The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1913-05-29

the amount allowed by the commits
sioners paid only half Of the expense
Of making the visits. If this be true,
Mr.. Warren is not properly conduct
ing his Office. The taxpayers have q
right to demand that their officials
should conduct the public business
with the same discretion and good
sense, with which a prudent man
would handle his own affairs. II that
were done by Mr.. Warren, he would
not be sending man to the outlying
parts of the county and then have him
return to Minot after visiting but one
or two schools, but he would have him
stay from three to five days and visit
from eight to fourteen schools before
returning to the county seat. That is
what other county superintendents
are doing, and such procedure would
save much mileage and great deal
Of the deputy's time. II that were
done, Mr.. Warren could do the work
Of his Office with greater efficiency
and at smaller cost to the county;
but, on the other hand, he would not
be making SO much money out of the
mileage. For instance, Edw. Erick-
son, the county superintendent of
Walsh, reports an average cost per
visit of $1.56, while in Ward county it
is nearly $1,000.
Mr.. Warren has the largest Office
force of any county superintendent in
the state. He is allowed all necessary
stationery and postage. The commits
sioners are willing to allow him ten
cents per mile for the distance actual
ly and necessarily travelled by him and
his deputies in the discharge Of the
duties of his Office, but they are not
going to allow unjust and excessive
bills in full just because Mr.. Warren
has sworn to them and has succeeded
in working similar bills through in
past years. Neither does the law re-
quire, nor do the best county superin-
tendents travel around the county to
secure the reports, as Warren's let
ter indicates that he has done and in
tends to do, and there is no reason
why Mr.. Warren and his deputies
should not be able to secure from the
various school boards and to transmit
to the state superintendent every re-
port needed to entitle the county to
receive the state apportionment and
the aid of rural schools, and if any
money is lost to any district in the
county or if the schools of any district
are suffering because of the lack Of
needed attention from the superinten-
dents office, the fault is not that of
the county commissioners, but Mr..
Warren's, and Mr.. Warren's alone,
and no effort of his to saddle the
blame onto the county commissioners
can possibly deceive the intelligent,
thinking citizenship Of Ward County.
The whole trouble is in the attitude
Of the county superintendent. The
commissioners and the states attor-
dents office, the fault is not that Of
the county commissioners, but Mr..
Warren's, and Mr.. Warren's alone,
and no effort Of his to saddle the
blame onto the county commissioners
can possibly deceive the intelligent,
that as long as he swears to the bill
that the commissioners must allow it
in full. Needless to say, such a con-
ney are anxious that the school work
/ 20 on and the commissioners have pro-
vided everything necessary for its sue
cessful continuance, but under their
oath Of Office and the laws, they can
not possibly allow the bills Mr.. War
rem presents in full, and Mr.. Warren
states that unless they do allow them
in full that he will not accept the mile
age and will not continue the visits to
the schools Of the county. He insists
that as long as he swears to the bill
that the commissioners must allow it
in full. Needless to say, such . con-
tention is ridiculous.
Warren claims that these actions
are the result of personal and politi-
cal enmity toward him, but no one
knows better than Warren that this is
untrue, and no one knows better than
/ Warren that every step that has been
taken SO far by the county commits
sioners or by the states attorney has
not only been warranted under the
laws, but that they would have been
derelict in their duty had they failed
to take these actions.
Mr.. Warren also states in his letter
that he has had to pay the expense
of printing and postage for the cir
cular letters sent out, but if the tax
payers will examine the envelope in
which the letters were sent, they will
discover that they are the official