The daily sentinel., 1913-11-19
a. G. NEWTON.l


The entire lack of common sense
in the method Cor lack of method)
that prevails in the present system
of enacting laws is no more forcibly
illustrated than in the matter OF the
salaries of county officials and the
classes into which the several coun-
ties are divided, and it will probably
not be bettered great deal until
there is a body of men chosen to
draft a new code. Every legislature
will look at the matter in different
/ light and, as the majority of the
members are new men, nothing is ac-
complished in any session.
The salary of county commission
ers and county superintendent are
instances. In all counties but sec
ond class the salary of the former is
S5 per day with $500 dollars per
year extra for the supervisor of the
poor in counties of the third class;
5000 in the fourth class. and so on
down. In second class counties they
are allowed IS per day for every day
/ in the year. IL they work that many
days, but such counties are confined
to El Paso, Pueblo, Teller and Weld.
Denver is the only first class county,
and it is working under a special
charter. Teller county is bankrupt
because it is kept in that class.
In order to provide more salary
for our commissioners 1t was neces-
sary to place the county in a second
class, which would make the salaries
of the other officials far above our
ability to pay, and out of all propor-
ton TO the work they are required to
do, as compared with the other large
counties. This is also the case as to
the superintendent, which office was
specially classed years ago and To-
Gates Mesa in the third class with a
salary of $1,000.
Mesa county after 1914 will be in
the third class, but that will not af-
feet these two offices because the
commissioners salary is the same,
except an additional hundred dollars
to the overseer of the poor, and the
superintendent was already in the
third class. Because the senate at
the last session passed the general
classification bill, the special bills
changing the classification were
killed, and bill that passed the
house, classifying the county super
intendents so that Mesa would pay
1000 per year was killed by failure
of consideration in the senate: the
committee recommended that it pass
and it never was heard of again, for
lack of time in the final jam.
There were bills passed changing
the salaries of county Judge, and CIV
ing him clerk and stenographer,
by which this county will pay $2,7OO
to the judge and he will have a clerk
at salary not to exceed 81 300,
which will do away with the troubles
of that official in the past. The only
way In which the commissioners and
superintendents can be re-classified
is by special act classifying all
counties, as was done at the last ses-
sion as to the judges and was at
tempted as TO superintendents.
This is often difficult, as many rep
resentatives insist that there are
plenty of men willing to serve at the
present salaries and they court the
| favor of the public by the economy
racket, keeping their counties in
classes lower than the population re-
quirements. | believe all the pres
ent third class counties were desir-
GUS of paying the increase to the
commissioners by fixing it at $1,000,
as well as the raise of the superin-
tendents. In most of them there has
been trouble along the same lines as
we have had in Mesa county. The
commissioners can not do the work
In 100 days absolutely required and
have charged for time devoted to
committee work. No one believes
that they have wilfully taken any
money. and the only thing fair would
be to require refunding of amounts
above the legal salary, and not a
criminal Indictment.
What this county and many others
need is a more stable legislature
hndY of men who have been in the