The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-23
THE COUNTY ENcIsn noAnn.

THE COUNTY EXCISE BOARD.
It ia highly gratifying that the county cSciec
board has at last reached an amicabc agree
mcnt with tho city officials For this con.
summation after much travail, tho public Of
tho county. az we understand IL. has to thank
County Clerk Lawson FOR moving a r"consd-
tration OF the previous question aud County
1peasuror Dickey for taking the lead In moving
for the Increased levy.
Mere was evidenced common sense ana dia-
passsonatc reason for which the public should
be duly grateful Such broad nindcdncas is
gratifying.
The rrcord made by the excise board during
the past week should convince everyone Of tho
impractcabnty OF having a board Of county
officials acting tho guardian OF the city gov
crnment To elect body OF men 10 administer
tho affairs Of the city ana then countcnance a
law which enables few county officials TO
make the administration Of the city officials "a
complete failure. is not local aof- government
at all.
The record shows that the county budget was
adopted practically as preacntcd that such
changes ~ made were secured by n suggestion
10 the interested department head that he or che
make another honest effort to reduce the figures
offered Yet when II camo TO the city budget
therc was n Wllu, pte1uuNtu, unichHonlhg hldHn-
ing without consulting at all with the official
or officials having in charge that particular
branch OF government
The question naturally arisca who Ia best
qualified to Judge tho requirements OF the po-
lice department. Mr.. Commissioner Adklson or
Mr. County Attorney seavcrf Addison is
charged by thc law ne serves to administer
the police department.; Seavcr by the law he
serves TO- administer the laws OF tho county
Yet aeaver has the assurance TO tell Adkison
that he, Scayer, Gould take some member
OF the police department and half-dozen men
and enforce the law better than Addison has.
II Is difficult to discuss patiently such absurd
ogotlsm. one s tempted to ask Mr.. County
Attorney scover to show hls reputation as a
county law enforcer. The world has boen lit
orally bombardcd with complaints Of law viola
tions throughout the county--places directly
and strictly under the jurisdiction OF the county
attorney II rarely receives complaint OF an
illicit or illegal place OF busncss within the
jurisdiction OF the police department The
mere fact that road houses are flourishlng out
side the city is tho best possible evidence that
there II no comfort for such within the city
Tho county attorney should put his own home
IN order before he crlucizes the police depart
mcnt.
cut. but In common sonse and doconcy tho fact
should have been as,or~iine1 by reason and
not by prejudice The public Is rather thor
oughH alive to tho fact that tho county attor-
ney from the very first has cvinccd a much
more jealous desire to dscredit the city ad-
mlnistratlon and the police department than
he has TO enforce impartlally the laws Of the
state.
Petty jealousies and intrgucs are at the bot
tom OF the difficulty. The excise board should
have asked the city officials To revise thcir esu
mates and bring them down to the lowest pos
sibe poin; consistent with the general need OF
economy and the conservative interests OF tho
city Then Il should have granted the budget
as presented. Because the responsibility rests
with the city officials to both raise and spend
the money
Such responsibility does not rest with the
county officals--mrthcr than 20 be intelligent
iy guided by the requests and prcsentments OF
the city officials. u there are Interested private
cabals behind thia matter then such cabals
should have been asked to step ont into the
open make their prosentmont before the board
and permit the board as a whole to iutelllgcnuy
and in the open decide the matter 10y recorded
vote. For any member of tho excise board to
permit himself to he mado a catspaw of the In.
terest OF faction means bad government as
well as the poorest kind Of politics
Gentlemen, In the interest OF falrncs, and
good government let us have most decided
change in the attitude OF county officials This
petty pickering Is becoming disgusting to the
/. oitizonship DO not mako the mistake Of he
ueylnE that you can heroizc yourself before
IN. neople by playing dog-n- the -mangcr role
remember that the city officials are much
more apt TO be right within their own zone
than YOU are when you assume TO invade that
zone. No man make an acceptable public