Amador ledger., 1902-10-31
A Significant Straw.

"A small item has been brought to our
attention this week which is worthy of
ventilation in these columns, as serv-
ing TO show how taxpayers are called
upon to bear needless expense. The
matter, it is true, is small one, and in
itself amounts to mere trife in the
affairs of government. The principle.
however, is of vital Importance. The
old saying, '"rake care Of the cents,
and the dollars will take care of them
selves, is as true to-day as it was one
hundred years back. 1t is Just as an
pllcable to public affairs as to private
affairs. An officer is bound to exercise
the same economy in the transaction of
pnblic business as he does in his own
private concerns. There can be no
question as to the correctness and the
necessity OF rigid adherence to this
rule. w henever Il county officer.
whether for political or personal
reasons 1t matters not, departs from
this line, it is time the taxpayers for
their own interests made revision of
their employees. Now every voter dur
ing the past week has received through
the mail sample ballot. The law re-
qulres the county clerk to mail one to
every voter before the election, These
ballots were sent out in common
stamped envelopes, issued by the
authorities at Washington. They were
specially ordered through the local
postmaster, and something like $500
We're required OF course it was a saw
ing OF time to get them ready stamped,
as to- aff1X one cent stamp on that
mum ber of envelopes would consume
considerable time. Besides which il
was cheaper. The ready stamped
envelopes could be purchased for less
than the envelopes and stamps could
have been bought separately. So far
so good. But on the outside of these
envelopes was printed the official ad-
dress of g. L. Culbert as county clerk.
which in itself was right and proper.
This printing was done in Amador
county, presumably at the Dispatch
Office, and the envelops were ordered bv
the proprietor of the Dispatch. who
was informed of the facts hereinafter
stated by the local postmaster, but wa
was communicated to the county clerk
himself, 1t is in this little printing
JOB that the sacrifice of the taxpayers
interests comes in. This printing done
IN local Office, according to established
rates, cost about SO or Sl2. Now it is
we'll known, that where quantity of
envelopes are specially ordered from
the postal department, the printing of
the address on the outside can be done
without extra charge. These envelopes,
therefore, might have been secured ali
ready printed as well as stamped, for
the same price as without the print
ing. therefore the SO or Sl2 in
Cured Tor printing was so much money
thrown away. 1t was plum thrown
to the printer at the expense of tax
payers. Would any sensible business
man act thus In the transaction of his
private affairs? From the taxpayers
standpoint it amounted to free Gift of
that much money from the public
treasury. Taxpayers have been called
upon to pay one-third more than thew
ought to have paid. For what? Is it
any wonder that the tax-rate is on the
ascending scale when county funds are
tossed about in this reckless fashion.
1t is right and proper that printing
should be done in the county if pos
sible, where no serious difference in
cost would be entailed. If we mistake
not, however, the sample ballots them
selves were printed outside the county.
Why? Certainly not because they
could not have been printed equally as
well in the county. The law requiring
all job printing to be done in the coun-
ty if practicable, appears to have been
wiped from the statute books in recent
years. Nevertheless the policy is a
wholesome one, and taxpayers will not
favor the diversion of public business
to outside offices when the same might
have been done at the same price with
in the county. The printing of the
ballots will cost at a rough estimate
over SlO0. Some months ago afidavits
OF registration were gotten outside the
county at a cost of something like $50,
II we remember rightly, That work
might have been done for less money
at home. Is it not time for a change
when such things are taking place in
our midst.