The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1903-01-27

coun,S be he'll 4 T.. strict accountability:
Why snoull every democrat spring IT,
the defense of any other Democrat, OF
very Republican to the defense of any
Republican as soon as his public acts
are criticised?
Let us all unite upon these three car
dinal principles Of honesty, capacity
and economy; let us rise above party;
let us try to tear ourselves away from
the idea that unless everv act of party
official is upheld and applauded the
principles of our party are going to the
bow vows Let us welcome such criti-
cism and such discussion as shall hold
our local public servants to a strict ac-
count. Let us not hasten either to con
denim nor to defend. bnt let us welcome
the facts.
Let us look for moment at our COM
mon platform of local policies. Hon
esty includes personal integrity and
more. 1t means not 'only that public
monies shall not be stolen, but it covers
the wider field of honesty, the honesty
that knows no fav9ritis1n. the honesty
that is not afraid or to proud to own a
mistake or to rectify an error made.
The honesty the people desire is the
honesty that does not wink at the dis
honesty of others, that does not allow
party prejudice or personal favor to
weigh in county affairs, the honesty
hat is not directed by policy" but by
| fearless integrity.
The attempt made a year ago to
award the bridge contract to the high
est bidder was not an act of private dis
honesty. We have never thought that
the hope of private or personal gain act
uated any supervisors in that transac-
ton 1t was nevertheless an attempted
act of public dishonesty, in that the
beard for reasons of party prestige and
party favoritism attempted to do that
which no sensible business manager
would do. In the same way the present
system of buying county supplies, is dis
| honest, not because there is any bribery
connected herewith for there is none,
. but because it is case where the public
funds are spent not to pay for the pub
lie printing entirely, but to subsidize
certain organs of political party
Honesty-the kind of honesty we be-
lieve the people desire would know not
the politics OF bridge builder or printer
when it came to the spending of public
! funds.
Men may be honest strictly honest
without capacity. Sometimes inca
pacity is more expensive to the people
than dishonesty, 1t was incapacity
thai build the useless bridge on theroad
to Charter Oak; it is incapacity that
keeps the roads of the county in such a
fearful condition during the major por-
tion of the year; it was incapacity that
lost several hundreds of dollars to the
people in the recent boad sale. We have
never charged the county treasurer
with dishonesty in this or any other
relation; he simply failed to make the
most of the undoubted rivalry which
existed among the bidders and by his
indirectness of speech SO misinformed
the bidders that the highest price was
not obtained.
This was not dishonesty, it was in
capacity. We have been shown letter
of authorization written before the
sale, otherwise it would be of no value
in this regard, instructing the repre-
sentative of one of the bidders to offer
as high as $1,000 clear premium if
necessary to get the bonds. We have
thus every reason to believe that bad
the sale been conducted with capacity
this maximum price would have at
least beer reached. The people have
a right to know these facts and we pub
lish them not because the comfy treas
urer happens to have been followerof
free silver and this q republican paper,
but because he was managing sale of
public property, for the benefit of the
public and by just so much as he failed
to get the most possible for the bonds,
is the public the loser. Seventy-tive
thousand is none too much for the
building OF a court house, and the aa-
ditional Thousand dollars, more than
half Of which the treasurer failed to
get, would have added materially.
OF the cardinal principles, honesty,
capacity and economy, the latter is the
one most displayed and least practiced.
BY economy we do not mean, cheese
pairing, we do not mean that laborer is
not worthy of his hire, but we do mean
that no eSorbitant prices should be
paid, that every penny should be made
to count for something. We have been
taxed and taxed and what have we to
show for it? Not bridge that will be
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