Omaha daily bee., 1901-01-27
SlNECURES FOR FUSi0NlSTS
County Bonrd Votes to Give Shields
Two Additional As
sistHuts,

Two Additional As
/ sistauts.
Although Commissioners Harte and Os-
| from protested against the action and cited
the statute to show its illcgality Commits
sioncrs Connolly. Hoctor and Hofeldt at
yesterdays meeting OF the county board
put through a resolution appointing Harry
Il. Burnham special deputy county attorney
and w H. Gunsolus messenger to the county
attorney and fixing their salaries at $15
month.
The resolution came from the committee
/ on poor farm, of which Mr.. Hoctor is chair
man, with Recommendation for adoption.
| Mr.. lIarte spoke at some length in opposi-
tiou to the measure, sayiuE:
County Attorney Shields is present in
the room and am glad OF It, ! want him
to show me law authorizing this board to
appoint a special deputy or a messenger for
his Office. / say that this board has no
legal right whatever to make these ap-
/ pointments | don't believe the county at
tornCy's Office needs these extra men and it
looks to me like a scheme to provide places
in the public service in liquidation of polit-
ical debts.
only the other day one of the deputy
| county attorneys told me that IL he had
to devote all OF his time to his public
Office he would resign. Now. | want to
know what these deputies are appointed for
and what the county pays salaries to them
for If it is not 10 have them give their time
and attention to the county's legal bus
, mess"
When Mr.. ITartc had finished County At
torrey Shields asked IL the commissioner
wanted to hear from him on the subject.
Hnrte Goes After shields.
mo" replied Mr.. Tarte, sharply. II only
want you to show me law under which
this board may legally appoint Il special
deputy and Il messenger for your Office
MIR. Shields sat down without another
word.
Commissioner Ostrom also contendCd that
the board had no legal right to make the
appointments and denied that they we're at
all necessary at this time. we employed
a special assistant for the county attorney"
said Mr. OStrom during the Transmissis-
sirpi Exposition, when the city wae fllod
with thousands OF strangers and there was
Il necessity for the sharpest OF police pro-
lection, but that necessity does not exist
today. The county attorney aud the three
deputies provided by law constitute an ample
force TO care for all the cases coming up
at this time
"Mr. Shields himself admits that the
salaries Of deputy county attorneys must
be fixed by ne judges of the district, yet
this resolution not only appoints a deputy
but fixes his salary | say this board will
have to go outside the limitations placed
upon II by the statutes to adopt this reso-
| luton"
On roll call the resolution was adoptcd
with the Affirmative votes OF Hector,
Hofeldt and Connolly, both Harte and
Ostrom registering themselves in the mega
tive
Mr.. Harte's resolution to rescnd the ac-
ton Of the board in approving the bonds of
Deputy County Attorneys Abbott and
Dunn was taken up and Mr..
Hoctor asked County Attorney Shields TO
! advise the board in the matter. Mr..
Shields said the law requires the amount
of the bonds of the deputy attorneys to be
fixed by the judges of the district court.
but he presumed the bonds should be filed
with the county commissioners as other
bonds of county officers are filed.
MIR. Harte asked II the commissioners
had any authority in law to approve the
| bonds, and Mr.. Shields ventured the
| opinion that "the action OF the board in
approving the bonds would not hurt them"
Bond is Worthless.
"If 1t should ever become necessary to sue
on one of these bonds, could it not be sue
| cessfully contended that the bond was not
! effective because it had not received tho
approval of tho Judges of the district court
as required by law?' asked Mr.. Harte
ut might be well enough to have the
bonds approved by the judges" answered
Mr.. Shields 'if you can ever get all of them
together ! am merely contending that the
approval OF the commissioners does not
hurt the bonds"
What Is the use of this board approving
OF bonds which are not authorized by law
to act upon?' asked Mr.. Ostrom
There was no answer to this last query
and the roll call proceeded. The popocratic
majority voted TO let the approval of the
bonds by the board stand
A resolution by Hoctor to appoint John
| McGreel assistant to the county agent at a
salary OF $50 a month went over 10 the
next meeting because it was objected TO by
Chairman Connolly Before the objection
| was made, however, Mr. Ostrom spoke
against the proposed appointment. He said
that personal considerations would impcl
him to vote a place to Mr.. McGrcel but
public duty alone should be considered in
this matter.
THE county agent" declared Mr.. Ostrom.
is not in need OF an assistant and every
member OF this board knows It,
Because by prosperous times and an open
winter we have saved large sum OF money
/ In the poor department is no reason why
we should create positions in order 10 pay
out what We have saved In salaries OF un-
necessary employees"
The following appointments were ap-
proved by the beard John Zalondl, consta-
bic for the Second ward of South Omaha;
A, f, Hubbard assessor for Valley pre-
cinct; Henry Blum, constable for Chicago
precinct, and Paul Baumer, constable for
West Omaha precinct.
---------------------
Japanese Consul Protests.
! VICTORIA, b. c., Jan, 26.--The Japanese
consul al Vancouver has protested to Wash
ington against the action Of the United
states immigration officers on the sound In
treating Japanese merchants belonging TO
that city and other places on the Canadian
| side OF tho sound ha immigranla II ia