The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-07-25
RUTLAND's POOR EXPENSES.

If current report, apparently well au-
thenticated. is TO be relied upon, the adj
ministration Of the office of overseer of the
poor for the town of Rutland, during the
present year, is characterized by reckless
extravaganza or gross incompetency. Inc
expenses for the support OF the poor for
the past year-1S75-76-were something
over nine thousand dollars, and the select
men and auditors of that year in estimating
the amount necessary to be raised by taxa
ton for the expenses of the current year.
placed the amount to be raised and appro-
priated for the support OF the poor at five
thousand dollars. Less than five months
Of the year have passed, and 1t is stated,
aud the st ltement seems TO be founded on
truth, that the expenses already incurred
for the support of the poor-or rather, Me
amount for aohich the oCerSeer has alTeddy
d d,cn orders on tie treasvor-are not FIVE
thousand dollars, or nine thousand dollars,
6ut actually erceed ten thousand dollars.
IT our selectmen and taxpayers will but
! lock at it moment, they will sec that, at
I this rate, the town is rapidly drifting into
utter bar krup'cy. Two thousand dollars,
! more than two thousand dollars, probably
| three thousand dollars month expended for
| tie support IF the poor alone during the
sy,iaq and summer monttSh If this tx-
penditure is allowed during these months
of a mild spring and warm summer, what
will the whole expenses for the year
| amount to? The town voted tax OF
! # lily cents on the dollar Tor all of the ex-
pcuses of The year-support of the poor,
highways aud bridges, miscellaneous ex-
! penses. etc.--and yet at this rate, before
the time when we usually expect to be
called upon to support our poor, the whole
tx will be exhausted in this one item
alone AT this rate, with cold and hard
winter before us, with the same reckless
extravaganza or gross incompetency in the
administration of this Office, the expenses
will amount to hundred cents on the dol
lar OF the grand list Whittier are we
drifting?
j. is time that the selectmen should cry
halt'' to the overseer of the poor. A
strict investigation into his management lie
necessary. He must be made to feel the
brakes. If he is allowed to continue in
this course. what value will there be to real
estate in Rutland? If with Il careful anc
economical administration, it is difficult,
Impossible, to prevail upon the ve.ers to
raise the necessary taxes to keep our heads
above water, what hope is there for the
town with such recklessness as is alleged
We go on piling up debts year after year,
And now cones in this overseer of The
poor, and, either through recklessness OF
ignorance, adds this sum of over two thou
sand dollars a month 10 our already heavy
burden. We know not that we can hell
ourselves. Our laws may be SO deficient
that the town is at the mercy of reckless
or incompetent officer 1t may be that he
has tie bit in his own teeth and can G
, where he will, compelling the town to pa.
placed clnufD on us snuuiuers is power
less to rid itself of him that it must G,
on, suffering and to suffer, bearing the op
pr,ssive burthen until the return of anothe
annual town meeting If so, the sooner
we know it the better. II so, the ap
proaching 0ession OF the general assembly
may enable us to avoid similar complica
zion in the future. But In the meanwhile
let the selec'men use what influence they
have to curtal the expenses as much Al
possible. Let them see to it that ever,
penny actually expended goes to the relic
Of the real poor, not into the pockets o
-pecula,ors. And let us have, both from
the overseer of the poor and the selectmen
some plausible explanation Of the ugly III
| more ihat are htlnat