The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-08-30
HENR|CO COUNTY
IS MUCH STIRRED
.---- -----
Payers Of the County Com
plain of Slaokness and
Inefficieney.
----------------
OLD SCANDALS ARE REVIVED
Voters Are Tired of Continued
Scandal, incompetence andMal-
feasance Among the Officials,

Conditions in Henrico county are
attracting the attention of the intel
ligent voter, and 1t is probable that
not for many years will so large 8
proportion of the total vote be polled
as at the primary election next Thurs-
day. Conditions of laXity, with the
suggestion of slipshod methods and
the suspicion of petty graft, have at
last aroused the voters, and there arc
likely to be developments shortly ir-
respective of the outcome of the politi-
cal campaigns. After making due al
1owance for the claims of enthusiastic
candidates. and few vigorous cam
paigns have been conducted with so
little personality and mud-slinginS,
there still remains in the present con-
dition of the county many things which
the taxpayer wants to have explained.
and some of which the voters are be-
ginning to demand shall come to the
attention of the grand jury. In some
cases IL is the system rather than the
men that is under fire, while In other
cases slackness and inefilciency is
charged rather than pure graft.
The building of the Henrico Jail rnd
the sale OF the bonds for the same is a
ghost which has never been satisfac-
toriiy laid. and which comes back from
iltllb 10 lliIt 10 plEtS tlloSc WIN iidu q
part in It, The system of magistrates
courts, with both magistrate and con-
stable dependent on the fees made,
and premium put on conviction by
larger fees. and. in fact, the whole
foe system in the county government,
is under fire. The recent case of n
we'll dressed white man being buried
in the Potters field, with no attempt
tn establish his identity other than to
r. for
whom a reward had been offerdl, has
stirred the county not little,
The affairs of the office of the county
treasurers, in which neither Mr.. Brauer,
a former treasurer. nor the estate
of Mr. Todd. his successor in the OF
fee have ever settled for their short
ages, although both were under bond,
and the fact that man removed after
trial for malfeasance in office is again
a candidate for election to this office
are all matters of comment to the
thinking voter. And the eliminating
fact is that although the newspapers
have given full publicity TO these
matters, and, in fact. have published
them in detail time and again. the au-
thorities have taken no action and
apparently anticipate none.
The fact that the Board of Super
yisors gravely figured out at an open
meeting some time ago that since the
annexation the countys income was
not equal to it's expenditures, and yet
determined not to raise the county levy
until after the election, is in itself n
commentary on conditions in lGenrico
county.
1t is fair TO say that one member of
the Board of Supervisors stood out to
the last against the building of the
,a;l Inc "a of
countys money for other purposes
which lie deemed unnecDisary, and also
opposed the increase.
The matter of the jail will inevitably
have to he again aired, since ugly
charges are being circulated through
out the county, and where there is so
much smoke there must be some fire.
Among the solicitors for various candi-
dates, 1t is being freely said that the
Jail cost far in excess of it's estimates:
that much of the equipment installed
was not in accordance with the speci
iications, and that subrontracts We're
let to people interested in county poll
tics. II has been publicly charged by
former Treasurer Hechler that the bond
issue for the jail was sold to a bank
in which member Of the Board of
Supervisors was 4 director, at l03, and
that the bonds were shortly after sold
by the bank TO an insurance company
at 10
The affairs of the treasurer's Office
present an evenIInore complicated prob
lem. the three traasurers who preceded
MI Frayser having gotten into trouble
in the conduct of their office. Mr. Fray
ser. the present treasuyet. has Just Sc
cured from firm of special account
ants certificate that the affairs of
the office are now in proper shape
I'D t1No-o y1, IL,