The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-10-11
.SKEEN OUT OF
POLITICAL RACE
Won't Run for County Attorney
but Will Prosecute Err
ring Officials.


time to make political capital out of eff
forts of friends of J. d. Skeen to make
him county attorney on an independent
ticket, by pointing out that he was
professional office-seeker, have succeeded
in doing one thing and that is Mr.. Skeen
will not be candidate on any ticket for
the office. In Withdrawing from this can
didacy he will disappoint many or his
friends and supporters but his proSecu-
ton of the Republican grafters will be all
the more vigorous. 1t is safe TO assume
that Mr.. Skeen will keep a number or
those who have had hand In the city
and county finance bag on the rack for
some time to come
In an interview yesterday MIR. Skeen had
this explanation to make of his with
draWal from the race:
81 was waited upon by number OF
committees coming from the Labor party
and other associations and persistently re-
quested to become a candidate for county
attorney. At that time / did not know
or the misrepresentation OF county FUNDS
in the county offices and had no intention
of instituting prosecutions. i discovered
this on the day of the Republican county
convention and Immediately proceeded TO
draw up papers In the case L now 1eel
satisfied that through the influence of
certain disreputable papers the prosecu-
ton of these cases will be prejudiced by
my remaining on any ticket as a cand1-
date for county attorney. l have, there
be used on any ticket and TO continue
these prosecutions until those officers in
control of the public funds cease their
Interpretations.
THE loss to my private business will
be less, even if 1 bear all of the expense
individually. as | have heretofore done
by prosecuting as a private citizen. L
have no desire to become a public officer
for any other purpose other than TO rid
this community of a combination of pub
lie parasites The people who are max
ing those false and malicious charges and
who made similar charges during the time
the city councilmen were being called to
account, know too well that if l were
in a position to institute criminal pro-
ceedingS that ii would become necessary
for them to hunt new fields for their oD-
erations. Since they have been free in
making their malicious charges / promise
them that from this on they had best
stay within the limits of the law or it
will be mighty difficult for them to hold
down their jobs
On Wednesday County Attorney Z. Il.
HulaniSki, against whom Mr.. Skeen has
filed charges for neglecting to perform
the duties of the office inv preventing
graft, issued a lengthy statement in which
he proceeded to defend his action and
also TO try the case in the papers instead
of the courts. From this statement it
is easily seen that Mr.. Hulaniski who is
the Republican nominee for state senator
this fall. is somewhat disturbed over the
predictament in which he finds himself
looking up the records of the commits
sioners. the news was carried TO one of
the members of that body and he in turn
secured the original claims. after which
ne sent them TO the county attorney
who attached his signature as to their
correctness.
In reply to the attack. or rather the
defense. of Mr.. Hulaniski Mr.. Skeen had
this to say yesterday:
II not surprised at the county at
torney making a desperate attempt to
justify his conduct as county attorney
by trying the case on collateral issues
In the newspaper in advance of the
trial There are no charges in the COM
plant that there was any neglect of
duty on his part in the simple appoint
ment of a legislative committee The
charge made is that he was neglecting
his duty in permitting the board of com
misisoners to allow the claim for s273 50
for the expenses of Joseph Stanford. C.
r. Hollingsworth and George II. Hanson
as committee on legislation without
even advising them that it was essential
that all claims. and particularly those of
the county commissioners, must be item
lied. and that il was Illegal for a COM
missioner TO present and request the al
lowance of claim for any other per-
son.
Il observe that he takes particular pains
10 elaborate upon his justice of the peace
work. He fails. however to refer to
those claims of which 1 have copies in
my office. in which Joseph Stamford is
dilOWeu sIZ-JU IOr IraVenng expenses from
his residence to the court house dur
ing one month. and similar claims were
presented without any objections on the
part of the county attorney and in fact
with his approval during the last two
years.
LAS to whether or not the law imposes
the duty upon the county attorney of
disallowing claims which he knows TO
be false and improper against the county.
is question for the court to decide and
l nave no disposition on my part to re-
live the court of this duty