Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1914-02-20
Salaries for County Officers.

- ~ ~ SO $1,000
fixed, which rates are to last until the
legislature fxes the salaries, and then
they are TO be adjusted Il the rate
fixed by the legislature. 1t Is lucky
for the commissioners that lone Of
them can be q candidate for a county
office at the next election, for after
such a gross misapproprlatlon Of the
public moneys they would have a hard
time making the voters believe they
had the interest Of the public in view
in their official acts.
II might be we'll to here consider
the conditions that generally govern
wages or salaries: The highest paid
man is the one who has to use his
brains, exercise judgement and dis
erection, and where there is a spice Of
personal danger to life and limb,
there will be a further addition.
Proportionally the commissioners OBJ
served this rule, and gave the sheriff
the highest pay; the next class is
where there Is much work, and the
worker has, properly to fulfill the du-
ties Of his office, to exercise Judge
ment and discretion, and have a wide
knowledge regarding affairs; to this
class the assessor belongs; a third
class is where the work is purely
mechanical, but owing TO the amount
of 1t the holder of the office has to
possess a certain amount Of executive
ability; to this class belongs the coun-
ty clerk; the fourth class is where the
work is purely mechanical, and all
that is required Of a man is that he
has learned this trade. and is honest,
the latter qualification is not alb
solutley essential, for the county in
sures honesty in all its officers by pay
ing a premium to a bonding company,
who insures their honesty, and II
they prove dishonest makes good the
~defalcation, to this latter class be-
longs the county treasurer.
With four chances the commission
ers hit the mark once, and gave the
sheriff the highest pay, but much too
high. The sheriff is given $4,000 for
his personal services, and is allowed
an under sheriff at 81 200, office de-
putty at 5000, jailor at $1,000, and a
guard for Jail at 81 ,02O. Sheriff Nc
Grath is not an ordinary sheriff. He
has given more of his personal atten-
ton to the Office than any sheriff
Grant county ever has had. Ordin-
arlly the under sheriff is the sheriff,
does most Of the work, is exposed to
the most danger, and has more C
casions to use discretion and good
judgement. The pay a good under
sheriff will work for, with a slight
addition to uphold the dignity of the
ONCE, is the pay a sheriff should get
The county clerk was allowed a SAL
airy of $4,000 per year, and was allow
ed a deputy at 81 200 per year. 1t is
hard to Ok an allowance for deputy
for this Office, as the need of a deputy
d. depends on the amount Of work that
comes in. A sliding scale might be
arranged for.
The treasurer and collector, who
should get the least pay, receives 49,
500 a year, standing next to the
sheriff. The present collector is now
paying 81, 500 a year for doing all the
work OF the ofice, and draws $1,000
simply for being treasurer. OF course
the time and the work Of the present
treasurer is worth much more than
49, 500 a year, when 1t is devoted to
WORK of his class, but no matter how
much ability a nan has he cannot
earn more than two dollars a day on =
two dollar job.
The assessors pay is entirely out Of
proportion to that Of the other Of
ficers. He is allowed $1,000 and a
deputy at 81, 200.
All the other officers are on salaries
which were provided for by tbs legIs-
lature when New Mexico vas a ter
rltory. The only change is In the
county commissioners, who formerly
drew for milage, which is prohibited
by the constitution, but they are al
lowed their actual expenses while alb
sent from home, attending the meet
ings.
AS regards pay the Grant county Of
ficers are on a par with the state Of
ticers, and they certainly are not OF
the same class.
The hard headed farmers down In
the Mimbres valley would not stand
for such exhorbitant salaries for the
county officers. The following table
shows the pay allowed In both coun.
ties:
Grant Luna
Sheriff, 1000 $500
Clerk, 5000 1900
Treasurer, $500 $3.50
Assessor, 5000 $3.50
0I3.500 all,OOO