The river press., 1903-01-28
COUNTY CLASSIFICATION LAWS

There is a matter of Importance tn al
should be considered by the members
of boards of county commissioners
now in session in this city, and that is
the amendment of the law providing
for the classification of counties and
fixing the salaries of county officers.
The defects of the present classified.
tion law have been amply proved dur
ing the time it has been in force. 1t
has made the expenses of counties
larger tn an should be, and its manda-
tory provisions have caused the ad-
vance of counties to a higher grade
and larger expense against the wishes
of all the citizens except the few Office
holders whose salaries would be in
creased by the change while their work
was no greater.
There is complaint from the small
counties that the list of officers created
by the law is larger than is necessary,
and the salaries are in many instances
too high for the work to be performed. .
One argument is made that wages Of
county officers should be increased in
order to get better class of offici ais.
However, others claim with more logic
that lower salaries, especially in the
smaller counties, would be more apt
to keep out politicians and bring in
men at their real value.
It is to be hoped that the delegates
from the different counties will sug.
gest some measure in this regard which
will result in an entire change from
the present defective and expensive
lap. In the new measure one impor-
tant Improvement should be in the
direction of allowing the voters and
taxpayers Of county some voice in
the question of advancing the county
to a higher and more expensive grade,
or to a lower and less expensive class
or keeping it without change. Under
the present law the people Ola county
have no voice; the law is mand atory
and when the assessed valuation ex.
ceeds a certain figure up goes the
county to higher class, and up 60
the expenses in like proportion.
In the Missoula case this was we'll
illustrated. The railroad assessment
was increased, bringing the valuation
above the line for the class in which
Missoula county then was, and it was
forced to take new and higher grade,
although the people protested against
it. No one was benefited by the in.
creased valu alton but few county Of
ficials whose salaries were increased
over S., 900 a year by the change, while
their work remained the same as be-
fore. The people of Missoula county
hoped to remain in the same classi6-
cation and take the extra taxes from
the increased assessment of the rail-
roads for the purpose of reducing the
county debt, but it could not be done
under the law, and the county officials
and not the people received the bene-
fits.
Another change that should be made
is in the matter of salaries and officers
for small counties. 1t is asserted by
people of the smaller counties that the
duties of the county offices could be
satisfactorily performed if the offices
were consolidated and several fewer
officers were employed. In this, as in
the matter of grades, the people who
pay the taxes should have a voice.
> The measure for reform in this mat
ter should be framed at an early day
so that the matter could be considered
by the people of the different counties
as we'll as by the members of the legis-
lature, and their opinions given to the
lawn akers. .-Helena Record.