Omaha daily bee., 1906-01-27

The local republican organ has now been
vociferously demanding for several weeks
of the republican Board of County Comnis-
sioners that it reduce the fees allowed to
the republican sheriff for boarding prison.
ers in the Jail.
Instead of thus vainy beating the noisy
tom-tom of reform, why does Mr.. Rose
water not take the very practical step of
appealing to the courts? 1t might not
create such a hubbub nor offer such a glori-
Gus opportunity to preach, but, on the con-
trary, 1t might be more effective.
The same chapter of our statutes which
provides that the sheriff may have fees for
feeding prisoners also provides that he must
pay into the treasury all fees exceeding
$500, and the last legislature even reduced
this limit to $500.
Now why should the sheriff not account
for these fees" just as he does for others?
or course, the expense account should be
| allowed just 1t is in other respects.
Only last year our supreme court held
that county clerk must account for the
full income of his office, even where he
earned fee as member of the Board of
Insanity.
Now the beauty OF the situation is that
IL Mr.. Rosewater cannot induce his county
commissioners to act he can, as taxpayer,
| IL he is in earnest, mandamus his sheriff
| to report these boarding house fees as earn
| ings of his office. Mr.. Rosewater is expert
| enced in mandamus cases.
We make this suggestion because Mr..
| Rosewater evidently needs and has called
for help, and even a suggestion may be of
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Under ordinary circumstances it is
not the business of the editor to invoke
! the power of the courts for redress of
abuses that affect all taxpayers alike.
His function and province is to turn
the lime-light of publicity upon abuses
that affect the taxpayers and to appeal
to executive officers to discharge their
duty and desist from aiding and abet-
ting tolerated larceny and indefensible
graft.
1t is only on extraordinary occasions
when exposure, appeal and denuncia-
ton have fallen on deaf ears that as
last resort an editor who is in dead
earnest would be justified in assuming
the functions which should be exercised
by county attorneys and state attor-
neys Such a condition existed when
the editor of The Bee appealed to the
supreme court for mandamus TO COM
pei the State Board of Railroad Assess
ment to reconvene to assess the fran
chises of railroads as well as their tang
ible property.
The suggestions made by the World
Herald in a spirit of sarcasm are, how
ever, timely and 10 the point. The man
ifest duty of the county board is to
force all officers, past and present, to
render a detailed account of all fees
collected in excess of their salaries and
the county treasury If its demand is
not complied with in reasonable time
the board should direct the county at
torney to institute proceedings for the
recovery of the excessive income and,
incidentally. to get ruling from the
court that will define just what each
county officer is entitled TO under the
statutes.
Should The Bee fail to persuade the
county board TO do its plain duty. its
editor, acting for all the taxpayers OF
Douglas county, will invoke the power
of the courts as a taxpayer. at the risk
of making himself unpopular, il moi
odious, to officeholders of his own party
In the meanwhile what is it that pre-
vents the editor of the WOrld-Herald
from going into court on behalf of the
+ taxpayers?
2 When standing room on the street
3 cars will command 3 cents per stand =