King County Commissioners Billed Taxpayers for 25,943 Miles—More Than the Earth's Circumference

OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS:

As has been already said, the board of county commissioners had scarcely taken their several oaths of office before attempting to divest themselves of a considerable portion of their labor by the appointment of the auditor as 'purchasing agent' and 'agent of the building fund.' It will possibly bear to be repeated here that the warrants on which the several sums already alluded to were paid were in each instance audited and allowed by the board of county commissioners.

I shall always believe that they each of them knew that these payments were unlawful appropriations of the public moneys.

About the 16th of February, 1891, the board allowed four bills, which are as follows:

To James Hart, $20.00 To Twisbell (as already stated), $30.00 To John Wood in (two days' time at Olympia, account of revenue bill) $10.00 One hundred miles, $10.00 To Fred Gasch (mileage and account), $20.00 Total, $150.00

The board of county commissioners are entrusted by the law with the general management of the county business. Anyone who is curious to know exactly what their powers are will find them enumerated in Sec. 281, pages 95 and 97, of the General Statutes of Washington, as compiled by W. Lair Hill.

There is undoubtedly reposed in them a large discretion as to the extent and propriety of public expenditures, but this discretion must always be exercised within the lines of authority confirmed upon them by statute. Independent of any statutory provision, common sense would teach us that their authority should be confined to the administration of county affairs, not of business pertaining to the state.

The people had elected members of the legislature who were presumed to be competent to attend to the matters that should be brought before them, and neither Mr. Gasch nor Mr. John Wooding have been elected to any such office; undoubtedly they had the right as private citizens to attend a session of the state legislature, but what right had they to charge the taxpayers of King County for such attendance? Does the administration of the county business embrace the shaping of state legislation? Admit that a revenue law was necessary, was not it then a necessity to the whole state, as distinguished from a small part of the state—King County for instance?

The salary act gives to the county commissioners $6 per day, presumably when engaged in looking after the county business. Can it be candidly said that this junketing trip to Olympia was to attend to county business?

The commissioners were not only wrong in charging the county with their attendance at the state capitol, but they doubled the fault and wrong by charging 10 cents a mile for their mileage or travel in each instance. The following provision is found in section 3017, page 1088, of the General Statutes:

'Mileage going to the county seat, for each mile traveled, 10 cents.'

It will be noted that mileage is only allowed in going to the county seat. There is no allowance for returning; neither ought there to be, for mileage one way is more than sufficient to reimburse anyone of the commissioners for any travel found necessary in behalf of the county. Moreover, an examination of the fee bill, from which the above quotation is made, will show that to the sheriffs, constables, jurors and witnesses a mileage each way is expressly authorized. Surely if the legislature thought proper to say in terms that these officers should have mileage each way, the same thing could have been said, if it had been intended, concerning the county commissioners. The grant of a right in positive terms to one set of officers ought to exclude the implication of that grant to another set if the statute is silent concerning it.

If the commissioners are entitled to mileage, even on such a useless chase as a journey to the state capital, upon what authority did they pay mileage to James Hart? He was not an officer of the county, was not engaged in the discharge of any official duty, and the statute does not provide mileage to persons circulating petitions, protests, etc., and, for that matter, what right had they to pay him anything out of the county funds for this service?

While upon the subject of mileage it will not be inappropriate to call attention to the amount of travel for which the several members of the board have ordered themselves to be paid. In 1892 the records show as follows: Fred Gasch, 2,190 miles; John Wooding, 5,055 miles.

For the year 1893—Fred Gasch, 3,053 miles; John Wooding, 4,414 miles.

And for the year 1894—Fred Gasch, 3,864 miles; John Wooding, 4,901 miles; A. P. Rutherford, [miles].

Or for the three years and above what has been paid to Mr. Turner, and of which I have no memoranda, it is claimed that the county commissioners have traveled in the transaction of the county business no less than 25,943 miles, or more than the circumference of the earth at the equator.

Outside of the question as to whether or not the commissioners are entitled to any mileage except in going to the county seat, the question of fact remains whether or not these could have been honestly made—was it apparently necessary to travel that great distance in attending properly to the county business?

It must be remembered that Mr. Gasch lives in the city; Mr. Wooding lives at Auburn, only twenty-two miles distant, while there is something more of an excuse for Mr. Rutherford, who lives at Fall City, and who travels about 100 miles by rail in reaching the county seat.

I submit that the members of the board have been exceedingly liberal with each other upon the subject of mileage.

It is provided in section 3019 of the General Statutes that: 'If any person shall take more or greater than are herein allowed, he shall be liable to indictment, and on conviction shall be removed from office, and fined in any sum not exceeding $1,000.' The good people of King County may possibly believe that these commissioners have not taken any greater fee in the way of mileage than they are lawfully entitled to.

F. F. AMES.