Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-07-08
THE CORVALLIS GAZETTE.
PERYERSEON.

ness or ignorance, is depiorable- III
Intentional, it 10 malicious and bas
for its purpose the injury Of another
It works ha,n to a just cause, and
an honest advocate will ehun it.
The acts of the county court and
roadmaster for Benton county have,
probably, been the subject Of more
Misrepresentation than any matters
of public interest in recent years.
Our esteemed contempo, ary has
stood sponsor for this misrepresen
tation by publishing it. and is,
Therefore, accountable. rs pnr-
pose, if it have any, is the removal
of Roa1master Smith. If then our
contemporary has good end suffi-
cient reasons, as specified in the
law creating the office of roadmas
ter, for the removal Of that officer,
it should name them. If it is COM
PEELED to resort to misrepresenta
tions to accomplish its purpose, it's
position is untenable and open to
censure.
At the June term of commission
ers court, subscription papers, rep
resenting cont :ibutions, Of more
than 81 100 in labor for improve
msnt of roads, were presented. The
petitioners asked the court to con-
tribute like amount in cash from
the general funds of the county,
an reserved the right to apply the
1 work where they chose. The court
referrel these petitioners to the
roadmaster, as by law required
Roadmaster Smith saw, that 10
grant these petitions would have
the effect of a general order and es-
tablish precedent that would be
at once unjust and unbusinesslike.
In his report he said:
"I beg leave, also, to say as roadmaster
of the county, the proposition does not
meet with my approval, unless the
amounts SUITS ;ribed by the various petit
tioners be paid in cash instead of labor,
for good reasons which 1 will explain to
your honorable body should you desire
it,
Judge Woodward thought it un.
business like to appropriate money
from the general fund for road
building when almost the entire
sum resulting from the 2 mill tax
for that purpose was lying in the
treasury untouched, so he told the
supervisors to use the funds to their
credit in the treasury, and if these
were exhausted before the July
term of court, to continue the vol
unteer work and the court would
contribute an equivalent amount
in cash. This has always been the
policy of the court.
The supervisors did as instructed,
and during the July term, it ap-
pearing that the amount arising
from the 2-mill tax levy and also
the poll tax had been nearly all ex
pended in road districts Nos. 7, s,
9, IA, 16 and IL, by road supervi-
sors in each of said road districts,
THE COURT MADE INQUIRY OF ROAD
MASTER SMITH if more work was
necessary to put the roads in good
repair for winter use. Mr.. Smith
replied in the affirmative, and REC
ouMENDEp that when the volunteer
work, subscribed by the residents
ofsaid road districts, had been ex-
ne lded in the districts where sub
scr;bed. and the same certified to by
thu road supervisor of the said dis
tic, then and in that event the
70 ID supervisor be authorized to
expeni a further sum not to ex-
ceed the amount subscri oed, as
shown by said subscription papers,
which should be paid out of the
gen ,ral fund of the county.
This was in accordance with tn e
long established policy of the court;
in accordance with the promise of
Ju lge Woodward at the June term,
and with the approval of Roadmas
ter Smith. This is a plain, unbi
ased statement of the matter as we
have gathered it from the records
and the officers.
Here is our contemporary YER