The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1918-10-04
THE COUNTY AUDIT
COMPLETED


their final report, and the county Of
ficials now for the first time have all
the facts before them, and can take
any action they see fit.
The bonding company are still
held for the losses, and the crimes by
which the losses were. made have
been outlawed. This latter fact has
been and is a source of surprise to
most of the pubic, and considerable
indignation has been expressed over
it. The average man considers that
a crime once committed otherwise
than in the heat of passion should
not out law in a few years If at all.
II o. v. Allen as state treasurer had
been able to steal all the contents Of
the state treasury, and keep the fact
concealed for three years, nobody
could have prosecuted him and his
colleagues for it.
On the other hand it is argued
that If the public do not look after
their interests well enough to dis
cover defaulter within three years,
they ought to lose the privilege of adj
ministering punishment and If they
do not discover shortage in five
years the bonding company ought to
be released. Those are debatable
questions, and if the people want
different laws they have the privilege
of revising them.
One thing emphasized in the aud
itors report is that the greatest
cause for alarm is the rapid growth
of the expense of caring for the poor
in this free land and in these very
prosperous times. The report, pub
lished on page three of this issue,
shows that Bingham county is lame
and extravagant in that respect as
compared with other counties of its
size, and that this expense is doubl-
ing up beyond all reason.
It will be remembered that this
paper has called attention to that
matter for three or four years, and
that last winter we sounded the note
of warning in series of eighteen
chapters in which we pointed out in
detail some Of the gravest wrongs
caring for the poor. We constantly
pointed out the need for cutting off
the unworthy and of providing
enough for those who were in need
and worthy, and we finally gave up
the job because the board of COM
missioners who were and are being
paid for attending to county matters,
did not care to take the time to in
vestigate for themselves, nor accept
our information and act upon it. We
drove all over the county hunting
up people who were drawing money
or goods from the county, investi-
gated their circumstances and habits
of life, their industry or lack of it,
laid much information before the
board land suggested methods by
which they could easily secure first
hand information for themselves,
and were surprised to find that they
were not willing to do the work
necessary to get the matter in hand
as it ought to be, nor had they the
nerve to act with a firm hand when
they knew the facts. They took
stand saying they would rather give
the benefit fthe doubt in doubtful
cases; instead of going out and
learning absolutely what ought to
be done and then doing it.
When the board took that attitude,
this paper threw down the task and
waited for them to hang themselves
in their own way. We have advo-
Gated the better care of roads and
bridges to keep them from getting
into a deplorable condition, but the
board has advocated economy in that
respect. Again they have hung
themselves, for they have expended
about the same amount in the past
year that their predecessors did in
1916, and there never has been SO
much dissatisfaction over bad roads
as there is now. The commissioners
and the road Overseers have either
blundered or they have not been
alive to the changed conditions and
increased demands OF the public re-
garding roads. 1t may be both, but
certain it is that the public mind has
decided to have roads or have kick.
We invite the public to read the
Defenbach report on page three and
to observe that it says, just what
we have been saying for the past
few years, that the increase in taxes
is greatest in those things that are
controlled by the people-themselves
not those controlled by the state
officials, the governor in particular,
and that antiquated and unbusiness
like methods make the service very
expensive and yet very ordinary as
to quality.
We have information leading us
to believe that there is only one
county in the state that is any worse
governed than our own, and more
wasteful of it's money. We have
undertaken the task of making it
the best governed county and the
best place to live, and now that we
have an official report showing what
great need there is for improvement,
we hope we shall hereafter receive
more loyal support in the task.
We hope people will recognize
the truth of the statement
that the newspaper that can
sense the danger and correctly
analyze it before others awake to
the trouble. has won the best right
to be heard in the councils that are
trying to formulate, the remedy.
BILLS AUTO COMPANY NOTES