Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-03-22
PLAYS
PART IN STAND
TAKEN BY BOARD
Republicans Refuse to Authorize
Appointment of Assistant
States Attorney.
DEMOCRATS ARE IN FAVOR
Matter Is Buried for Time BY BeIna
Referred TO Judiciary Commit
tee to Investigate.

The board Of supervisors split along
party lines yesterday afternoon for the
first time in many sessions when SUI
pervisor William Elliott of Buffalo
Prairie presented a resolution provid-
Ing for an appropriation Of $4,000 a
year TO pay the salary Of an assistant
to States Attorney F. E. Thompson.
The resolution was seconded by Su-
pervisOr William Trefz. Il set forth
the fact that the upkeep Of the county
jail and the cost Of trying criminal
cases in the circuit court are big IA
tors in the annual expense account Of
the county. The states attorneys Of
fee, the resolution declared, can keep
this expense TO a minimum by
prompt trial of cases and careful su-
pervision Of the duties of the Office. In
order that this might be done with
the most dispatch, it is absolutely nee
essary for the states attorney to have
an assistant as his predecessors have
had for years past.
THOMPSON EXPLAINS.
Mr.. Thompson appeared before the
board in person and explained lust
why an assistant is needed. He ex-
planned in detail how costs pile I'd on
the county and revealed the fact that
while criminal cases are in progress,
the county is put 10 an expense OF
about S25 an hour. To expect him TO
Try cases properly and at the same
time handle the other business that
comes to his Office, is out Of the uues-
ton. Whenever he must take an hour
off 10 handle something out of the
criminal court. it costs the county s25
for the lost hour Further. he explain
ed. with a competent assistant, the
case can be pushed through in much
faster time, and as an illustration of
this he cited the case Of last week
when a man was tried and convicted
of penal Offense in the remarkable |
time Of two hours
Further. unless the board authorizes |
the appointment of an assistant il
gives opposing lawyers in criminal /
cases an opportunity to object TO any
assistant that Mr.. Thompson NAV call F..
in. In several Of the cases tried by /.
Mr.. Thompson at this term of court, /
The court has been asked 10 rule Mr.
associate. William Nc /
Entry, out of the case. This can be
brought up continually. though what
bearing II may have on the legality of .
the convictions has not been deter .
mined.
Mr.. Thompson, with pardonable
pride. pointed out that with the aid of
Hon. William McEniry he had tried
eight criminal cases in the past two
weeks and had secured convictions in
seven Of them.
REPUBLICANS OPPOSE.
The republican members of the .
board seem determined not TO permit
Mr.. Thompson TO have an assistant
Supervisor E. H. McMurphy of Canoe
Greek moved as a substitute 70 the
resolution that the matter be referred .
10 the judiciary committee. with or
ders 10 report back at the next meet .
ing. This carried, the republicans vot-
ing for the substitute and the demo .
cratic members Of the board voting
against IL.
TO CONTINUE INVESTIG ALTON.
The board has decided to continue .
the investigation OF the charges of .
graft in the county, and with that end
Ia view voted yesterday to continue .
the special committee which has con
Quoted the Investigation thus far. This
action was taken after the county
clerk had finished reading the mass
OF testimony secured at the recent
sessions of the graft committee
vote Of thanks was given the SUPER
FIsors and they were instructed to re
tain possession of their records.
The report Of the committee which
accompanied and caused the reading
OF the testimony was adopted BY the
board and placed on file. This reDort
IN way. censures the grand Jury for
failure 10 indict officials other than
Sheriff Bruner. and expresses surprise
that he was indicted for mere mis-
demeanors
THOMPSON INDIGNANT.
While States Attorney Thompson
did not go before the board in regard
to the report, he is indignant neverthe-
.ess at the reflections cast upon the
grand jury and himself in the report.
He went no far as TO brand some Of
the statements IN the report Of the
as being absolutely false.
The report claims" said Mr.. Thomp-
son in an interview, that the commit
tee gave me all the assistance in its
power and furnished myself and the
grand jury with the evidence in some
20 cases against the sherif. This Is
not true. They did not give all the
assistance IN their power. The evI-
dence which they gave to the grand
jury was given expressly on the condi-
ton that II be not turned over 70 ne
or placed IN my hands.
The only thing they gave ne was a
list Of Witnesses who might be called
IN the case, but they attached no !ufor-
nation as 10 what the witnesses had
said before the supervisors committee
nor what they might be expected 10
tell about the subject matter. Fur
Their, z large share OF their testimony
vas 10 g00T as eT-f1a-rz 90 81. 49, .