Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1902-06-07
Thr Grand Jury kcpIrt.

inRs the grand jury moralizes
|. Upon the reckless and eXtravagant
management of county finances by the com
missoners, citing especially the expenditure
of "ovcr SW.oo0' on the public roads-an
expenditure not justified by the visible i'm
provement of highways"
With no intention or desire to treat
the report cautiously the JOURNAL sub
mits that had the jury been able to visit
the roads of the county as it did the jlil
and almshouse it would have reached II
different conclusion Especially where
the money referred to was expended the
roads are in prime condition. That the
improvement has been made in the most
deserving localities is another question,
but where made the road conditions are
far superior to those of the streets of
Frostburg!
In this connection the jury takes no
account of extraordinary expenses oc
casioned by floods.
The jury, therefore, recommends
, That the Court call the attention of
future jurics to a law passed lately limiting
expenditures to the levied amounts
This will work with roads, the primary
beneficiary of administrative super
vision, but it will knock out schools and
would do the same with court expenses
and small pox epidemicS if these We're
not exempt from legal regulation. 1t
will play havoc, too, with MT. Savage
Citizens when he again cnacts the roI"
of "Junius.
Very correctly the jury finds
3, That security furnished by bond and
trust companies has extended the liquor
traffic into unsafe hands.
OF this there is not il doubt.
In this connection it is not IL little
strange that when an officer of financial
institution applies to il bond company
for indemnity the company requires a
testimonial to his character and fitness,
etc, from some superior officer, but
where is the superior officer to vouch for
the qualifications of the whiskey seller?
Ic Jul
4. That certain persons naming them,
should not he granted license to sell liquors.
The jury calls attention
), TO the improperly and llegality of any
payments to the Commissioners of personal
or incidental expenses while on the county
business, other than their salary fcr di,m.
This matter was favOrably treated and
applied i'll this paper two weeks ago.
Several days We're spent says the
jury
Is, In examining the dockets of certain of
the justices of the peace, no names men
toned Irregularities were found sufficient
to expose great carclesSncss. due to neglect
of county commissioners to audit properly
the bills. TO prevent future repetitiOnS of
these irregularities we would respectfully
recommend that the justices be required to
submit their dockctS quarterly for eNamina-
ton by the County Commissioners and the
proper audit of their bills.
The JOURNAL understands that this
remedy, if practicable, would be very
expensive. Properly done, the work
would use upa lot more money that be-
longs on the roads and might open the
door to the establishment of another of
fice-to be filled by man of the same
party complexion of the justices or COM
misSioncrs. In any event it is IA check
which does not harmoniZe with the bri
die tine jury places on road expenditures.
:, The Indifference of number of con
stables to lead to the belief that large per
centage of the violators of the law escape ap-
prehenSion under the current system. 1t
therefore recommends the rc-establishment
of the office of special detective.
This may he another recommendation
out of rhapsody with the iron-clad limit
to road expenses. The JOURNAL does
not know, but "the presumption" of
bias against too much money on roads
sis very presumptive.
Lastly, the jury
=, desires to express its thanks to the
States attorney for the courteous, prompt
and efficient aid given us in our inveStga-
TONS
AS the late w. H. Evans used to say
facetiously-"tha sounds like it had
been written by literarian." Over in
West Virginia county recently out of
a dozen indictments not one resulted in
a conviction. The grand jury, however,
had been smart enough not to advance
any thanks.