The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1898-11-04

- Colpth VI bAlQ OLuC0 WERE. 1IyUSsUU
In the year 1893 >. /. :. 1874. so
In the year 1894 ). 4 Z. 1347 80
Total receipt for said years. . s. s5lO1 80
This being an average receipt OF
$l70O.43 per year.
The receipts for 1895 were =. .$l042. .95
The receipts for 1896 were. ~. ll35. 10
The receipts for 1897 were :. 1128.10
Total receipts for said years.. .S3309, 10
These figures, which are official,
show that the work to be performed in
said office during the years first mem
| toned was much greater than during
the period last named, and that the re-
csipts of said office have averaged the
sum of S597.3s less per year than dur
ing the time first stated.
The Gazette also publishes q liAt OF
| the persons who made affidavits in 1893
to the effect, that in order to properly
transact the business of said office, ii
was necessary to have the assistance OF
aclerk, yet it suppresses the fact that
A. r. Groenke, the present candidate
for register Of deeds on the populist
ticket. made at the same time SINH
lar affidavit. WY omit his name
from the list published?
| Evidently the editor did not wish
the electors OF Dawson county to know
that fact, because it would be forced
to make an explanation, and state to
the people that Mr.. Groenke was mis-
taken when he made that affidavit, or
that since he became a candidate on
the populist ticket he had radically
changed from what be was in 1898,
The Gazette must admit that Mr..
Groenke was competent to Judge as to
the necessity OF clerk in said office
during the year 1893. and it cannot fol
a moment be supposed that Mr.. Groen.
ke will now claim that q clerk wai
unnecessary during the year 1893, n
4 his sworn statement is to the contrary
1t is true that he may claim: and tina,
justly, thAthe will not ask the county
to pay for clerk hire, yet will he OF
the Gazette state the only true reasor
therefor, viz: that under the law here
matter referred to, he could not re
quest the county to pay his clerk hire
for the reason that since 1893 the re-
ceipts of the Office have not been suffic
lent to pay the salary of the register O.
deeds, and there was no surplus in tht
special salary fund to pay clerk hire.
By sections 632 and 633 comp. laws
it is provided that the salary of regis
ter Of deeds shall be paid from specia
salary fund, made up from the receipt
of tie Office. By chapter 134, laws o
1890, the salary Of register Of deeds ii
fixed at not to exceed Sl50O00 per an
mum. By section 3 of said act the salary
cannot exceed the fees collected. By
section 5 Of said law the salary of depu
ty or clerk shall be paid from tn.
special salary fund, and that, th.
amount 30 paid shall not exceed tn,
fees collected. The special salary funt
SO created shall pay the salary of tn,
register of deeds, and his deputy o.
clerk. 1t therefore follows that if th,
| receipts of said Office since 1893 hav,
not exceeded the gum of Sl5OO00 pc
4 annum that the officer, if he kept
4 clerk, he must have paid the same ou
4 of his salary, as it would be unlawfu
for the county commissioners to ALLOW
Il fov o1orx h iro IN nsn~;d ofEo, sd nav $h
same out of the funds of the county
other than the special fund made u
from the receipts OF the office. If tn
work of the Office is such as to requir
{ the employment Of q clerk, and thi
seems to be true, for the present incun
bent has had a clerk during the time
has held the Office, then in justice t
the patrons OF the Office clerk shoul
be employed. The only remaining quel
tion is shall the county pay for said clerl
! This it cannot do, and has not don.
for the reason that it would be col
trary to law to do 30. The clerk hir
has always been paid from the fee
OF the Office. In this connection it
we'll to state that there were only ta
years during the six that I held tt
Office that the fees thereof were mol
than sufficient to pay the salary
: register Of deeds, and that curing sai
four years paid my clerk out Of m
salary, the same as the present regi
ter OF deeds, and that at times it W,
necessary to employ two clerks
properly perform the duties OF tt
Office, and these clerks were paid /
Z me from my salary. But the populis
7 say that the officer who receives
salary should pay his clerks therefron
and they point with pride to the "a
9 that the present register of deeds h
!, done 30. he could not lawfully 4
! otherwise, as the fees Of his Office ha,
never been sufficient to pay his salal
and that of aclerk. This shows th
Q in relation to the office of register