The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1913-02-07

save tie NOuuty HOHCy.
Publication of commissioners pro-
ceedings, condensed in clear, concise
statements showing just what was
done about each matter, and this pub
lished in one issue of paper of gen
eral circulation in the county, is
what is needed
The trouble with the present law
and custom is that it is published for
two issues. the second being unnec-
essary, and that it is not usually
condensed and put in from so that
| it is easily read and easily under
stood. There is a shameful waste of
energy in setting the extra amount of
type, and it becomes a. damage by
being an obstruction to the reader.
Commissioners Cry "Graft"
When the county commissioners
convention was in session in Boise
in December, they spent a great deal
of time abusing the press for the big
printing bills of the year. The mem
bers from one county said it had cost
$4,000 to publish the proceedings,
and they knew that was unreasonable.
Others had grievances less remark
able but the concensus of opinion was
that they ought to go back home and
beat the publishers away down on
their prices. They made no investi-
cation to see if the fault was their
own, but here is the condition res
ponsible for a large part Of their
trouble.
Commissioners were Guilty.
In the case of the four thousand
dollar outrage mentioned, the pub
Usher had a contract to publish the
proceedings at stipulated price per
column inch, and it was the duty of
the county clerk to furnish him the
COPY. When the clerk had the min
,utes written in the minute book he
caused carbon copies to be made, and
without any extra work to himself or
his office force he handed these car
bon copies to the publisher. Every
thing was written out like a contract
with all the legal verbiage and re-
petitions to make it absolutely bind
ing, It should have been rewritten
and condensed about ten fold, but 1t
was not natural for the publisher to
press this matter when he had such
a contract, so he courted the clerk
for as much in volume as he could
get. The clerk even made all con-
tracts entered into by the board a
part of the minutes. and all the Of
fetal bonds of officers, and these were
published with all the appended af-
fidavits and endorsements, when
merely a line or two showing that
such bonds were filed and approved
was all that should have been publish
ed. It was a shameful graft, and the
board should have been impeached
for allowing it, but they went to
Boise and censured the press in gem
eral for that unreasonable expense
bill. County boards all over the
state were committing that kind of
offense in smaller degree. and no en-
ample of a more purely stupid and
wasteful use of public money can be
shown nor is the press responsible
for it. County boards and county
clerks are. open to censure for not
having the reports condensed. and
the statute, lame as it Is, says it
shall be "a brief report"
Commissioners Lacked Sense.
An instance has come to light in
which the publisher has taken the
contract of publishing the proceed
ings at a small lump sum per year
and has been furnished with the ex-
tended report in carbon copy and
has been required to publish it that
way, denying him the privilege OF
condensing it. Appealing to the sta
tute for guidance for the publisher
the board ruled that as 1t had been
the custom to do it wrong they would
require the publisher to follow Gus
tom and not the law. T..
Commissioner Impeachable o.
T. All OF the new county boards that
went into office on the b13th of
January were ambitious to establish
record for economy, and it was not
able, that all of them had an eye, on
the press, One board spent part of
each day until Friday trying to beat
down the price Of a printer, but in
the meantime called for bids from
druggists. and accepted the bid that
was highest by three hundred percent.
Another board equally hostile to the
nroas rafusad IN nav a gtenOgrapher