The Politics of the Per Diem
A spat between county officials over travel expenses exposes the partisan friction simmering beneath local administrative life.
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.
Some time ago there was a meeting of the assessors of the state at North Yakima, and County Assessor Frank Bottorff asked the commissioners to defray his expenses as he wished to attend the convention. But the commissioners refused to comply with the request. Miss Daisy Hard, a democrat, recently attended the meeting of the county superintendents at Olympia and the county commissioners paid the bill. It makes a big difference whether you are a democrat or a republican. I never asked the board of county commissioners to defray my expenses to the assessors' convention. —Frank F. Bottorff. Mr. Bottorff, of Rice, was elected county assessor by the republicans last fall. He has had no conflict in any matter with the county commissioners, has worked in perfect harmony with them, and makes this statement in justice to his associates engaged in the work of the county.
“It makes a big difference whether you are a democrat or a republican.”
This reflects the hyper-partisan nature of local government during the era, where the smallest administrative decisions were weaponized as proof of cronyism or ideology. The swift public correction by the official involved highlights the role of the press as an arena for reputation management.
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