The daily sentinel., 1913-02-17
Februarv Is. 1919.

Z To The Sentinel:
In an editorial OF the Daily News
of January 80, in sneaking of the
county officers RELIEF bill, the fol-
lowing statement was made:
Many men accepted these offices
because the addition of the fees to
the salary allowed made it possible
for them to do so, and in many in
stances the counties secured more ef-
ficient services because Of this fact. I"
The Daily News. prior to the
above referred to editorial, also stat
ed that, by reason Of this county not
being county of the third class.
certain public Officials were justified
1 in demanding and retaining more
money than the law allowed to coun-
\ ties of the fourth class for carrying
on certain county offices. 1t is not
l the intention of the writer nor his
inclination to go into the merits of
the county officers relief bill nor to
make personal attacks on anyone
However, do not agree with the
sentiment, meaning and inference
which must logically follow from
such statements.
| | maintain that such a stand Is
against common sense. law and good
morals. If what the paper says is
true, then we must have two sets of
rules to guide us--One for county Of
\ ficials Ga public onel and a different
rule for business Ia private one) a..
| If the county Official after taking
his oath, giving his bond and volun-
I tarily assuming mis- office and duties,
decides that he is overworked and
underpaid. he hems himself to as
much of the public funds coming in
to his hands as he secs fit.
Let us apply this 10 a private bust
ness: The man WHO is overworked
and underpaid. or thinks he is, de-
oides to help himself to the funds of
his employer. Here. we as a public
condemn him and demand that he
suffer the penalty OF the law for his
act. Wherein lies the distinction
| There is none.
Now, the truth OF the matter that
the salary of public official has
little or nothing to do with his obey
ance of the law: What is enough
and plenty for one public official is
only a teaser for another. Salary is
not a criterion for honest and eff
cient service. If the public leaves
the matter to the OFFICIAL as to what
his salary should be, then 1t is en-
tirely a question of what the official
decides he is entitled to, and he helps
himself accordingly.
| wish to inform the public that
do not place the blame upon the
official; but | will place the blame
just where it should be-upon the
public. There is little or no use of
having set of rules to guide Off
cials in the exercise of their duties,
II public sentiment is not for them
Theoretically, law o supposed to be
strictly enforced: practically, only
that part of the law which is in ac-
cord with the sentiment of public
views receives any consideration.
For instance: Nearly everybody
knows that the county commissioners
of this county for the past 25 years
have drawn more than the salary al
lowed by law. The state auditors
report for Mesa county for the years
1909 and 1910 1.-THE report for 1911 |
and 1912 not yet being on file here)
shows that the county commissioners
oN erdrew their legal salaries for the
two years something like 500 in
the aggregate. This report also in
dicates that the road bills are in bad
form-no details given, and do not
state if work was performed on the
road, in what district, or when, etc,
etc. No one, so far as ! know, has
ever made any public statement cen
suring the way in which our county
commissioners have conducted the
county business in the past. Thou
sands of dollars are expended annu-
ally through the road fund. This
fund is the political pork barrel /of
Mesa county, and The funds are man
ipulated in such a way that WILL in
the minds of the politicians, most
promote the interests of political ma
chinery.
Now, if the public of Mesa county
is not interested and does not care to
enforce the law relating to the sal
airy of the commits iioners, and does
not care to look into the distribution
of the road funds why should it be
interested in other matters not one
half so important and where the
Gums illegally appropriated are not
nearly so large.
To say that, If public sentiment is
in accord with this method of CON
ducting county bus ness, then it must |
be right, is stating conclusion that /
| cannot agree with. Newspapers
need not always inform the public of
facts as they exist; but, when they
try to cover up the truth and to
commend and support public officials
who are not conducting official af-
fairs in accordance with statutory
law, then, as citizen of this com
munity, consider II my duty as well
as my privilege to take exception
thereto.
What is everybody's business is
nobody's business. Without the sup
port of the press and citizens public
spirited enough to expose the loose
methods of conducting public affairs
as they exist in this or in any other
community, nothing can ever be ac-
oomplished. If sufficient public sem
timent can be aroused to create a de-
niand from a majority of the people
that public officials must comply
" Ii il the ia ", the !; !: thau will and not
before. You may call grand juries