The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1916-10-27
CHRISTOPHER IS OUSTED
As ASSESSOR OF
CANYON COUNTY

l
lngs instituted by the county board
against A. y. Christopher. Judge
bryan has entered an order removing
| MI Christopher from the office OF
assessor
his action was instituted in June
and was based upon the charge that
Christopher had tailed to make report
OF his collections OF personal property
taxes tor the months OF April, May
and june, 1910.
here is no allegation in the custer
proceeding that Christopher is short
III his accounts and the decision OF
Judge Bryan quoted below makes no
reference to any irregularity except
the mere failure to file the reports at
the time required by law.
Christopher testified at the hearing
that his reason for not making detailed
reports for those months was that
all OF his time and that of his deputies
was required in making the assessment
and preparing the assessment roll,
which work had to be completed be-
fore the first day OF July; that it had
been his custom during previous years
to simply make statement of the
gross amount OF taxes collected dur
ing the rush season and after the an
nual assessment roll had been COM
pleted to then prepare and file the
monthly reports in detail as required
by law.
1t is true, as stated by Judge Bryan,
in his decision that G. b. Ross testi-
fled he had made frequent demands
upon Christopher to file these monthly
reports but Christopher flatly and en-
phatically denied that either Ross or
any other person ever spoke to him
about filing these reports. Christie
pher testified that Ross on numerous
occasions requested him to rush the
. collection of delinquent personal taxes
but that no member of the county
board ever made demand for the de-
tailed monthly reports.
OF course, the Democrats will claim
this decision in the custer case as
adjudication of the charges that Chris
; topher is defaulter, but a reading of
; Judge Bryan's opinion will show that
the matter as to whether or not Chris
topher is short in his accounts is in
no wise involved.
Ben Ross and Griffiths are going
= about the county baWling their heads
. off about the Christopher shortage;
they are claiming that, if reelected,
: they will make the bonding company
come across with 100000 which they
: say Christopher owes the county. Of
: course this is pure political bunk.
There is nothing to base their claim
E upon except the Van Deusen audit
, which everyone knows was bought
= and paid for" an audit which cost the
/. taxpayers $3500O0 and for which they
! will never receive dollar in return.
l Van Deusen's report was made al
I most year ago; it showed that Chris
topher was largely in debt to the
county but the county board and the
county attorney have never had the
t quits" to institute a suit to recover
: the amount claimed to be due from
e either Christopher or the surety COM
5 pany
1 For purely ~olitical and selfish pur-
: poses two criminal prosecutions have
: been instituted against Christopher
and complacent Democratic probate
e judge, himself candidate for re-
a election, has held Christopher to ans
: wer in the district court.
e If Christopher is defaulter as
3 claimed by Van Deusen in his report.
!, why has the county attorney not
h brought suit to recover on his official
y bond? Why does Mr. Griffiths fiddle
e around making charges of embezzle-
: ment instead of proceeding to recover
c the alleged stolen money? He has had
a whole year in which to act and the
e only move in the direction of action
y to recover the money alleged to have
e been Incorporated was that taken
c b" the county commissioners when on
/ September 18th, 1916, an order was en-
l. tered in the minutes to employ Frank
ii Martin RniSa n RI ha
y county attorney in the suit against
It Christopher and his bondsmen and to
pay Martin 5000 for his services.
If The county has already paid Van
d Deusen $500 for his audit, retainer
fee of $3.50 to Frank Martin to assist
the county attorney in the suit against
G. H. Moore and $o50.00 to certain
r Caldwell attorneys for assisting Grit
it fiths in the tax foreclosure cases.
lie The fact of the matter is that the
n Van Deusen audit was essentially fol
e political purposes, it was bought and
'e paid for as such and the county board
l. and the county attorney know thai
= they dare not go to court with it tc
S. sustain the alleged Christopher short
d age. Mistakes without number in the
l. Van Deusen report have been discov.
cred, the board and Griffiths know o.
them and that is why, instead O.
trying to recover the money claimed
ID to be due from Christopher in a civil
~ action, they have started crimina
re prosecutions which they knew coulo
lie not be tried until after the Novembel
is election
B. The people of Canyon county d.
J. not believe that Christopher has eve
lie Intentionally taken single dollar o
r the money belonging to Canyon coun
ty and they will continue to so be
lieve until by evidence it is show,
is otherwise.
d. o. V. Bailey, a Democratic count,
at clerk, was reported by Van Deusen t,
Id be about $4,000 short in his accounts
ne Why was Bailey not prosecuted
ny Why have his bondsmen not bee
sued?
a. Continued on I..+ p.oe