Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-10-17

Watters-a subject that is entirely for
s. eign to the matters IN questions thai
the GAZETTE crit icised the water supp '
at the court house. The Gazette did
nothing of the kind, nor is there any
evidence to this effect. Reference is pos.
sibly made to our article concerning the
| idea of putting in a windmill at the
court house. The GAzETrE reflected the
Z; sentiment of the community, when it
said that such a scheme was not desirs-
Bile. The conrt evidently is in serious
doubt regarding the adyisabiiity of such
q step for it has not yet acted in the mas
ter.
/ We find in Mr.. Walters article this
statement, that pages in the present
owner book "have been so mutilated by
erasures, corrections, interlineatiens, etc.,
necessarily made in trying to keep up a
| book not provided for continuances)
that in some cases the book is not ie-
liable, and if once badly mixed the
| whole thing becomes absolutely worth
less and total loss to the county, Are
we to understand from this that the
present owner book is in the condition
stated as result of the practice, estab.
lished by Mr.. Waters, of keeping the
book up from month to moath, when it
was mot intended for Combinations 2"
Moreover, if the court has this book
brought up once a year, will it not, ac-
cording to Mr.. Waters logic, become
worthless in time and loss to the
county because of erasures, corrections,
interlineations, etc?
Again, if the present owner book is
not reliable, does Mr.. Waters expect US
to believe that lawyers and abstractors
consult this book whe n they need abso-
lutely correct information? As matter
OF fact, do not these persons consult the
records, direct, when they are seeking
information, and has not the present
owner book been more Of convenience
to farmers and the public generally?
To say that the average farmer cannot
in.elligently understand the present
owner book, is reflection on the intelli-
gence of that class of citizens, whether
Mr.. Waters SO understands it or not.
We submit that the average farmer. is as
intelligent as the average lawyer, alb
stractor or Office holder. He may not
understand the book the first time
he looks at it, but when shown by the
recorder he understands how to go about
it the next time.
The inference one is led to draw from
Mr.. Waters statement is that farmers
are not qualified to fill the Office of COM
nor any other Office in the
court house for that matter, 'tfor it is not |
in their line.' Nor are we satisfied that |
the judges ideas of economy are above |
riticism, however conscientious he may
be in the discharge of this function of
his office. We believe the records will
show that his administration OF the office
Of recorder was the most expensive the
county has known since that Office was
created.
In concluding his communication, Mr..
Waters takes advantage of the courtesy
him, to offer gratuitously the
opinion that the GAZETTE intended
% misrspresent and make capital against
aim. As evidence, that he errs, we have
% say that we have gladly given the
gentleman space in which to correct any
we may have made, and
le has failed to show where we have
,een unjust in any particular.