The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-12-02

should a county office become an elee-
lmosynary institution for the purpose
of paying a premium on service rem
J dered. The fact that an Office holder
valuable service to his party (and
perforce his county, is no reason why
he should be paid more for his official
duties than his service is worth. 1t
is every mans duty to be a good citi-
zen, and he doesn't deserve any pay
for it On the contrary, he should be
! punished for doing otherwise. The
man who employs a book-keeper for
his business establishment Or mana
ger for his ranch, is not governed by
political or personal sentiment 1t is
a matter of cold business with him.
He gets the best man he can for the
| least money, ability considered. Why
cannot the voters of Eddy county use
the same kind of business judgment
| in selecting their public servants?
There is no reason why it should
not be done. We have today set of
officials of not more than ordinary
ability, (all good, clever fellows, God
knows) but every mothers son of
them is drawing the salary of a Unit
ed States senator.
1t is a fact that the salary of these
men run anywhere from five to eight
thousand dollars each every year, and
we, the tax payers, foot the bills. We
do not blame them for taking the mon
ey-a rotten republican legislature
has handed it out to them by the fee
route and they accept it-although
they are democrats and know it is
wrong.
THE Advocate believes they would
all be glad to have the offices at 81
600 per year and Office help.
''If not, there are plenty of good and
competent men in Eddy county wno
would. This applies to all offices with
the possible exception of sheriff. The
plea that the exorbitant salaries are
legalized, has nothing to do with the
case. No law can compel a man to
take more than belongs to him. Off
GERS can be paid a straight salary and
let all fees go into the county treasury
This way, the fees will almost pay the
salaries.
This is a common sense view of
the case, and we, as democrats, should
take the iniatory. By reason of num-
bers, we have absolute control of the
county offices, but we must not think
for a moment they belong to us. The
Offices belong to the people regardless
of political af1fliation and We should
Snow our worthiness by conducting
the affairs of Eddy county in a plain
economical and conservative manner.
Every dollar placed in our hands is a
public trust and We have no moral
right to squander cent ON useless
salaries Or otherwise.
To-day, the democrats of Eddy coun
ty stand confronted with a condition
of our own building that We cannot de-
fend.
shall we continue to plunder the
people because we have the power to
do so? We have an example of official
depravity along this line among the
old republican hierarchy at Santa Fe
that We cannot afford to emulate.
1T is time to call a halt.
THE welfare of the democratic par |
ty-if not common honesty, would sug
gest that Chairman Cooper call his eX-
ecutive committee together and pro-
1,,,,lora TO Soma napdad ~oforuS in ny- |
penditures before the campaign opens |
will only be short while |
off now. There is no lodging the fact |
that taxes in Eddy county are much |
higher than necessary. The spirit of |
is rempant in the party |
as well as out Taxes in the Artesia |
end of the county are, in many instan- |
ces, double that of last year. When |
you touch a mans pocketbook you |
make an impression on his memory.
''As before stated. there are num- |
hers of good men and true in Eddy |
county who will gladly accept the
county offices at half or one-third the |
now paid, and it is probable |
that several will appear before the pri |
maries on that platform next spring.
AS ii is not undemocratic to prac
tice economy, there is no good reason
why the plank should not prove a win
ner. SFrn'
The Advocate is democratic and |
wants TO see a lot of needed reforms /
perfected within the party. Economy |
another. Of the latter we will speay |
again.
25O. 1000 home grown trees, twenty |
vor;at;ov In anDlas Tho only tree tn