The County House

bome few weeks ago the Argus gave the taxpayera oí the county some interesting reading iu the shape of affldavits, made by employees of the couuty house clearly showing why State Oil Inspector Plattand ex-Superintendent of the Poor Greene, had been making such an ado over changes at the county house. Time passed on and we saw no defense to the affidavits, and the proof of loose management taken from the records. We knew that a whitewashing report had been prepared and signed by one super intendent, the other two wisely refusing to attachtheir signaturea toit. The communication failed to appear. But last week two of the county papers contained letters over the signature of Mr. H. D. Platt, in answer to the article written long age. The letters are remarkable for their evasions, admissions and efforts to throw the public off the scent. The wnter of these letters, who uses Mr. Platt's name, ADMITS TUE FACTS CHAEGED in our article. The main fact that there has been "an improper and loose way of doing business at the county house," is expressly admitted by Mr. Platt. That is what vve charge and if' Mr. McDowell was guilty of doing business in "an improper and loose" way for the county, it was a good thing that he was not re-elected keeper and the Platt- Greene' case falls to the ground. Mr. Platt adnits the feeding of nis borses at the county house, the taking of grapes and vegetables from the county farm. He alleges that in return for these, he did some neighborly acts for Mr. McDowell. The county paid Mr. McDowell $700 a year, and gave him his living. It was not in the contract to furnish Platt with vegetables, ?rapes, spare-ribs or other meat or liorse f eed. The county was not a neighbor to Platt, and Platt had NEVEK EARNED A PENSION fromit. Those grapes and vegetables were needed for the inmates and Platj knew it. But he was taking advantage of what he terms, "an improper and loose way of doing business." Undoubtedly he thought the couuty was rich, and Platt's salary was only 1,500 a year and the county might afford to do something in the way of neighborly acts for a state oil inspector, in pay for the honor of having such a high official, live within its borders. The genuineness of the letter written by Mrs. Greene, thankicgMrs. McDowell for the many good things sent her is admitted, and also the factthat these things came f rom the county house supplies, but an effort is made to make light of it as only a loaf of brown bread and a quart can of pickles was given. Mr. Platt, or the man who wntes in nis name, neglects the phrase that alone gives weight to the letter. The letter gives thanks for "THE MANY GOOD THINGS." It was printed in proof of the charge that we made, that some of the supermteudents and othera, were in the habit of takiug home some eatables or dehcacies from the county stores. The taxpayers do not engage to f urnish auperintendents of the poor with their living. They do not engage to supply neigh bora with meat nor f rienda of the keeper with cream and butter. The inmates inform us that during Mr. McDowell's administration, they were NOT ALLOWED BUTTER OR MILK. From more than one source, we have reliable information of cana of cream given away from the house. Under the new keeper, with no more cows, the inmates are allowed butter. The cream is now saved and utilized for those to whom the county intended it should be furnished. The writer of the article, signel H. D. Platt, charges the employees of the county farm, who made the affldavits for the Argus with being "reliable paupers." We repeat what apparently escaped our friend's notice. The "witnesses" were help of the county. They are not unfortunate enoueh to be regis. tered as inmates of the house. They are paid for their work and fcesides it comes with poor grace for Mr. Greene to apply the epithet of pauper to those unfortunate enough to have lost their earthly goods. Some men iind the county house from no fault of their own. Oíd age of ten overtakes men unprepared for rainy days. Let us not deal harshly with them. Let us not depnve them of every comfort to be denved from the county farm, that a keeper may gain in popularity with his friends. The letter Mr. Platt or Mr. Greene writes to the Ypsilantian quotes a letter written to "A RESPECTABLE PnYSICIAN in Ann Arbor," by an inmate of the county house . We f eel sure that it was not one of our witnesses and we do not for a moment, uphold the writer of it. We listened to no foul-mouthed individúala, when we were amazed by a detailed statf ment of tbe many "neighborly acts" the county had done for the neighbor3. But ve can readily understand hoiï a vituperative individual might be stirred up to write such a letter. To see a respectable physician carry away cans of cream when he carne down to see the county house, would naturally stir up the indignation of an inmate who was denied the least bit of butter. These people, who are tarred with the stick of misused hospitality paid for by the county, will probably learn to keep their fingers out of the fire. The Argus has locked in its safe a number of affidavits iving names of reclpients of the couuty's eenerous gifts of meat, iauies, sugar, cofiee, cream, etc. We can understand how naturally they should teel that the generous keeper is abused. But we advise them for their own good not to talk too much about it. We don't desire to divulge their names to the public. We believe they INTENDED NOTHING WRONG. But at the same time the taxpayers of the whole county cannot be made to pay for gifts, neighborly or othenvise, to a keeper's frieud3. The whole system is "an improper and loose" one. The Argus intends that it shall be broken up. If other keepers have been guilty of like improper acts, that doesn'thelp Mr. McDowell out. He was merely a salaried servant of the county, not the owner of the county farm and the things were not hia to "be neighborly with." One keeper some years age, lost his place, we underátand, by endeavoring to be too liberal to his friends and it was then considerad highly improper. To the charge that the superintendent have been in the habit of buying goods of the county and leaving no record of the amount or quantity purchased and that there was no check against the county's being cheated in this manner, we hear not a word said. We repeat that this practico must cease. The county is not in the mercantile busines3. [t ought not to be selling flour, dress goods, shoes, etc. Mr. Platt 's letter contains some figures showing that as loose as was the way of doing business the nine years of "republican administratiou cost less than nine years of democratie administration." They read well, buc they are VERY DECEPTIVE FIGURES. Mr. Platt neglects to inform his readers that during what he calis, "the democratie adminitration,"(although during part of that time there was a republican keeper, and part of the time a republican board of superintendeuts,) the insane of the county were kept at the county house and this greatly raised the expense. An insane inmate costs much more to keep than a sane one. It made extra attendance necessary, more clothing, etc, destroyed. Mr. Platt also loses sight of the higher cost of goods in the years succeeding the war. Flour cost much more. Clothing was greatly higher, and the supervisors theu allowed tramps to be fed at the county house, and the expense of entertaining tramps counted ap. But this is not the question at issue. Finching the unfortunate poor of the county, that the hospitality of the county may be famed throughout the land is not to be commended. It should have no apologizers. The Argus believes that A ETTER ERA HAS DARWNED in the management of the county house. And it believes that it owes a duty to the people of the county to exposé the faulty system hitherto in vogue. It has performed that duty asdelicately as possible,and to e ff ecti vely exposé the system haB much heavier ammumtion in store, which it has not used because it dislikes to drag the names of private persons into the matter. We thank Messrs. Platt and Greene for relieving us of that necessity in their cases, by rushing in to oppose the change that is doing away with what Mr. Platt himself terms, "au improper and loose way of doing business." And the state oil inspector can reflect with satisfaction. that no one now can consider or believe that he will hereafter be partially supported at the county's expense.