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Show Another Skeleton, Another Closet American politics being what they are and human beings being who they are, it's hardly surprising to find Governor Lee and his associates furnishing the press with a pretty steady supply of uncomplementary history on the previous administration. That's one way of making yourself look good and hence the Governor and his new brooms can hardly be blamed for sweeping out into public view all the skeletons they can find in the closets so recently vacated by the Maw crowd. Another reason it's hard to begrudge the new administration admin-istration its evident delight in taking pot shots at the old is that one of these days there won't be any more skeletons to sweep out of any more closets. Be that as it may, the dose of exposes to which the public is being subjected almost daily is wholesome medicine for the body politic. It reminds us that continuous continu-ous and long years of public office-holding sap the office holder's singular or plural sense of responsibility to the public. There are exceptions, of course, but the fact remains that the genius of American government and the food on which it has thrived has been change. Let one group be they Republicans, Democrats or Communists hold office over-long and indifference if not i dishonesty sets in. An example of this sort of thincr was hrnimht tn linht i Tuesday in a letter which P. H. Mulcahy, new chairman of the state finance commission, wrote to Governor Lee about the method followed by the former state finance commission commis-sion in the purchase of municipal bonds. In the letter Mr. Mulcahy cited a statute requiring officers of taxing districts to offer all original bond issues I to the finance commission before offering them for public sale. Purpose of the law is to permit communities in the state to arrange financing without being subjected to brokers brok-ers commissions. And yet, according to Mr. Mulcahy's letter, of all the bond issues purchased by the finance commission in the past eight years, only two were purchased direct in compliance com-pliance with the law, resulting in the saving to the communities com-munities involved of the broker's commission. Mr. Mulcahy cited the case of Orderville which asked the finance commission for assistance in marketing a small bond issue. The commission, however, advised the town to continue its negotiations with a broker. Who finally purchased the bonds? The state finance commission, but only after the town of Orderville had paid a net brokerage fee of $1027.75. The original bond issue, incidentally was for $13,000. Serving with Mr. Mulcahy as members of the present finance commission are two members of the former commission. com-mission. Naturally they didn't like his letter. Their comments to the press about the letter are interesting in-teresting and in line with what we've been saying about people who have stayed in office too long. One of them said he resented "the implication that there is something illegal." The other said, "Bonds have been purchased that way for 20 years." Then, presumably, they both yawned. |