The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1917-07-14

as well before the adjournment of the
senate as two or three weeks after
ward. Consider that, If the senate
shall refuse to remove, or fail to take
action before it's adjournment that
no suspended officer shall suffer any
loss Of salary or othe rcompensation
'in consequence of such suspension.
The following officers were suspended
during June: The compensation of
the first four is from their reports to
the comptroller for the year ending
June 30th, 1915: Roeseh, clerk circuit
court, Manatee county, gross income
$S954.69, net income $33S3.92; Dow
ling, sheriff Duval county, gross in
come $37,183.82, net income $4,000. 40;
Carter, sheriff Citrus county, gross in.
come $5214.1S, net income $1346.37;
King, sheriff Clay county, gross in
come 03614, 37a net $1552.51.
"The following named suspended Of
ficers were salaried. The amount op.
posite their names shows the salary
which would be due them on the ad-
journment of the next senate. The
date of the expiration of their com
missions is considered, when such
dates antedate the adjournment OF the
next senate:
Thomas, superintendent convfcts,
$1,000; Hanshaw, superintendent con-
victs, $4,000; Messer, hotel commits
sioner, $4791; Endel. inspector chem
ical division, $4,000; McKinnon, In
spector chemical division, $2875. The
gross compensation of the suspended
officers who are paid by fees is $108,-
581.62. Their net compensation is
$25, ,18184. The total salary of the
suspended officers is $14,666. The to-
tai gross compensation and salary of
the suspended officers is $123, 1882.
Their total net compensation and sal
ary is $39,4S7.S4.
my recollection is that it has been
the custom of the legislature to award
the total gross loss Of salary or other
compensation If the senate does not
approve of these suspensions the peo-
pie Of the state will have to pay out
some money. All of the suspensions
were made without hearing The
supreme court stated there may be
cases in which the public interest
would suffer 'grievous detriment' by
postponing the suspension until after
the hearing
I'm all these cases the presumption
is .grievous detriment' would have oc-
Cured had there been a hearing
"Some citizen or citizens prefer the
charges. The governor acts as judge
and jury. The senate is the appellate
court with power to try the case de
novo, summoning witnesses. Even
when Judge Lynch presides, the sus-
pected criminal, before lynching, is
told of the specific nature of the
charge, the time place and circum-
stance In civilized countries no one
is punished for the general charge Of
murder, larceny, as officers have been
punished under the general charge of
'malfeasance,' 'misfeasance.'
Before the convening Of next
senate, a governor might seour the
country for new specifications. The
first duty of the next legislature
should be to enact a law, whereby an
officer, before being punished with
suspension would be placed on at
least equal terms with the worst
criminal in the state. In suspending
an officer the governor should be re-
I-quired to put the officer on notice
as to the particular nature, time, place
and circumstance of his misconduct
The governor should be required to
give the suspended officer hearing
before removal. provided the public
interest would not suffer 'grieVous
detriInent' thereby. The governor
should be required to give a hearing