Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-01-16
LETTER FROM JOHN RlNGLE.
Mr.. Editor -

Mr.. Editor =
There has recently been published in
several local newspapers a sO-called
Communication which demands few
corrections in the interest of truth,
Who the author of said COM is, can
only be assumed from the fact that the
same, as well as previous lawyers
brief, has been published in nearly all
the newspapers of the county.
Usually Llblic officials released from
accusation OF irregularity, by white
wash" either on technicality or other
wise, are satisfied. In this instance it
seems to have become necessary to i'm
pugn the motive of persons who deem it
their duty to make an effort to protect
the interests of the tax payers.
There was time when it was under
stood to be the duty of the county board
to protect the county from grasping COR
morants and from exorbitant and i'm
proper charges. That, however, may be
myth and out of date in this age Of
graft" which seems to have been cpl
demic in this country.
1t perhaps is best that the public be
given some facts in this matter. It is
not true, as is claimed, that the sheriffs'
bills have been paid under the same
system for 40 years. About eight wears
ago salary was fixed for the sheriff for
all work within the county, and it is
evident from the bills, that Sheriffs
Marquardt and Chellis have continued
to include mileage within the county
in presenting bills for work outside the
county on the mileage basis.
l consider 1t proper not to include Mr..
Malone in specifying claims against ex-
sheriffs for the reason that the bills of
Mr.. Malone a most invariably show evil
dence of hav! been examined by the
committee OF the county hoard and
many reductions made and besides the
amount reported against him by the ex-
aiming committee is insignificant COM
pared with that against Marquardt and
Chellis.
For the last four years, it seems, there
is no instance OF any reductions by the
committee having the sheriff's bills in
charge, although the charges for the
same work were uniformly higher than
those made by Mr.. Malone. During
this period of four years, so far as |
have been able to ascertain, only one
bill was itemized as required by law,
and that was bill of Mr.. Marquardt
during his first year. This bill seems
to have furnished the basis for all future
sheriffs' bills. We find here in the
charges for taking patient TO the asy-
lum at Oshkosh there were figured two
days for the sheriff and his assistant,
and Sc for hotel and hack hire, and
other charges aggregating 1920. To
man conversant with the situation it
is evident that the expenses for hotel
and hack hire are not necessarily in
Cured, and in no instance do we find
the bill accompanied by voucher for
expenses, as required by law.
In the charges for taking child to
the Waukesha industrial school we find
there is charged in 1901 S7l.6l, in 1902
$77.21, in 1903 S79.91 and in 1904 S77.21.
These charges are made, it is claimed,
figuring on a mileage basis and admit
tedly contrary to law. The trip to
Waukesha on per diem basis, as the
law provides, without an assistant,
should not exceed $50. The charges to
Milwaukee and Waupun figured upon
mileage basis, it is evident, were always
made from Wausau, while drawing a
salary for work within the county, S71.6 60
to Milwaukee and % to Waupun.
In every instance the charge includes
the services and expenses of an assist
ant, which the court has ruled must
first be authorized by the court, other
wise it is not legal charge. And for
taking prisoners to Waupun We find in
the bill of Sheriff Chellis two charges
for one trip when two prisoners were
taken on one trip, also an unlawful
charge.
1t is claimed that the sheriffs were
ignorant of the law where improper
charges are made. Ignorance of the
law is said to be no excuse, yet if the
sheriffs who swOre to the bills, and the
district attorney who certified that they
were legal charge. were ignorant of
the law, to whom is the county board to
turn for legal advice? In a county
board of the large membership of our
county the mem bers naturally depend
upon the committees for the proper ex-
animation of claims And it is we'll
known this whole matter was brought
up by the accidental discovery of an ex-
orbitant charge for taking a child to
Waukesha in bill of Mr.. Chellis, and
the further fact that these bills were
not being properly audited.
[ will repeat here what seems to be
such an important discovery to Mr..
Communication, that the sums involved
in this investigation are not of para
mount Importance but rather that the
making of improper and illegal charges
and the payment of the same be stopped
in the future. This statement | made
to the county board and all who had
ears could hear. While it is my opin-
ion that the sums involved under a
strict construction of the law would be
much larger than those originally re-
ported by the committee, yet | am
satisfied that the committee aimed to
make a report fair 10 all concerned.
And because majority of the county
board adopted a white-washing resolu-
ton instead of the final report of the
committee, does not change the facts in
the matter.
1t seems to be the opinion of Mr..
Communicates that it is ''politics" TO
check a republican county official from
placing both hands in the county treas
ury where he is only entitled to one.
Appearances indicate that the examina-
tion will have the effect intended /; that
is to place limitation on the payment
OF unlawful charges.