PAGE FOUR COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14. 1924 itütiaqe (brine Sentinel I tiou (puid indirectly to the Union i emies were kind enough to table the motion. e“u‘Puuy upon the Spring Sharp and Roney, both elected flvld bridKe Bud lhe North Fofk bridge;, although fur u few weeks upon platforms of fault-finding with the administration in power, were .Publishers i only, should equal the annual sal Bede & Smith.... ___ Editor r paid to the bridge superinteude Elbert Bude—...... made to feel that all their chickens ■ under the old regime, which was had come home to roost. A firct cla»» publication entered at Î one of the big things in the Roney Nease Contract Damnable. Cottage Grove as second class matter ’ campaign. While there had been fireworks It is a small thing that the county. Business Office.......... 55 North Sixth k throughout the day, they were a ■ commissioners should violate prae-1 puny display in comparison w’ith BUBBCKIPT1ON BATES ticully every section of the budget Charges of Extravagance, In - those that were fired when the One year..... 42.25 I Throe mouths 65c • law and should overdraw practically Nease timber cruising contract capie 8ix mouths- 1.15|biagle copy— 5c 5 every account over which they have efficiency and Illegal up for discussion as the last item control. It was thought to be a big Expenditures are Member of on the budget. thing when the budget law was en ­ National Editorial Association County Attorney Johnston showed Not Denied. Oregon State Editorial Association acted, to the observance of which that under the contract which had county officials were to be held Oregon New9puper Conference been signed by the two commis- Lane County Publishers ’ Association i strictly accountable. An economy sioners 4 4 in a dark room” and administration should make it a big without his approval and against thing to observe a law passed for the protest of Judge Barnard, the very purpose of briuging about would cost the county probably economy in public expenditures. It Nease Timber Company Cruise Con three times what a timber cruise TRIVIAL MISTAKES OF THE is quite probuble that the county tract Smells to High Heaven, COMMISSIONERS. should cost. He explained the points could avoid payment of warrants District Attorney Says. that had not been visible to the The Eugene Register, in u recent illegally issued in payment of debts commissioners and might be over issue, characterized as trivial many illegally contracted. The holders of looked by others. The contract had (Continued from first page.) of the charges hurled at Commis­ the warrante would not consider been drawn bv Nease himself and sioners Sharp aud Boney, those arch that a trivial thing. tho commissioners had signed on the It is a small thing that under the work. As the work was done dotted line. It wa^ insinuated thnt apostles of extravagance and inef ficiency, at the recent taxpayers’ an economy administration the cost the biffs were paid by the county. when the signing was done the room Although the two commissioners budget meeting. Although the editor of keeping the poor, like the cost probably was so dark that it everything else under the had been elected upon a platform impossible to clearly read the of Thu Sentinel was a party to the of stating that they would cut out all hurling of some of the charges re­ economy administration, has been tents. ferred to as trivial, it cun not help more than under any other admin­ road and bridge supervision, more Crookedness Hinted. than the salary of a bridge super ­ but ugruc with Thu Register tu a istration. It now costs $2.50 per 4 4 The whole thing smells to intendent for a year was paid on month per capita more to keep the certain extent. heaven,*’ the district attorney de­ The charges were trivial, but only poor than it did under the admin­ this one job. clared. 4 4 The commissioners have The bridge company paid directly istration which was berated by speaking. Charges comparatively made a mess of things and have much weaker, made against Former Sharp and Boney as extravagant. over $1500 for supervision. The done their best to saddle a terrific county paid for supervision 10 per Possibly when a few more economy Commissioner Harlow and Former expense upon the county. Whether Commissioner Spencer, were made administrations increase the cost of cent of the total cost and on top they did so crookedly or honestly to uppeur so big that Sharp and the keep of the poor to a price of that paid $400 for good measure. I propose to find out by testing Harlow rode into office upon the greater than the cost of living at Ten per cent of the total cost was the contract in coilrt. I will attack about $600. That brings the total noise they made about such charges. the highest-priced hotels, it wilP cost for supervision on this one job its validity upon the grounds of It is a small thing, of course, begin to seem to be a big thing. having been illegally entered into It is only a small thing that a alone to over $2500. that the present economy commis Commissioner Sharp, when a can­ and because of the unconscionable sioners have not only neglected to county road roller worth $2200 was didate, characterized as reckless and outrageous price charged there­ keep their solemn promisen to those sold for $1100; it is a small thing , <1expenditure tho paying of salaries in. I call upon the county court voters whom they fooled into voting that the commissioners refuse to pay of $6 a day for foremen. The fore­ now to show their honesty by re­ for them but have actually conduct a less price in Eugene fur automo­ man on this bridge job drew down scinding the contract and I will ed the most extravagant, most inef bile tires than the same cost from $ 11 a day, it was stated at this stake my reputation upon the state­ ficient