from the last affidavit,
- follows and our readers can draw
their own conclusions:
"On March 2, 1896, At the instigatiop
OF >. Z. H'rren, signed an affidavit In
which facts and figures are set forth
which are incorrect and misleading and
which affidavit was gotten up in order
70 iblure Dr. NeRZ. In order to set Ir
Wenz and myself right before the pub
lie, l now depose and say: That al.
ways did myself contract with the board
OF county commissioners for boarding
and lodging OF the county poor and sick
and l signed the contract to thar effect
AS mad not the means nor credit u
carry on the county poorhouse properly.
Or. Wenz advanced me So per week for
each one OF the inmates, and at the end
of every quarter took my book to him
and We settled up. sold the warrants
for board and lodging to him, usually at
a discount, az there was no money in
the county treasury to pay them, and
gave him an order on the county auditor
for then. have received further ali
warrants drawn in DR.. WeDz's name
Tor nursing and washing of and for the
county sick, but my bills were cut down
by the board Of county commissioner.
which l don't consider was right. and
there il still money due me for nursing
and washing. but l do exonerate DR..
Wenz from all blame on that account.
and do emphatically confirm that do
not believe he is guilty of any dishonor.
able transactions a. far a. his dealing.
with me are concerned. Concerning
the manner in which the county charges
were kept by me, do say, that / al.
ways did my full duty towards them. no
matter what Thos. E. Anderson or apy
grand Jury mas said about them or me. %
(Signsd Z. b. ASpKUs.
There seems to be something wrong
somewhere, and we believe the commits.
sionsrs will take steps to ret matters
right 20 far A. 1t lies within their power
But there are = large number of people
Who believe that there are greater leaks
than those in connection with the county
poor house. They know that il 10 cost.