Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1906-11-21
REDUCTION Of
COUNTY SALARIES
Wanted By the Peo-
pie of Grant
County
ASSERTS JUDGE NEWCOMB
Last Election Fair - Silver
City Very Prosperous
Population Increasing.


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Judge w. II. Newcomb of Silver
City, chairman of the Republican
County Central Committee of Grant
County and member of the Peniten-
tiary Commission for the past five
years, who was in town yesterday in
attendance on the meeting of the
board talks rather interestingly on
what the people of his county desire
of the coming assembly.
Said he to a reporter of the New
Mexican:
Our people pretty much regardless
of party are in favor of a salary sys-
tenn for county officials. | certainly
would like this changed. In my opin-
ion, it would prove for the best inter
est of the people and would bring
more money into the county treasury
treasurer and ex-ofticio collector of
Grant receives now about $4,000 per
annum Half of this sum would be
more than ample and the treasurer
should be compelled to attend to the
duties of his Office personally and only
employ deputy when the work be-
comes SO great that he himself can.
not properly carry it out The as
SCISSOR of Grant also receives nearly
$4,000 This is certainly too high for
the work performed by that official.
Property owners by law are compelled
to file their assessment returns with
the assessor This official has but
about three months of active work per
annum and $500 per year for these
three months, including the RESPONSE
bility of the position, in my opinion Is
ample. The salary Of the probate
clerk for a county the size of Grant
should be about $250O and this official
should be made to give all his time
to the proper performance of the bus.
mess of the Office and not dab and
bum around as an attorney or as
manager of great mining company
or as superintendent of a COW ranch.
He should stay in his Office and at
tend to the duties which under the
law are entrusted to him. The fees
should be turned into the county
treasury and 1t should be made a
criminal offence to make record OF
any paper unless the fees for such
record had been paid and proper re-
ceipt issued for same to the payee.
Some Good Which Would Result
From Change.
"The sheriff's Office should be run
on its fees. If the next assembly will
enact a statute embodying these IDEAS
of the people of the county with
which | am heartily In accord then
there would be more economy, there
would be much less of struggle for
the nominations and there would be
less corruption and less money spent /
in campaigns and on election day. In
our county the superintendent OF
schools, the county commissioners
and the probate Judge receive too
high salaries for the work they do A
thousand dollars per annum would be
sufficient pay for the school superin-
tendent, considering the amount of
time he gives to the duties of the
Office. The probate judges office is
more or less of sinacure anyhow
and the county commissioners while
at their utmost do not give the people
more than thirty days service in any
one year, receive 5000 per annum and
travelling expenses, 5000 for months
work would be pretty good salary for
any man and even for cabinet Of
ficer.
II notice in territorial newspapers
that it is said that a good many fraud
ulent votes were cast in Grant County
on election day last by the unnatural
lied Mexicans and that for the Demo
cratic ticket. want to be fair to my
Democratic opponent and must say
that while there is sonle talk of that
kind there is nothing as far as !
know substantial enough to make a
serious charge. 1t is more than likely
that there were numbers of Mexi-
cans from the Republic on the other
side of the line who were not natur.
allied, who voted on election day and
that on the Democratic side, but while
I have heard considerable talk
have found no substantial evidence to
induce me to make such charge.
Upon the whole the election in our
county was fair.
People know pretty well what
they were doing and while am sor.
ry that the county went Democratic
and that by heavy majority, still
am gratifled that Grant County put
itself on record unequivocally for
Joint statehood and that the vote for
Mr.. Andrews was larger than it was
in 1904 We had no means of know
ing the political sentiments Of the
newcomers who have come to Grant
County since the November, 1904,
election and of whom there are sew
eral hundred Evidently most Of
these new citizens are Of the Demo
cratic faith. I have been chairman
of the Republican County Central
Committee for ten years and hope
am somewhat acquainted with the
political condition of Grant.
Republican Ticket Ran Very Well in
Grant County.
lit Is nominally Democratic
county and whenever the Republicans