administration in the history some Portland friend; it is a little meeting — and not denied — upon ment that all the damages Nease of the county. This is a small thing, thing that the commissioners prefer which the county paid another 10 could collect through such action not only because failure to keep to buy an electric compressor in per cent. tho commissioners could stick pre-election promises lias become a Portland at a greater price than In tho construction of this bridge their eyes. small thing, but because other the Eugenh price on the same arti­ the price paid for timbers was $35 Sharp Defends Contract. charges which have been or are cle; it is a small thing that the cost the M, while one of the bidders on Sharp defended the contract and going to be made against the com plus contracts on the Springfield the bridge had an offer of the tim­ said that it had been signed because luissioners are so large as to dwarf and North Fork bridges cost the bers at $27.50 the M. the county wanted an honest cruise trivial charges like extravagance, county $2500; it. is a small thing Illegal Expenditures. from, an honest cruiser. As to the inefficiency and flagrant, violation that a car of iron culvert was That, the county commissioners honesty of Nease, reference wai 18 bought in Portland, without pub of pre-election promises. The fact thnt a few days after licity, at a greater price than would have no regard for what the law made to the same kind of scandal in Nels Roney went into office his have been bid by a Eugene firm; says about the conduct of the other places where he had operated. bridge tools were, bought • by the it is a small thing that the com county’s business was brought out Nease has since admitted that he has often had to stand suit upon county is a small thing, but only missioners would pay for a cost emphatically. It was shown that thousands of his contracts. Judge Barnard was because other illegal things which keeping system $1900 more than the the county commissioners have done taxpayers think necessary; it is a dollars was paid from the general called upon to read a letter which small thing that tho commissioners emergency fund for road purposes, ho had received from Idaho. The are so much larger. It was a trivial thing for a com would pay $1000 for outside legal without a transfer of funds being letter referred to contained a quo­ missioner elected upon an economy advice merely because tho district made, a flagrant violation of the tation from the Clearwater Repub­ to end her own life are more ob- platform to attempt to collect salary attorney wouldn’t give them the budget law; that obligations are lican, of Clearwater county, Idaho, scu re. i the following are ex for the time he was away on a va­ kind of legal advice they demanded; assumed, to be paid from future from which The relation between too much cation in California, but bad Com it is a small thing that the com tax levies, a flagrant violation of cerpts: gnyety mid weariness with life, Nease Scandal Elsewhere. missioner Harlow done that just be missioners have adopted the motto: law; that contracts for thousandsj however, is not too remote to be fore tho attempt to recall him, it 44Spend tho dollars and you won’t of dollars are entered into without 44N. C. Ingram in an affidavit traced. Dancing every night, smok­ any publicity whatever, when state would have been made to appear have to » worry about the dimes;” ing cigarettes and doing the various but we find that a number of small law requires bids on all purchases says that he was employed by the tilings thnt go with such practices to be a big thing. Nease Timber company in 1913 and exceeding $500; that transactions are not the normal life of a healthy It is a small thing for tho county things put together show that cruised in Clackamas county; that to furnish automobiles to its coun­ through the inefficiency and extrav meaning thousands of dollars to the despite written instructions lie was girl. They lend inevitably to bore county are consummated in verbal dom, and boredom is another word ty commissioners, but hud Commis­ agunce of the commissioners, Lane verbally instructed that he must sioners Harlow and Bpewcer supplied county has been mulcted out of conversations on the streets, or in cover 320 acres a day, that he went for weariness with living. Those whatever the back alleys, or in who live in such a manner come in themselves with automobiles we many thousands * of dollars, dollars. Any over thickly-timbered land only time to the blase belief that they would have heard a great deal about legislator who would add to the place happens to be convenient. once, although contract called for Tho taxpayers decided that the have seen everything, done every­ how much they had taken from the salaries of the county commissioners double cruise and an accurate cruise county treasury in using them for the amount they have thoughtlessly, county commissioners, who had set could not be otherwise secured; thing and experienced everything. carelessly and possibly maliciously aside $2500 for a cost accounting thnt in order to get his pay he had From that to the conclusion that life private business. It, is a small thing for the com squandered would find that he system, over the protest of Judge to make a false affidavit that he is not worth living is but a step. Dissipation is a destructive, not missioners to rush a bill through hadn’t done a small or trivial thing. Barnard, were too extravagant to had fol.owed the terms of the con- a constructive, mode of existence. These are only a few of the small the tune of $1900, which amount tract with Neaae. the county court, us it did for the It brings nrfhe of the thrills of Fitrgerald twins who operated the things, any one of which would have was taken from that item and 4