Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1916-11-04
Political Advertising

payer of the north a circular letter
signed, Fl. G. Smith," as candidate
for Probate Judge, which is SO mani
testify unfair and contains such rank
prediction promise from Mr. Smith
that | have deemed 1t matter OF
justice to myself as well as to the
taxpayers of the County to give
them the following facts:
Mr.. Smith says, if elected Probate
Judge he will first abolish the office
of Probation Officer, thereby saving
the taxpayers the expenditure OF
seventy-five dollars month and he
will act as Probation officer him
self and will then be better informed
and able to handle cases Of truancy,
indigency and incorrigibilhy with
more intelligence without the least
neglect and more pleasing to the
parents and public" This statement
admits the necessity for the work
merely a plea to the voters to elect
him, that he may do that work. He
fails to state wherein it win be more
pleasing to the parents and public to
have him do It than to have reg
ularly appointed Probation Officer.
He also fails to state wherein 1t
would be cheaper TO have him do
the work, employing others to do his
work while he attended to the duties
OF Probation Officer. The law does
not contemplate the Probate Judge
being Prosecutor, Judge and Jury all
in one. The Probation Officer lays
these matters before the Probation
Judge, who in this state is the Pro-
bate Judge. 1t would be just as
reasonable to make the DistrctJudge
the Sheriff, first to chase down the
criminals and then bring them before
his Court for trial as it would be for
the Probate Judge 10 act as Proba-
ton officer, and bring delinquents
before himself to be tried. What
chance would person charged with
truancy, indigency or incorrigibility
by f. c. Smith, as probation officer,
have in +. c. Smiths court as Pro
baton Judge? 1t would be a nice
proposition undoubtedly for f. c..
Smith, but looking to the welfare of
the taxpayers, with Mr.. Smith
past record for deputies), and to the
interest of minor children we hardly
believe that Mr.. Smith should receive
any votes on his prediction pro-
mise to abolish the office and per
form the duties himself.
Now, a word as to the Probation
office. This office was petitioned
and re-petitioned to appoint Pro-
baton officer, and upon the filing of
those petitions, and the thoroughly
establishing the fact of the impera-
tive need of Probation officer, one
was appointed. The records of this
office fully justify the petitioners.
There have ben on hundrd sixty -four
probation cases handled during my
administration. Were these records
public or the Probation office or
Judge allowed to disclose what work
hxr hot fNfft n
would show that the work done by
the Probation officer would be second
to no institution In the county,
measured by the benefit to the min
ors, not even excepting our public
schools, and show the impossibility
of the Judge acting as Probation
officer. Owing to the changed con-
ditions in the county, largely due to
months of the efficient work done by
the Probation officers, the necessity
for a probation officer at the present
time is not half SO great as existed
at the time of establishing Of the
office. 1t would be just reflection
on the Probation officer if this were
not the case.
| would rather be defeated for re-
election than to put myslf in the
place that Mr.. Smith has put him
self, to-wit, no matter what the ne
cessity for no matter how ernest the
desire of the votrs or taxpayers OF
the county, they will not have a
Probation officer under his admins
tration. But | have had under dis
cussion for several months the ne
u.nnit,. for continuing the office and