The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1898-04-01
A COMPROMISE.
County Board Will Reimburse
Sheriff Bowen.
But it Wants to Deduct Jail Laundry
Account and Some Other
Offsets.

The county board has devoted con-
siderable time and thought to the
bill for 1871 which Sheriff Bowen has
presented to it for balance due him
for board of prisoners for period
covering the past three years. Many
years ago, a special law was passed by
the legislature covering the cOmpen-
sation to be paid all Of the BlueEarth
county officials. From time to time
parts of this law were repealed until
at the time the constitutional
amendment was adopted prohibiting
special legislation there only remain
ed of it the part fixing the compensa-
ton of the superintendent Of the poor
farm and a provision allowing the
sheriff to charge the county 81 10
week for board Of prisoners. In 1898,
Senator Barr had bill passed repeal
ing the clause relating to the salary
of the superintendent of the poor
farm, but it was not signed by the
governor for the reason that it was
held to be special legislation. To get
around this. Senator Barr secured the
passage of bill repeating the entire
special act, thinking that the portion
relating to the poor farm was the
only part left. This bill became law.
Sheriff Bowen did not learn until
recently that the special law had
been entirely repealed, and had been
paid $50 a week, for boarding prison
ers by the county. The general law
under which every other sheriff in the
state was. being paid for this service
provides that where there are not
more than five prisoners on the ave-
rage, the sheriff shall be allowed 81
cents a day for each; where there are
more than, five and less than ten, the
sheriff shall receive so cents a day;
that where there are more than ten
and less than fifteen, the sheriff shall
be paid As cents, and so on. AS rule,
between five and ten prisoners have
been boarded by Mr.. Bowen, and he
now presents asbill for the difference
between $3.50 week and $3.50 a
week for each prisoner. At times, he
boarded less than five and was entitl-
ed to receive So SO week each, but
did not make account Of this in his
bill. ......
The county commissioners knowing
that the sheriff has not been receiving
as much as other sheriffs for boarding
prisoners, have during large part OF
the time allowed him extra for doing
washing for the prisoners. There was
no law for this, and the state examin-
er has frequently criticised the prac-
tice. When Sheriff Bowen's bill was
under consideration this week, the
county board thought that as long as
extra had been allowed for washing
to make up'the deficiency, whatever
was so allowed should be deducted
from the sheriff's bill. The general
law under which. the sheriff presents
his bill includes the prisoners laun-
dry work with the board, SO that
nothing extra can be charged for
laundry work. Mr.. Bowen has also
recently construed the law regarding
fees for summoning witnesses and jur-
ors to mean that he should receive
full mileage.for every individual sum
moned and not for the miles actually
travelled. If he were to summon ten
people in Medo on one trip, he con-
strued the law to mean that he was to
receive mileage to and from Medo ten
times. The county board refuses to
construe the law in this way.
The board is disposed to allow Mr..
Bowen's bill for board of prisoners,
with the washing account of tae last
three years deducted, and the mileage
actually traversed. IL referred the
whole matter of settling with Mr..
Bowen to County Attorney Hughes,
practically with power to act.
The commissioners feel that Mr.. Bow
en- has made an unusually good sher-
iff. and that heohas done much more
work than many sheriffs would have
done. They also feel that Mr.. Bowen
has spent several hundred dollars of
his own money in doing detective
work to hunt down criminals. He
has not asked to have this refunded
and does not propose to ask it, Ali
who know of Mr., Bowen's work agree
that he has been an exceptionally
active official and one who has taken
deep interest in his work and been
reasonably successful. For this
reason, there is a disposition to do
fair thing, and there is little doubt
that compromise can be arrived at.
The WEEKLY FREE PRESS, the
Nnm York Trinnna and WEiftV Years,