Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1845-07-03
CORRESPONDENCE.

INDIANAPOLIS, June %, 1916.
N. BoLroS, Esq.-SIR The undersigned, citizens
and taxpayers of Marion county, in behalf OF them
selves and neighbors. take the liberty Of addressing
you as a candidate for county auditor at the approach
ing election. Indiana, as you are well apprised,
has, at this time, a heavy debt hanging over her, and
her credit has suffered. both at home and abroad, in
consequence of our failure to pay the interest on our
outstanding Indebtedness. In the present aspect of
our affairs we are in favor of practising the most
rigid economy in our public expenditures, and from
our observation of the action of the Legislature, in
reference TO the Office to which you aspire. it appears
necessary for the counties to act in the matter. The
purpose Of our address to you, on the present occasion,
is to inform you, that, in our opinion, the compensa-
tion to the auditor Of this county, as appears by the
last report of that officer, is greater than the principles
of economy we have adopted will warrant. By that
report it appears that the auditor has received for the
years compensation from the county alone, nearly
seven hundred dollars, which, with the perquisites of
the office received fro m individuals, we presume,
would swell the amount to at least eight hundred
dollars. The Legislature, in reducing the cOmpen-
sation of officers of State, has fixed the salaries of the
President Judges of our Courts at eight hundred
dollars per annum, and the Auditor of State, without
a dollars compensation for clerk hire, at one thousand
the latter officer having to examine in addition to
his other duties, the accounts of every county auditor
in the State, and the other, in many instances, to pass
upon the lives and fortunes of his fellow citizens.
We can therefore see no just reason why a county
auditor should receive an equal compensation, when
his personal expenses must be far less than the judges
of our Courts, and his labors bear no proportion to
those of Auditor of State. We would not be %niggardly
or parsimonious in our compensation to our public
officers, but we do think five hundred dollars a year .
sufficient compensation from the county for the services
of county auditor. This would have saved the county,
last year, about two hundred dollars, and would save
in years to come. a much greater amount per annum,
which appropriated to the purposes of education IL
our common schools, would be felt by the whole
community. The object of this communication is tC
PROFOUND the following question, to wit:
Will you, if elected, agree that the pay of county
auditor shall be fixed at five hundred dollars pei
annum, as a compensation from the county, and tina
all sums over that amount, which the law may entitl'
you to charge the county, shall be deposited In thu
county treasury for the benefit of common schools il
the county, and that your election shall be considere'
as instructions to the Legislature for the passage o
such a law
Having come to the conclusion to present a petition
to the next Legislature for a reduction of the com
p~ensation of county auditor in this county, we hav
thought proper to apprise you of our intentions an
views in advance of the election. At the session G
1913 "A a petition was presented to the Legislator
on this subject, which was laid aside, as we ar
informed, in consequence of a letter from the auditor
to our representatives, stating that the compensatio
did not exceed between four and five hundred dollar
! per annum. Finding the compensation since to b
5 much greater, as exhibited in the reports of the audito
and yearly increasing in amount, we have come t
0 the conclusion to make another effort to remedy III
: evil. Yours, &c.