Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1914-03-06
NOT ONE HONEST MAN.

4
It is certainly gratifying to know
that out Of some thirty or more citizens
OF Clearwater county who have spent
much Of their lives in the timber as
cruisers and estimators, there is net
one, according to County Commits
sjoner Frank Zelenka, who is compe-
tent to work for Clearwater county.
Men like John Swanson and Jack Har
Ian are competent to estimate for the
government or the state, and Gus
CRUDE is competent to cruise and esti-
mate for the state Of Montana, and
these other men are competent to
cruise and estimate for Uncle Sam and
for the state Of Idaho, and all of these
men are competent to cruise and esti-
mate for homesteaders, and all Of them
competent to hold jobs Of this kind
where accurate work is required, but
not one is able to do the work for
Clearwater county, The trouble may
be that our home boys, the cruisers
who live here in our county and pay
taxes here, and who spend their money
with Clearwater county merchants and
butchers and others, are too honest.
Perhaps the men who live here are not
Of the kind that would graft, and per-
haps that is why the work was given
to a Portland man at IL 10 cents per
acre, when competent cruisers Of the
the county would be glad to do the
work for eight or nine cents an acre.
Who knows?
The Republican does not know that
this man Nease is going to divide the
profits with the gang, but this paper
does know that it is believed by many
competent to Judge Of the cost Of the
work that he can afford to pay four or
five cents per acre to the gang for his
contract, and there are some who be-
heve that something like q thousand
dollars township may 60 to somebody
just IS every contractor in New York
had to come across to the Tammany
grafters. The testimony there brought
out the fact that In one case where the
contract was large the grafters de-
.manded $4,000 as their share. And
keep in mind this fact-if there is graft
the thing would need be done in exact
" the way it was done here in Clear
water county.
And here is the whole thing in a nut
shell. The Republican voices the SEN
timent Of about all the people in the
county, il not all, when it says that
there is no difference Of opinion about
the estimate. The Republican believes
this Is entirely proper and right, and
for the reason that the timber compan-
les should pay their just proportion OF
the taxes. The county should know
what fair valuation is, and this knowl-
edge cannot be gained without an hon.
est cruise. But why run all over the
Pacific Coast at the expense Of the tax
payers Of Clearwater county, under the
guise Of investigating Mr.. Nease, and
Ill the while it was known in Portland
that Nease was to have the contract?
Was the trip to Portland just ruse to
give the deal an aspect OF decency?
Why was not the same effort made in
behalf Of others who might have bid,
and who may be just as honest?
They tell US that they are to put Mr..
Nease under bonds. Will a bond pro-
tect the county? John Swanson or any
Of the other home boys were ready to
put up bonds.
Mr.. Zelenka himself, when trying to
explain how the interests Of the people
were to be protected in case his man
Nease happened to be crooked, as he
Is reported to be, explained that the
county proposed to put checkers, !"
that is, other cruisers in the field and
have them 60 over the work behind
Mr.. Nease and his imported cruisers
and check up the work. Then there is
some chance that Nease may not be de-
pended on, and must be checked up.
Very well. And why could the home
boys not be checked in case they had
been given the work at eight or nine
cents an acre?
But, remember, that all this is to
be paid for out Of the county funds,
and that Mr.. Nease is to get IL 1-2
cents per acre for his cruise. Who is
to pay for the ''checkers?" Mr.. Nease
is to get 5000. Even il the checkers
do only third Of the original cruising,
which would be Of questionable
value, their services will be worth, on
the basis Of the Nease contract, some
5000, or 1000 for the job.
The question then arises, who is to
check the checkers?j Why not continue
the thing indefinitely, or until there
are jobs for everybody who votes the
Blake ticket swallows Blake brand Of
Democracy, and for all who will take
nourishment through a Blake nipple?
The thing is easy. Here it is:
Raise more money by taxation to nav