The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-04-01
COMMISSIONERS
HELD LIABLE FOR
RAID ON FUNDS
County Attorney viii Start
Suit to Recover Money Paid
to Republican Organ.
PUBLISHERS PRESENT
AT STORMY SESSION
REFUSE TO DISGoRcE AND CON-
MISsloNERS DECIDE TO
STAND PAT.

Fortified by the backing Of the fed
eraI bunch. who labored with them all
yesterday afternoon. the county com
missioners decided To- stand by their
guns and pay no attention TO the de
mand of the county attorney, Job p.
Lyon, that they return To the county
treasury the amount illegally paid To
the Inter Mountain Republican.
This amount. which Mr. Lyon thinks
ought TO be returned, is S4,4A5-54. and
represents the difference between the
total amount paid the Republican or
gan for advertising the delinquent tax
list 1908 and what 10 cost in 1907, when
tenders were asked.
Last year the commissioners decided
that the party organ was in need, for
the first time for many years. and
awarded the contract for she printing
without asking for tenders, thus dis
tinctly violating the statute
il looked as if they would get away
with this deal, when John a. GrOes-
beck. county treasurer. mildly ami
meekIy interposed and asked the com
missionsTs to what department this
would be charged. They did not an
Swer. and he wrote a letter to the
county auditor. Frank J. HeginbOtnam,
objecting TO such a charge against his
department. That official was too
wary d bird to be caught in any such
way and ignored IL. Then Mr. Grges-
beck. who by this time had become
model I'm the art Of official correspond
ence. wrote another and more siren
uOus letter to the commissioners. point
ing out that the charge was a violation
Of the law and stating that he would
not allow it to be charged to mis- de
partment No notice was taken Of this
and the letter never went on the min
utes of the commissioners
Lyon Takes a Hand.
Then job p. Lyon, county attorney.
took hand in the game and Went per-
sonaliy to the board. This money
must 90 back into the county funds or
I VIII bring suit against you under sec
ton SOC 0f the statutes. The commits
sioners asked for time. and got it. until
the legislature had adjourned and
many of their illegal acts had been
legalized Then Mr.. Lyon apparently
called their attention to the peculatiOn
from the county once more, FOR there
was d meeting yesterday afternoon. at
which there was all kinds Of trouble.
II. +. Booth. president Of the Inter
Mountain Republican company and T.,
H CaIlister. its vice president. were
sent for and appeared before the COM
miSSiOners. The county attorney was
also present Though the law forbids
the holding Of executive sessions. no.
body was admitted but those mem
. toned. Mr.. Lyon held to his position
and left before the meeting closed
Messrs Booth and Callister told the
/ commissioners plainly that It was their
duty to give everything possible TO the
party organ, and that money once paid
could not be recovered. They distinct
IL stated that they would not refund TO
the commissioners one cent, and urged
them 70 fight the demands Of Lyon.
The result Of the meeting can be best
Judged by the answers of the commits
sioners to the question whether they
would put the money back into the
treasury.
Commissioners Stand Pat.
James +. Clinton. chairman-"No
sir: not cent goes back. I don't know
what Lyon Will do. He left before the
meeting was over We did discuss the
proposition and decided TO refuse any
such demand
John c.. Mackay, commissioner some
times called the "czar''-"The bill OF
the fnter-M Mountain Republican was
paid and that is all there is to it. The
matter is closed so far as we are con-
4 cerned
Walter G. Burton. the newly elected
COMMISSIONS Nobody is going to pay
back any money TO anybody
H T Booth. after the meeting, said
that he and his friend. Mr. Z. II. Cal
. lister. had been merely discussing Il
little matter concerning roads with the
commissioners.
Lyon Will Do His Duty.
Job p Lyon, county attorney, was
asked over the telephone what he was
going TO do i'm the matter. He was
much aVerse TO being quoted. He said
he had not received the decision of the
commissioners. as he had left before
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