The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1922-09-07
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THE TRUTH HALF TOLD

y LuC LulIOl'
1t has never been my ambi-
tion to have my name appear i'll
public voluntarily. l have never
engaged in blowing my own
horn" But after two notable iur-
lists, Judge A. j. Clode and Judge
Ed. e. Hardin, have seen fit to
criticise the county commission
ers and circulate considerable
amount of half truths it now up
pears justifiable to say something
that might set them right. Judge
Clode wants to succeed me as
commissioner from the second
district and he promises to do
all of the things which am
criticised for not doing. I sus-
pect, should he be successful,
that he may find performances
very different from campaign
pledges. Others have discovered
in the past that when charged
with the responsibility of Office
there are innumerable cOmplica-
lions arising from a great variety
of opinions that make it impOs-
sible to please individuals If the
general public is to be served
along definite and general pro-
gram. 1t is different for the in
dividual who gives but small
thought to the duties of a COM
missioner to get the same angle
on things that commissioner
gets in dealing with the whole
people.
One thing particularly in the
way of a half truth uttered by
Judge Clode deserves notice. He
stated repeatedly that Whatcom
county has II high powered auto
mobiles and uses 5000 worth Of
gasoline month for the same.
l do not know where he gets this
information. 1t certainly is not
correct. Recently when he talked
to me about this l gave him a
correct statement of facts. l told
him that the county has fifteen
automobiles, ten trucks, three
caterpillars and one road smooth
err. Two of these cars have not
been used this summer, making
thirteen in use at the present
time. These cars are used by the
sheriff's office, the county super
intendent of schools, the engi-
neer's department, the county
commissioners and others, and
our experience is that they are
money-savers and cannot be dis
pensed with. Sometime ago, on
account of the heavy repair bills
and garage charges, after obtain
ing the best advice we could Sc
cure, we built the public garage,
equipped it with necessary ma
chinery for making repairs, plac-
ed competent mechanic in
charge and have found that in
comparison with other years this
expenditure is profitable to the
public. On this score we would
invite the most careful inquiry
and we are satisfied that any
successful business man will say
that the commissioners acted
wisely in providing the garage
aid it's equipment.
Judge Hardin has claimed that
we have twenty-eight cars in SER
vice. He is about right If he
counts the trucks and caterpil-
lars as cars.
Judge Hardin has had consid-
cradle to say about present coun-
ty officials as is his habit. No
county official serves the public
satisfactorily, measured by Judge
Hardin's standard, unless the
Judge is accorded the right to
direct that official in everything
he does. l have always been will
ling to accept advice from any
taxpayer when it's good advice,
but Judge Hardin's advice is not
always good. Therefore, to re-
ject his advice is to make a
critic of him. In his present dis
cussion of expenditures and taxa
ton l suspect that the smoke
screen he has laid is for the pur
pose of concealing what he has
immediate control over and for
which he is largely responsible.
For instance, while he complains
of the increase of public expendi-
lures in other departments he as
sumes it is entirely regular for
the cost of the courts to mount
higher than anything else. In
1916 the costs of the courts of
this county was $23,937.13, and
for 1921 with no apparent in
crease in litigation over 1916, the
costs reached $49,754.S6. Now,
in all reason, how can Judge Har-
din say that the same conditions
which caused him to authorize |
a more than 100 percent increase