Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1915-01-15

cheney exists it is always in danger of
degenerating into graft. The dishon-
est officer likes the inefficient kind of
government because it enables graft
to be carried on without detection.
This was in Iowa, but it is juts as
board of supervisors of Westchester
County, New York, according to
Frank S. Hoffman, chairman of the
New York State Conference for Better
County Government, appropriated for
expenses in their own department the
sum of $25, 600.
The county treasurer's report show
ed that tout of this appropriation
there was expended 1872, 900 and an
investigation of the books showed that
the sum actually spent was SOS, 600!
The superintendent of the poor was
allowed in the appropriations the sum
of ST., 200. The treasurer accounted
for $108, 600 on this appropriation, and
the books showed an actual expendi-
ture of $118, OOO-a hundred and one
thousand dollars more than the sum
voted this office!
This is in New York, but l opine
from the statements of Mr.. Winston
Paul, secretary of the Citizens Fed
Grafton of Hudson county, New Jer-
sey, that if conditions. are not just as
bad in that state it is because New
Jersey county officers are not so enter
prising.
Mr.. Bailey B. Burritt, general
agent for the New York Society for
Improving the Condition of the Poor,
says: II am more or less optimistic
about county government, but my
optimism grows out of the fact that
at the present time it is about as bad
as it can be, anda ny change we be
for the BETTER Are the voters of
the counties dishonest? Are the aver
age officials of the counties fools or
grafters? By no means. They aver
age as high in honesty and ability as
officers generally. They are simply
trying to govern without the proper
tools of government, and under con-
ditions which make it profitable for
dishonest men to try very hard to get
into Office. If you make the condi-
tions favorable for burdock, burdock
will spring up; if you make the con-
ditions favorable for thievery and
favoritism, these things will spring
uo.
Commission government for cities
has shown that corruption in public
affairs in this county depends very
largely on the form of government
adopted. 1t would be the same in
corportion if the corporate government
was carried on along lines of the or
binary county government. Corpora
tions have to be governed honestly,
or the dividends cannot be paid; so
there has grown up in corporate
government the system of having a
board of directors elected by the peo-
pie to do the legislating for the con-
Germ, and to hire the general manager
and other officers to carry out the
policies of the board. The commits
sion form of government for cities is
an application of this system to city
government-and it works.
Can the commission form of govern
ment be adapted to county needs?
Los Angeles county, California,
has already adopted it.
In my opinion we shall never get
the worth of our road funds, our poor
funds, our bridge funds, our general
funds, or any of our funds, nor shall
we get the kind of government of
which we shall have reason to be
proud, until we adopt something like
the commission form of government
for counties.
And finally, how's your county
government? Are you proud of it?
Is it efficient? Is it honest? And if
not, what's the remedy, if have not
the remedy?