The Portland daily press., 1899-01-31
THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS REC
COMBINATIONS.

Two of the three county commissioners
join in recommending in their annual
report:
First. that the prisoners in the jail be
boarded by the county, instead of by the
sheriff.
Second, that the sheriff be paid suit
able and sufficient salary in lieu of fees
and income derived from board of pris-
oners.
Third, that liquor deputies appointed
by the sheriff be subject to confirmation
by the county omnissioners and that
they be paid salary and no fees allowed
them.
The argument for all three of the
chAnges IS the same, that they will save
tho pspple OF the county large sums of
money.
The third county commissioner dissents
from any one of these recommendations,
SAYING that it is not clear that such
changes would produce satisfactory or
good results.
We are not sufficiently familiar with the
matter of the boarding of the prisoners
at the jail to give any very intelligent
opinions as to the desirability of the
change suggested by the majority of the
board 1t would seem as If under the
present arrangement the county commits
sioners had pretty full control of the ex-
psnditure for the boarding of prisoners
since the sheriff's charges are subject to
their supervision and may be reduced If
they deem them too high. But perhaps
there are difficulties in the way which
we do not appreciate.
AS to the other recommendations we
have this tn say at this..time, There can
be no question but the county of Cum
berland has been spending great amount
of money for the suppression of the liquor
traffic, and that most Of this money has
been wasted, If we are to judge by re-
suits, for 1t cannot be claimed by any in
telligent man who can see that the sale
of liquor has been materially dimin.
ished. We have been informed that for
a number OF years past the liquor depu-
ties have been receiving $4,000 per annum
apiece for suppressng the liquor traffic.
This is "a scandalously extravagant price
for such services as they have rendered
The minority of the board suggests that
If the fees were abolished an important
stimulus &c vigorous enforcement of
the law would be taken away, but II
they are going TO continue to stimulate
in the way they have stimulated for sew
eral years past the sooner they are taken
out of tho way the better The trouble
with these fees as stiIuulant for sup
pressing the liquor tratBc is that all, or
nearly ALL of them can be obtained just
as effectively by Selling gill OF liquor
and making no attempt to discover and
prosecute the owner Of the shop, as by
cleaning out his establishment and put
ting him before the court This being so,
it is clear that there is a powerful tempta-
ton before the sellers to let the shops
remain open, for whenever a shop is shut
up and it's proprietor driven out of busi-
ness 1t ceases to be source Of fees.
IL, however. any such reform as sug.
gested by the commissioners, is to be put
In force, 1t ought not to be confined to
Cumberland county. but made general
throughout the state. The conditions in
pther counties which contain large places,
have been practically the same as here.
The liquor law has not been vigorously
enforced in any Of them and the liquor