The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1900-10-12
MORE FUSION FACTS.
Fusion Commissioners j DIN in Carnival
of High Salaries.

The Fusion admins ration OF
Kootenai county came into power
on a promise of reform, but no
sooner did it have a chance to ent
upon a reign Of plumber than it
seized the opportunity. The people
had long sought relief from high
salaries. The Legislature of 1899
passed bill intended to give the
taxpayers relief. But the fusionists
of this county took every advantage
Of the oill-and of the taxpayers
and placed their salaries at the
maximun-the only county in the
state, if we member, that did so.
But the supreme court stepped in
and afforded some relief. 1t decid-
ed that commissioners could not
fix their own salaries. Our fusion
lists were not to be outdone, how
ever. Fat salaries they must have
for all, law or no law. An exam
ination of the county records shows
that the Fusion commissioners
drew the enormous sum of S3,22760
for their services for their first year,
a sum which was never exceeded
but once in the history of the coun.
ty and then by that other .nala-
dorious democratic administration
headed by Pilling and Daggett.
We submit herewith the figures.
showing the cost of different boards
in various years:
Amounts drawn as salary by the Board of
County Commissioners for the following years:
iS9a-- byr ra,lnEs' passett smiths 80,
rsos-By Clarke, ouaries' and Ellis, 4'''1'14
rsos- BBSpO9 WSpren. paimetef and ''04S 90
Ball, Republican ........... 1855. 20
ISoS-By Smith Dishman and Ca
rsOO-By' Tucker. sisson and Ditto. -''-' %
more, Fusion .............. 3,227. 90
II will be seen from the above
that Democratic and Fusion boards
have cost twice as much as Repub-
lican boards. 1t will be noted that
the first year of the present Fusion
cost the Tax PAYERS more than
twice as much as the first year of
/ the last Republican board, and vet
Callahan, Brady & Co. have the
gall to stand up before intelligent
audiences and say we have made
out no case of extravaganza. But
fortunately Callahan and Brady do
not do the reading and the thinking
and the voting for the taxpayers of
Kootenai county. They only do
the mud slinding for the Fusions
Com bination.
The HERALD asks the Taxpayers
to thoroughly post themselves on
these subjects and to that end we
ask their attention to the following
law.
I The law regulating the salary of the county
; commissioners re-enacted in 1900, reads as fol
y lows
County commissioners of each county shall
I, receive the sum of six dollars ($6oo) for each
day actually and necessarily engaged in trans
acting county business, not TO exceed FIVE hun
r bred dollars (Ssoooo). for any one year, and
n FIVE cents { .os) per mile for each mile neces
, sarily travelled in transacting county business
\ when such travelling is over railroad line, and
. fifteen cents { tsl per mile in all other case
{ frovided No commissioner shall receive mile
{ age for travelling over any railroad line over
J. which he has a pass"
This law was Afterwards. on March 7. 1900
: amended, after the Supreme Court declared
that part of the law allowing salary to com
= -,ssioners not TO exceed one thousand dollar:
$1,000 .oo( per annum unconstitutional &c
read follows:
receive the sum of six dollars $4,000 per day
for each dav actually and necessarily engaged
i in transactng county business. not to exceed
rive hundred dollars (Ssoo.oo), for any one
A year, and all actual and necessary expenses in
= CURED by them in the performance of offcia
/ duty"
The Supreme Court of Idaho. on February 8
2 1900; in the case of CiyHe rs. Bingham County
: decided follows:
l. Under act March J. 1890. it is the dut,
of every county officer TO prepare his quarterl,
Y statement account, showing each item of ex
rense necessarily incurred in the Performance
- Of official duty and each item OF fees received
O | accompany the with further vouchers, yer
ifv the same with his oath. and file the SAM
for his consideration. Such statement unde
a said act must be full and complete"
Mr.. Taxpayer, take out your
Il pencil and do little figuring fol
4 Yourself Note what the law says
: and then turn to the official figures
and figure out if you can how it il