The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-10-26
The County Treasufers office.

xsrs Of King county
through IRE columns OF the local fa-
sso- organ. tn which ne frankly ad-
r.t.s precisely what the posi-in-Fi-
Lgercer alleged to be the fact. fnas
under BIS administration the treas
urer's office has cost the Taxpayers
sorre.ngrr over SCI. 90 more than ur-
der his immediate predecessor. ara
spne 81 go more than under Dr-
Nj..er's admins, ration. After max
Ing this admission, he attempts an
exclamation as 20 the reasons why
II mas cost more to run the onice
under fusion government than under
his predecessors Nj. WhltIeses
letter covers practically the same
grogna as tina; gone over ny MS
chief deputy, Mr. Paddsn, in tbs
published statement which was re-
viewed IN the Post -Intelngencer DC
tooeT 20.
II WILL be remembered that MIR.
padden stated that there were
twenty-five extra clerks employed
in the treaSurer's office. that these
clerks were engaged in making out
certificates OF delinquency, that
there were about 1oo.o or these GER
tlficates TO be issued at an estiInat-
ed cost OF $1,000. or Ii cents for each
certificate. The ost-Inteligencer
characterized this expenditure as
most extravagant. and Ii IS still OF
opinion that any abstract firm III the
city would be glad 10 take the con-
trac. TO make out these 10000 GER
tlficates for one-fa.f the sum Mr..
Padden says their issue will cost the
taxpayers. 1t is noticeable that Mr..
Whit.iesey does not touch upon this
point. nor make any attempt 10 con-
trovcrt the PostIntelisencer's
charge that n paying Is cents each
for filling out these blanks the tax
payers were either paying most ex-
trayagant salaries 10 competent
men. OF employing lot OF incom-
petent clerks TO do the work. There
is no escape from one or the ether
OF these conclusions.
Nj Wisttlesey says iAere are
about sixteen" extra clerks en-
ployed in this service. Mr.. Padden
places the number az exactly TWEEN
ty-tw0. the variation Is not mate
rial. "a about sixteen" may be
made to mean twenty-five when re-
GUced 10 certainty.
Mr. Whi;tesey devotes space n
explaining the employment of his
brother and tie amounts paid 20
him and 10 Mr.. Levy for overtime.
The Post-Intelligencer has no OBJ
lection to stating that Ii believes
Nessfs. Levy, Padaen and William
IT. Whiti!esey are the most compe-
petent clerks IN the treasurer's Of
flee 1t is safe 10 assume that If the
other employees were as competent
as the three above named there
might be a great reduction IN their
nnmber without impairing the pab-
lie service in the least
The gist cf this whole matter is
this: The fusion daily organ mas
been claiming for some time that the
present fusion county goyernT
has been much more economical
than .es Republican predecessors,
and has Effected q saving Of thou
sands of dollars to the taxpayers.
Fusion orators. borrowing their sta
tissics from the columns OF the or
gan. have reiterated these claims
until some OF our citizens began to
believe there must be some truth In
these emphatic assertions. rarJicu-
larly as the organ challenged reFu-
fation. AS soon as the post-InteiN-
gencer could secure the official fig
tges. made by the fuSonists them
selves. II discovered that NOT only
were these claims absolutely ground
less, but that the county govern
nent had been more expensive m
der the fusionlsts than under Re
publican administration. Tire ac-
tual cost OF running four of the
principal county Offices WAS asscer-
tsinel and 4 comparison made
which demonstrated this 10 be- true
These figures were presented 10 TIE
taxpayers through the columns Of
sae observation-disclosures ard then the
tro4aie IN TIE fusion camp almost
reached tie dime Hsions Of a riot
Each or the fusion oTlcehalders
says his office IS ell right. but has
wel~fqar.1sd suspicious 1has The
a. y. tYfrrs 'aser4 CF the Ylr~ Eaxs