Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1903-02-18
SOME UNWISE LEGISLATION.

It was not written down in the dem-
 ocratic platform that the various
 counties of the territory should not
 provide and pay for clerks for the
 county recorders, to perform work of
 which the aforesaid county recorders
 should be the beneficiaries, hence the
 house yesterday voted this thing
 should be done.
 At the present time county record
 CTS are paid salaries. They are hand some ones. too, sufficient to make the
 office an attractive one to any one competent to fill it. In this county
 it is 5000 per year the hours of work
 being from 9 a. m. till D. m. The law also provides for his hiring all the help required to perform the work of the office, the salaries of which are paid from the county funds The greater the amount of work. the more clerks he is allowed, the only limit of number being placed in the discre- ton of the board of supervisors. The law also provides that all fees be paid into the county treasury. Another provision of the statute makes it a duty of the county recorders to fur nish abstracts of titles to property on application. Some of the recorders adopted the practice of pocketing the fees received from this source and of making no reports of them, or of ac counting for them in any way to the county. This it was said was done with full knowledge, consent and ap- proval of some of the district attor- neys of the territory. -r
 The right of recorders to retain these fees as perquisite of their office was tested in one of the counties of the territory with the result that the official was compelled to disgOrge several thousand dollars and turn it into the treasury. This legal decision of the question sent cOnsternation into the hearts of others who had been following the same practice with the result that the fees were there after turned into the treasury.
 Now comes the members of the leg islature, or at least one branch of it- members who protested last fall, with tears in their eyes, that if the dear people would only elect them to make | heir laws, their only though. and : heir every act would be in the inter est of the dear people. and passes a etracts of title, from the treasuries of the counties, and putting them into the pockets of the recorders. In plain words it amounts to the counties paying salaries to clerks to earn fees which shall be retained by the county recorders In very many counties these fees amount to a considerable sum as they are very liberal in pro portion to the amount of work re- quired, and good. competent clerk. who thoroughly understands the ab- 5tract business, on a salary of s75 per month could earn several hundred dollars for a county recorder.
 The principle is wrong. If it is de- sired to increase the compensation of he county recorders. let bill be in reduced to that effect and let the ices go into the county treasury the ,ame as at present, but do not make t possible thing for the county to be compelled to pay for clerks to ,arn fees for which the county re- ,eives no benefit The council should | see that this bill is defeated.
 The Phenix Republican says that | III the representatives of the various | boards of supervisors of the territory | who were in PheniX, were opposed {, | he passage of the above bill, but the | natter had been previously arranged | md their influence was brought tO | Dear too late, to prevent its passage | n the house.
 The council can do a good service O the territory by defeating the in amous measure.