Amador ledger., 1902-09-05
THE WORST KIND OF A TRUST

HI WORSI KIND OF a TRUST :.
An official trust is the most OBJ
Jectionable kind of a trust. By Of
ticial trust we mean a combination
entered into by public officers for the
purpose of controlling the political
organization to which they belong,
and of securing their own renomina-
tion and election. The people elect
county officers to perform the duties
of their respective positions. The
electors appreciate those servants
who perform their duties in the
simplest manner and without enter
ing into any entaugling alliances.
They pay their officers literally, and
ought to, and we believe will, resent
any use of their positions to the peo-
pies detriment. Now we present
herewith, the amount received from
the county treasury by three indi-
viduals who are now seeking re-
election, namely, R. c. Rust, super
ior Judge; c. L. Culbert, county
clerk; and U S Gregory, sheriff and
tax collector. R. C. Rust has been
in Office continually since January,
1891. In January, 1895, he stepped
into the superior iudgeship which
he has held ever since. U S Greg
ory has been thrice elected sheriff;
first for term of two years, and
twice for four years, making ten
years of office-holding. c. L. Cul-
bert assumed the Office of clerk and
auditor in May or June, 1898, by ap-
pointment, and has been elected
twice, making ten successive years
of service, lacking four months.
Now the financial result sums up as
follows:
R. c. Rust, yrs as dis,
trlct attorney at $500
per year .......r 1900 OO
R. c. Rust, 8 yrs as SUI
perior judge at SO, 500 $4,000 90
Total 80. ......... s352OO 90
S Gregory, 10 yrs at
$3.50 ............. 475OO OC
To this must be added
board of prisoners, com
mission on licenses, trav-
cling expenses, commiss-
ion for serving foreign
papers, the total of which
we have no data at hand .l
but which we may safely
set down at about SIS, 600
c. L. Culbert, 9yrs 8mat
s25OO ........,....... 24166 6t
To this must be added
fees for registering vot-
ers, making out copy for
great register and other
small items, the total of
which is not readily OBJ
tainable.
For these three officers then we have
total for salaries alone, to the close
of present terms, of $106, 1866. &c
Out of this must come the pay OF
deputies in the sheriff's and clerk s
offices; but we may safely say that
the sources of income We have re-
ferred to in the sheriff and tax col
lectors department especially, will
be nearly sufficient to cover this ex-
penditure. We leave our readers to
ponder over these figures of the tax.
payers contributions TO three in
dividuals. We ask them candidly
whether, if the offices are such a
good thing as herein indicated, the
better way would not be to pass them
around a little more freely. Why
allow trusts and monopolies to grow
from the hard-earned money of the
people paid out as salaries. Why
should individuals receive enough to
make them independently wealthy,
with ordinary frugality, and still ap.
pear as applicants for further con-
tinuance on the payroll. Why not
give some other good men a chance.
We shall leave this subject for the
consideration of our readers al
present, and later on point out the
evils that flow from this long-con-
tinued Office holding.