The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1916-12-07
STEAM ROLLER
RUNS WILD AT
COUNTY SEAT
Commissioners Clements and
McNeill Halt at Nothing till
Court Intervenes
BONDS ARE ISSUED AND SOLD
Have Been Carefully Planning Deal
Under Guidance of Spokane
and Seattle Attorneys

In the face of the prosecuting attor-
ney's advice that he did not know
whether the board of county commits
sioners as sitting was legally consti-
tuted or not, denying the right Of tax
payers to protest, utterly disregard
ing all established rules of procedure,
and overriding the objections of the
third member and the clerk of the
board, Commissioners j. B. Clements
and A. G. McNeill, in less than half
an hour last Monday, railroaded thru
a s125, 900 court house bond issue, sold
the bonds, obligated the county to de-
liver them and had they not been halt
ed by order of the court they would
doubtless have purchased site and
let the contract for the building before
recessing for lunch.
From facts CLEANED from the Of
fetal proceedings of the board it is evi-
dent that while outwardly pretending
to be carrying on negotiations for re-
newing the lease on the present court
house building, the two commissioners
have in fact been secretely planning
for several weeks to build a new one In
defiance to the wishes of the majority
of the taxpayers. Their plans had been
carefully laid under the guidance OF
capable attorneys of Spokane, Seattle
and New York. No detail had been
overlooked even to the lithographing
of the bonds. Altho the bonds were
not in evidence at the meeting the bill
for their preparation was and it is
understood that they at that time had
already been signed by Clements and
registered by Treasurer Harper and
lacked only the signature of County
Auditor Syfford to be ready for de-
livery. And that they are not today
in the hands of the prospective buyers
is probably due to the fact that Mr..
Syfford refused to become a party to
the deal.
Altho Commissioner F. L. Bash
fought the proposed issue from start
to finish and registered a negative vote
on every motion he was powerless to
stay proceedings.
Immediately after the board con-
vened Monday morning Auditor Syf-
ford informed the commissioners that
E. G. Houston, commissioner-elect
from the Prosser district, had on Sat
urday filed his bond with the county
clerk and his oath of Office with the
auditor, and that it was his (Syford's)
opinion that A. G. McNeill was nc
longer commissioner.
Then the first round started, with
Clements, McNeill, County Clerk Dele
Attorney Fristoe, R. E. Pratt, com
missioner-elect from this district, anc
F. r. Jeffrey as the principal partici.
pants (E. C. Houston was nowhere IN
sight). w. w. Zent, who was one Of
the attorneys who had framed the
court house deal, contended that Hous
ton was not eligible to qualify unit
January 8. Fristoe, however, deliver
ed an opinion to the effect that he hat
fully investigated the law and wa
convinced that inasmuch as Houston
was elected to fill the unexpired tern
of E. j. Ward, he was eligible to taxi
office at that time.
Then the battle ragged around tn
question of whether or not Houston
had really qualified. Clerk Dele wa
called in and said that at first he ha,
refused to approve the sureties VIII
had signed the bond until it had beel
signed by Mr.. Pratt, then he had ap
proved it but as to sureties only. MI
Jeffrey said he had looked at the bon
that morning and that it bore the ap
prval signature Of Mr.. Dele and tina
the words "as to sureties only" ha
been inserted after he had seen it j
the clerks office.
Prosecuting Attorney Fristoe sal
altho he had filled out the blanks j
the bond for Mr.. Houston he was nc
sure that the bond was in proper forl
and that he could neither approve nc
disapprove it as to form. He aske
that he be given time to investigai