The Socialist Platform for County Management
Dr. B. M. Angus outlines an eight-point plan to eliminate bureaucratic waste and restrict the use of county vehicles.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Having been nominated for County Commissioner for the Second District on the Socialist ticket, I feel the people of the county should know what I stand for. The office of commissioner is the most important in the county, as they can control expenditures at their pleasure. I pledge: The budget shall be adjusted to actual needs. All useless deputies in offices like the auditor, clerk, treasurer, sheriff, and engineer shall be eliminated. County autos shall not be private snaps for joy-riding and shall be kept in a county garage. All purchases shall be made on competitive bids. Road supervisors shall be paid for actual time employed. No courthouse shall be built without a direct vote of the people. County money shall not lie idle in banks. Finally, I pledge all extravagance and graft shall cease, showing a saving to the county of $10,000 annually.
“The county money shall not lie idle in the county banks.”
This 1916 platform highlights a recurring struggle in local government over fiscal transparency and the professionalization of public office. The demand for competitive bidding and restricted vehicle use mirrors modern-day debates regarding municipal resource allocation and taxpayer oversight in Benton County.
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