The Washington times., 1915-01-20
AUDITOR DENTS ATTACK

of the Supreme Court of the Dis
trict, holds, by appointment of the
court, position in which his re-
muneration comes in the form of
fees. 1t is stated and commonly un-
derstood to be a fact, that this re-
muneration amounts to easily twice
the sum for which thoroughly COM
petent service could be had on sal
ary basis.
A bill is pending in Congress to
place the office on a salary basis,
with $4,000 salary.
The Washington Times has here
tofore expressed the opinion that
the bill should pass. 1t has urged
that the fee system is obsolete and
bad; that it provides easy pickings
for fortunates who have good ap-
pointments, and compels the patrons
of such offices to pay unduly. The
Times has pointed out that the ten
dency is all toward abolition of fees
and substitution of salaries. Fee
Offices have well-nigh become un-
known in counties and cities in pro-
gressive> States;, State offices that
formerly were paid in fees have
been widely placed on the salary
basis; the number of Federal offices
compensated in this way has been
vastly reduced.
In short, the fee system has beer
recognized as. demoralizing and
anachronistic. Why should it be re,
tanned for the benefit of Mr.. Dent, at
the expense of ;litigants in the loca
courts? One of the chief objections
constantly voiced against present
methods Of administering justice ir
this country is the high expense.
Mr.. Dent is out in little pamph
let, neatly printed and bound, de-
Tending the present system, and alse
attacking critics of'this system. HI
makes the mistake of indulging per
sonalities in stating his case; of as
suming that wicked and ulterior mo
tives have actuated the people who
want this system abolished; and ht
intimates that some of them have
been responsible for this papers at
titude.
In this, it seems needless to say
Mr.. Dent is entirely in error. Tn,
Times has been opposed to the fe.
system because it is opposed to tht
fee system; not because it is hostil,
to Mr.. Dent. 1t has not been in
fluenced in this regard by anybod,
or any consideration aside from it,
own convictions. 1t has written ant
said what it pleased, and not wha
anybody else wanted it to write an,
say. That's little way The Time
has.
Mr.. Dent charges that associa
tions of citizens have been adoptin,
resolutions in favor of the legisla
ton to abolish the fees in his office
We should think they would; thei
activities in that direction reflec
the very proper purpose of safe
guarding public interest. The Time
feels complimented to have it init
mated that its attitude has in
fluenced these expressions of opir
ion; it hopes it is quite as infiuentis
as Mr.. Dent alleges. Precisel
wherein Mr.. Dent expects
strengthen his case by chargin
that citizens associations have bee
somehow improperly influenced
? not very clear. His outgiving seem
J merely to be an advertisement {
J the fact that representative instrl
ments of local sentiment are again.
him.
The attacks and innuendos whic
|, Mr.. Dent INDUCES against variol
{ people have been resented and vi,
orously denied; notably by Mr.. Wi
ton Lambert and the officials of IL
S Munsey Trust Company. 1t occul
, to suggest that the publication ,
such document by an official of Il
( coFt is a decided breach of the pr