The Elk Mountain pilot., 1923-02-01

PEOPLE VS.. C. c. McWILLIAMS,
Malfeasance in office;
PEOPLE VS.. w. H. WHALEN,
Illegal contractipg;
PEOPLE VS.. w. H. WHALEN,
Illegal contracting;
PEOPLE vs.. w H. WHALEN,
Illegal contracting.
COUNTY OFFICERS
In connection with our examina-
tion of the conduct of the county Of
fees, in every office with the. excep-
tion of the county clerk and recorder
and the county commissioners, we
find everything in excellent condi-
tion.
We wish especially to commend the
county treasurer for the excellent
manner in which his records are kept
and generally the manner of his
handling of the office.
Some question had been raised
with reference to the accounts of the
county judge at the end of the term
of Judge Clifford H. Stone. Because
of, these reports, the Grand Jury re-
quested of, the three State Auditors
assisting the Grand Jury. that they
make a very careful audit of the
books of that Office for a period of
four years and such examination re-
vealed that the records of that Office
show that Judge Stone had properly
accounted for all sums coming into
his hands and that the former report
'intimating that all sums had not
been accounted, for, was due to an
error in the keeping of the books of
that office, whereby the county Judge,
as ex-olnci0 clerk, had made double
charges against himself for the same
SHERIFF., ,Oflice..
The report OF. the, auditors on the
Sherifrs Office shows the same to be
one Of the best conducted Offices in
the State and that the expenses
charged in, that Office in, connection
with its administration. amounting
to only a little over $500, are far be-
low any SherifPs office in the State,
in County of the size and import
'ance of Gunnison- County. In most
counties the size, of Gunnison, ex-
penses of the sheriff's' office run in
the neighborhood of $4,000 above the
expenses of the sherif's office in this
county. All the records of that Of
flee are in excellent condition.
County Clerk and Commissioners Of
fees.
In connection with the examine
.tion Of the offices of the County Clerk
and County Commissioners, it is diff
icult to imagine worse condition
than has existed in these offices dur
ing the last two years and particu-
larly during the year 1922. Practi-
cally all Of the laws with reference
to the conduct of said offices have
been disregarded, and in addition to
neglect and carelessness, there ap-
pears wilful malfeasance in the con-
duct of these offices. For example,
the law provided that the commissi-
pners shall, in the month of Novem-
Der, pass the annual appropriation
resolution, at which time the levy
for the ensuing year for the various
county funds be made and the vari-
GUS funds for the running of the
county during the ensuing year be
provided for. Section 1916 of the
Revised Statutes of 1908, provides
that the commissioners shall pass
this resolution and make these levies,
and the law also provides that war
rants shall not be drawn in excess of
the levies made. On January 1st,
1921, the county was on cash basis
A(diiik inC yCdi 1OE1s wei e
issued in excess of the revenues SO
that at the end of the year 1921,
there were $4,000 of outstanding
warrants. In other words, the coun-
ty commissioners had expended dur
ing that year $4,000 more than the
revenues for the year provided by
their levy. At their meeting in No
vember, when they made their an
nual appropriation resolution for
1922, they made a levy of one and
four-tenths mills to take care of the
outstanding road warrants, and from
that levy they collected approxi-
mately $4,000 in 1922, to pay these
outstanding warrants. In 1922 they
started with this over-draft of $34,-
900, part of which was paid during
the year, but during the year 1922
they issued warrants in excess of this
revenue SO that at the end of 1922
there were SAL 900 outstanding war
rants. Most of these warrants are
registered in the Treasurer's office
and are drawing interest at the rate
of six per cent.
The law provides that all claims
against the county shall be itemized
and sworn to by the claimant before