The Western news., 1910-11-04
COUNTY ATTORNEY
ISSUES STATEMENT

Ifurtherance of the interests of their
candidate for county attorney-he
being the one who, while acting
as city attorney of Hamilton, par
ticipated in game of poker and so
testified before the district court
contemplate the issuance and circula-
ton day or two before election, of a
hand bill or circular.
At this time | am not accurately in
formed as to the intended contents of
the proposed circular, but from reports
that have been circulated it is safe to
assume that the parties issuing 1t will
not permit themselves to be circum-
scribed by limitations OF fact
My information is that the proposed
statement will claim:
First that l have spent $2.5O0.00 Of
the county's money in making the trips
necessary to investigate cases and try
the same.
Second, that l have cost the county
$30,000.00 since l have been in office
Third. that have secured practical
ly no convictions and that of the Grim
inal cases instituted in all courts, So
have been discharged.
Fourth, that while criminal cases
are being tried in the district court,
have failed to discharge the juries not
actually engaged in the trial of the
case Immediately on trial.
In answer to those statements all l
have to say is as follows:
First, my personal expenses, if paid
to date, for all work of the county at
torney for which my travelling over
the county has been necessary, is ex-
actly $49S.S0 for the % months l
have been in office, or an average of
$22.67 per month--substantial the
same as my predecessor in office.
There have been other expenses of my
office. such as bringing witnesses from
other states, and expenses authorized
| by the commissioners of the county,
that came properly through this office
but they were not personal expenses
and even all of these do not amount to
$2,500.00 or anything like it.
Second, the $30,000.00 to which re-
ference has been made in the expenses
of jurors, witnesses, clerk of court and
attorney court bailiff sheriff and depu-
ties, sheriff's mileage, expenses of
deputies, court stenographer, county
| tNr-JC
court expenses including salary
and per diem. This amount is slightly
in excess of the amount expended for
similar purposes during the two years
preceding my term of office, and has
been caused by the greatly increased
business, both civil and criminal, and
is merely the natural result of the
wonderful growth and development of
the county. In proportion to the ac-
tual amount of work done by this office
during my incumbency the increase
of the expense above enumerated,
shows economy rather than extrava-
gance.
Third. AS a result of informations
filed by me in the district court there
are now ten men serving out sentences
in the penitentiary-(du during the last
two years of my predecessors term,
six men were sent to the peniten-
tiary) and at one time five men pleaded
guilty to gambling and paid fines ag-
gregating $1,025.00. Besides this num-
erous convictions have been had in
district court, of which it is unneces-
sary to make list at this time
AS to the So discharges. That rep
resents case after case which upon
investigation l found the evidence in
sufficient to warrant conviction and
asked for a dismissal. Some were ac-
quittals, some were preliminary ex-
aminations, some were trials in JUS
tice court and some were dismissed
before time for trial had arrived. |
Some of them We're on account of COM
plants filed without my knowledge
and some upon complaints / had writ
ten, other than the acquittals, every
dismissal was made because / con-
sidered the evidence insufficient to
warrant a conviction and wished to
avoid further expense to the county
AS before stated I have not tried
cases in district court excepting such
as I had evidence sufficient to warrant
a conviction. | may state that the ver-
dict of jury is absolutely no criterion
by which to judge whether or not there
has been evidence sufficient to con-
vict and right here | wish to make the
distinct charge that some of the
saloons of Hamilton frequently put
forth efforts to influnce the verdicts
of jurors and further that it is because
they knew l am aware of this and that
will prosecute not only for gambling
but also for perjury, is the reason they
D1aLiro cl1ch datarnoipad affort