The age-herald., 1899-01-27
COY. JOHNSTON RECOMMENDS THE
 REMOVAL OF COMMISSIONERS
Continued From Page one.)


 | and the court adjourned for the night The | tax commissioner after advising with his counsel, prepared letter to the court, stat | ing in substance, that if they would docket | the cases against all the corporations, in | accordance with law, he would not appeal | from the decision of the court in the cases l or hye Of the largest corporations, naming | them. This letter was delivered to the two commissioners who had voted not to hear any corporation cases, and thereupon they agreed to docket and hear all the corpora ton cases. It would seem that no words need be employed to explain emphasize tnlS conduct; two men sitting as judges and sworn to obey the law reverse their action so soon as immunity is secured for sup posedly special friends. fr.a Conclusion ee Summing up the indictment made by the examiner against these commissioners us- ing his language, it appears: 5, l. That very irregular and unbusiness- like state of affairs existed.
 z. That the vouchers were passed upon in grossly careless and reckless manner 3. That no regard was paid to the plain est mandates of the law.
 A. That of many hundred accounts exam ined, in open violation of the law, only about thirty were sworn to, and very few itemized.
 D. Many contracts were given to relatives,
 
 G. That they reduced the voluntary sworn
 assessment of one bank $50000, and none could remember why. T. That they reduced the voluntary sworn valuation and assessment of one newspaper
 more than half because another paper was | valued at that figure. -usu 4 | 8. That in the levying of license tax they | omitted wholly one class containing all corporations, and the only explanation given by one commissioner was that some one, whom he could not reco1lect advised it. 9. That the majority have been so infiu- enced by corporations that the state and county treasuries have suffered the loss of many thousand dollars
 10. That two members, in consideration of an agreement that no appeal should be | taken from their decision in the valuation of property of five corporations, set aside and reversed their action of the day be- fore, and agreed to docket and hear cases that they had previously refused to hear. il. That after advertising for bids for coal | and when they. had tine power to require bonds to faithfully carry out any contract | made, they deliberately gave the contract to the highest bidder.
 12. That they have drawn large amounts from the treasury for themselves in viola ton of the law.
 13. That the affairs of the county are managed with reckless extravaganza. The remedy for this state of affairs is in your hands. At this, and previous sessions commissioners courts have been abolished for unfaithfulness against whom not one half the wrong doing was even alleged that is here shown by the sworn report of a capable, honest and courageous official, and after giving the commissioners every op- portunity to explain. All of the courts
 heretofore abolished, believe, have been dominated by men in opposition to the democratic party.
 It would be a shame and disgrace to adopt one measure of official duty and re- sponsibility for democrats and another for the opposition, and especially would it be disgraceful from those not democrats There should be but one measure of official | duty for all. The only way to retain the respect and confidence and votes of the in- l telligent and virtuous is to deserve them by standing at all times and under all cir l cumstances for honest government and clean methods. It is the duly of represen- tatives of the democratic pafty to show the people that corrupt or unfaithful service | on the part of democratic officials will not | be tolerated or condoned. In one view of | the case this is not a local question. Every | honest tax payer in the state Is directly | concerned in securing fair and honest valu- | ations in every other county. His burden | is increased or diminished as men in other | counties escape or comply with their duty, | and those tax payers all over the state have | a right to demand that such conduct as IS | shown in this report shall cease at once. It has been said that the remedy is by | impeachment; linen who draw the juries do | not always get justice" If this Is the | remedy, why was not it heretofore pur- 1 sued? Are democrats the only persons who
 shall enjoy this privilege or immunity | Reckless and extravagant and even illegal
 and arbitrary conduct of commissioners | does not always furnish grounds for inn | peachment, and it is always difficult to | prove the corrupt act; but these things | have never heretofore failed to find prompt | legislative remedies since the democrats | have had control of the state government.
 It has also been said that the people
 should not be deprived of the right to elect | their own officials. It would be an insult | ito the people of Jefferson to imagine that | with the facts before them this court could | ever have been elected or that they desire their services day longer. Petitions will | doubtless pour In upon you; it is only neces-
 sary to say that many such had already | been procured long before the examiners g report was made. But you will hardly be- lieve that many honest taxpayers can he found in Jefferson now to sustain such mis- | conduct as is shown by the report. The best way to punish and prevent unfaith- | fulness is the shortest way. I recommend