Imperial Valley press., 1912-01-30
CONSIDER COUNTY CHARTERS

~ The San Bernardno sun thus
speaks of charters:
Whether county charters shall ul-
timately become general or not, the
opportunity 10 obtain them is attract
ing general attention, although the
moving cause is by no means always
the same Fresno county is the latest
to get the subject forward i'll some.
thing of an official way. Among
number Of recommendations made by
the grand jury of that county, which
has just filed its report after an un'
usually lengthy session, it includes a
county charter, specifying at least
three features of county activity IN
which improvements could be made,
namely:
A general purchasing agent for all
supplies for the county
A competent road commission.
Election of supervisors at large.
The latter suggestion meets with
some limitations in the constitutional
amendment adopted, for it provides
that under charters supervisors must
be elected for districts, although they
may be voted for by the entire coun-
ty. That is to say, if under charter
in this county we had five superyisoral
districts. a member of the board must
be selected from each district TO rep
resent it. although the whole county
may vote as to who the representative
shall be.
Taking up the subject, the Fresno
Republican voices some suggestions
that are likely to come forward for
discussion in this county, as the char
ter campaign progresses:
The original proposal to have coun-
ty charters arises solely from objec-
tions to having them drawn at Sacra-
mento. but while we are about char
ter building we will doubtless make
some radical changes in the system
of offices. For one thing, the spirit Of
the times which is calling for a sim
plifed form of city government will
also affect the county charter move
ment. Counties, as well as cities,
may have business managers" and
be business like in their system of
conserving the tax payers money.
This can be approved both by reforms
Of the county legislative body (the
board of supervisory, and by differ
ent methods of appointment of ad-
ministrative officials.
Schemes of simplified county gov
eminent are numerous, and all should
be carefully examined into. Some of
them provide for election Of the board
Of supervisors by districts as at pres
ent, some for election from districts
by the voters at large, and some for
election without any reference to dis
tricts whatever. Some of the schemes
call for appointment of practically all
the county ministerial offices, some
suggest various lists of elective and
appointive officials, with a view to
make some offices, such as district at
torney, popular" and some, such as
county clerk and tax collector, purely
appointive on bond, on the theory that
they should be purely clerical in their
way of doing business and should not
be compelled to make long and eX-
pensive campaigns for office In the
recent constitutional amendment pro
yiding for the charters, the legislature
restricted the number of offices that
can be made appointiye, but gives
some latitude 10 the discretion of The
charter makers.
1T may be accepted, however, that
the charter as finally formed will TO
a large degree accept the idea of
the shorter ballot noting that some
Offices, such as district attorney, audi
tor and superintendent of schools, are
very much invested with popular in