The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1916-10-20

county. It is not lawful for commits
sioners to buy instruments for a
county surveyor, and if they did SO,
such instrument would belong to the
county and not to the surveyor.
Optimist Defended Him
In the next issue of The Optimist
after we made demand for the return
of the county property by Surveyor
Christensen, The Optimist editor
stated that Mr.. Christensen had been
in Blackfoot that week and had adj
mitted that he had the stadia rod
and the books and that he had talked
also with his successor in office and
had stated to him that he would turn
the property over if it was wanted.
The editor of The Optimist then
charged that the editor of The Re-
publican was peeved at A. e. Chris
Jensen about some personal transac-
ton, and that that was the reason
the charge had been made. This was
not true but was published in an eff
fort to discredit Editor Trego and
thus to call the peoples attention
away from Christensen confession
that he had the property as charged.
History of the Case
At the October meeting OF the
county commissioners, 1914, Commits
sioner e. NJ Kennedy twitted Sur
veyor A. E. Christensen with having
ordered goods charged to the county
| that were for his personal use, and
stated that it was his understanding
| that surveyors furnished their own
instruments the same as carpenters
furnished their tools. This converse
ton occurred after adjournment and
while Commissioners Kennedy and
FackreH and Editor Trego and others
were in the room. Mr.. Christensen
stated with warmth that he had fur
nished his own instruments too long
already and that the county would
have to supply these things from now
on. No further objections were made
to the bill and it was paid out of the
county treasury and the books and
instruments thereby became the prop
erty of the county. At the close of
the administration this paper called
upon the outgoing officials to turn
over all property in their possession,
to their successors in office, and we
called particular attention to the
danger of plows, scrapers and other
tools used in road work, and lumber
for bridges, being left or stored with
individuals and no record made OF
them and in that way might be lost
to the county. We suggested that
the commissioners-elect get a COM
plete inventory of all county property
of every kind and thus establish a
basis for responsibility for property
in their stewardship, Some OF the
officials acted on the suggestion and
said it was right. Mr.. Christensen
did not act upon it, and after wait
ing three months for him to complete
any unfinished records that he might
wish to do at home, we investigated
learned that he had not yet listed
nor turned over the particular goods
Lought for him in October, and when
we made demand for it, The Optimist
admitted that he had them, but abus-
ed us for letting the public know
| it.
There Are More
When the editor of The Optit1ist
has admitted or denied the instance
given above, where he defended
something irregular, improper, waste
full of public funds and where money
was expended for property that
should have been paid for by the Of
fetal personally or If paid for by
the county should have been turned
over to the county, we shall then take
pleasure in citing him to six other
| Instances in the three preceding
months of that year where he de-
Tended officials whose acts were
wrong, wasteful and shameful, and a
reproach upon their record. When
The Optimist shall have faced it's own
disgraceful record in these matters OF
1915 we shall then take up their
record of the year 1914, and show
them in one chapter at time with