The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1923-01-11
Commissioner is Cited to
Show by What Right He
Stays in Office
BRIGGS BALKS AT
DUFFY AS DEPUTY
New Commissioners Do Not
Approve of Ex-Sheriff
for Kennewick Job

In order to hold his seat as county
commissioner from the second district
AZ @. McNeill will have to defend a
quo warranto action in the superior
court, the action having been fled
Wednesday by C. E. DeBow, who re-
ceived plurality vote for the office
at the last general election. !.
After Commissioners r. Fl. Briggs
and Sam Allard had takn office Mon
day, Mr.. DeBow for the second time
demanded that he be seated. Upon adj
vice of Prosecutor George Beardsley
the board refused to seat DeBow. Mr..
Beardsley did not offer an opinion of
his own but advised the board to fol-
low the instructions Of the attorney
general who had ruled that McNeill
was entitled to hold office to the end
of the term for which his predecessor,
DR.. French, was elected.
The action filed on behalf Of Mr..
DeBow by Attorneys Chaffee of Sum-
nyside, and Brown of Prosser, calls
upon Mr.. McNeill to show by what
right he holds the office. Attorneys
say that Mr.. McNeill will be required
to personally defend the action and
the county will not be party to the
suit.
The first friction in the county's
official family developed soon after
the new county board organized.
Sheriff James Shepherd reported to
the board that he had named Mark
Ferris office deputy; Chester MCGEE
field deputy, and C. E. Duffy, deputy
at Kennewick. Commissioners Briggs
objected to the appointment of Duffy
and suggested that the affairs of the
office might be handled with two de-
puties or that Duffy's salary be fixed
at $25 month and no car furnished
him.
After considerable discussion Sheriff
Shepherd said he would consider the
suggestion The following day Shep-
herd announced to the board that he
could probably handle the affairs of
the office with MCGEE as office and
Duffy as field deputy. To this Briggs
replied that Duffy would not be sat-
isfactory as a deputy in any capacity.
and Commissioner Allard concurred.
The controversy which followed re-
suited in the acceptance of the APP
pointments of Ferris and McGee and
the Kennewick deputyship was left
vacant. This plan will be tried out
for a month and the question will
again be taken up at the next meet
ing Of the board.
The board did not adjourn until
this afternoon, the new commission
ers having devoted the time since
Monday in acquainting themselves
with the details of the county's busi-
ness affairs. Owing to the friction
which existed between the old board
and the county engineers office r1any
road matters had been left in the
category of unfinished business.
Among other things there was found
on file a report by former Engineer
Stradling in which he condemned as
unsafe for traffic the Fallon bridge
over the Yakima above Richland and
the upper bridge spanning the Yakima
at Prosser. The board instructed
Engineer C. l.. Ammon to immediate
ly inspect these bridges and be ready
to report at the boards next meeting.
The board declared vacant the office
of supervisor of state highway main
tenance held by E. L. Baxter and
signified the intention to carry on
the maintenance under the direction of
the district supervisors. Owing to
lack of funds no state maitenance
work has been done since last fall
but the board received the promise
of the state highway department that
sufficient funds will be diverted to
this county to take care of badly
needed repairs. sx8 sLEG G
Mr.. Briggs. was elected chairman
of the board.