Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1900-10-16
UNNECESSARY AND UNJUST.

UNNECESSARY AND UNJUST.
Commissioner Irwin and Other Member
'ss. Of the Court Knew Their Duty
and We're Alive to 1t.
At special meeting of th
commissioners court last Satur
day, James Dunn, supervisor O
the road district through which
passes the much-discussed state
road leading from this city t.
Monroe, handed in his resigna
tion as supervisor of said dis
trict. Mr.. Dunn's resignation
was accepted and John Rickard
was appointed to fill the vacancy.
Thus ende..h a chapter in an
overworked item that has done
service as a space filler on sundry
occasions.
Just at this time it seems per.
tinent to consider portion Of
the history of this ''impreve.
ment," SO that we may under
stand what has been done to
make the road better and what
is COW being done to this end.
Recently this matter has been
given much publicity in the
press. This paper, however,
while fully aware of the condi-
tom of the road and the neoes-
sity of improvement, has taken
little part in the controversy.
In the first place, such articles
reflected upon the efficiency and
good faith of those having the
matter in charge, and in the
second place they served no pur.
pose except to impress the pub
lie with the idea that the writer
was wide awake to their inter-
ests.
This paper believes that Judge
Woodward and Commissioners
Irwin and Knots are thoroughly
aware of the condition of the
Corvallis. Monroe road, and that
NO squirting was necessary on
our part to make them do their
duty. The management of the
county affairs is of the first i'm
portance to them by virtue Of
their Office for it was for this
purpose that they were elected.
Probably no matter has COM
manded more Of their attention
than this county road. Last
fall citizens of Corvallis SUBJ
scribed a magnificent fund for
the improvement of certain por-
tons of this road. This fund
was placed in hands of the late
c Commissioner Buchanan and he
was given special supervision of
the contemplated improvement.
That his expenditure Of these
funds was judicious, we never
have heard questioned. At his
death, Commissioner Irwin was
to fill the vacancy and
at the June election the people
chose him to fill this Office for
the ensuing term. The court
deemed him to be especially
fitted to carry out the work be-
gun by Mr.. Buchanan, and we
believe it due him to state that
be has not been derelect in his
duty, nor has it ever been neces-
sary to remind him of his duty,
or caution him that he must not
waste this ''trust fund"
In various conversations with
Judge Woodward, that gentle.
man informed a representative
Of the GAZETTE that the delay
in placing gravel on the road in
question was due to misunder.
standing over an account be-
tween the commissioners and the
supervisor. A bill presented by
the supervisor had been con-
sidered exhorbitant by the court,
which was endeavoring to be
economical in the expenditure
Of the ''trust fund.-" and the
had refused to warn
out citizens for road work pend
ing a settlement Of his claim.
We were assured, however, that
he court intended taking action
1T its October session, which it
lid.
Commissioner Irwin said to a |
man Saturday, that he
lad been making every effort to
nave the road put in condition
or winter travel. The super
visor had failed to warn out the |
men of his district for road work
md was responsible for the tenn
oorary held-up in improvement.
It was unnecessary to inform Mr..
irwin or the court of their duty, |
or to imply that they were dere-
ect in the performance of their