The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-04-06
About Bills Contracted for the Poor.

La IL ever occur 10 the leadlng business
men of this county that our system of re-
lief to the poor could be used to swindle
the county? Take, for instance, the
towns of Rock Island and Moline, where
large sums are expended for the purpose
Suppose Mr.. Krell should draw
an order for $3.50 for the relief of the
family of John Doe, and take the order to
a store and select dry goods for clothing,
bedding, etc. to that amount, take the
goods, himself. and leave the order, and
carry the goods home to his family and
use them? What's to prevent? Are we
answered that he must enter the relief in
his report to the supervisors, and if there
is any fraud they will find it? That is no
answer, for he has not complied with the
law and made any such report--bm has
refused to make one! But suppose he
makes one? What is done with it,
Why, a committee of the board look it
over; ask him if it is all right; see that it
is footed correctly, and then approve it
That sort of management is no check on
him. He couldn't be caught that way.
If his report was filed according to law
and published in full in the papers, stating
the location Of eGch person relieved, the
street. number. block and house, full
name, amount, ETC., the people could then
read it and crlticise 1T and expose it if
wrong. This would be check Oh fraud
But he not only has not complied with the
law, but he has refused to do so.
Well, suppose him to haye made his
report and the committee call him up
and ask him:
who is this John Doe and where is
hep"
And suppose he were to answer,
HE is a man who, with his family,
stopped here last winter and applied to me
for help. had either to help him or send
him and his family TO the county farm, l
thought it would be better to help them
through the winter than to send them to
the farm, and | helped them several times
don't know where they are now; they
have left town."
No such man or family existed at all
the name used by the overseer being fc-
ton, and the whole thing fraud. Sup
pose the committee to inquire as to the
locality Of the house where the family
lived, and the overseer to answer as fol-
lows:
Il don't know. | was never at the
house. They came to my place of bust
ness and demanded aid, and said they
lived in the Third or Fourth ward-some-
where IN the upper part of town.
Can the committee get any further in
such an investigation? Not much. They
are 'stumped, and the overseer can play
this game as often as he pleases.
Then take case where families really
do exist and where aid is really furnished,
What is to hinder the overseer from de-
livering a portion of the goods and keeping
a portion for his own use. A dishonest
overseer in such a town as Rock Island or
Moline. under the present system of
management, could rob the county of
enough for his entire family support.
We don't charge McKrell with doing
this. We say that, under the loose way
that the business is managed, it can be
done. And we ask our new board o.
supervisors if it is not time that some kline
Of system should be adopted under which
the county cannot be swindled?
/ Mr.. Bowles, when he represented Yuma
undertook some reforms in this direction
but the Union howled, the court hous
barnacles howled, Krell howled, and a
last, by party drill and party whip, the at
tempted reforms were broken dowr
Why? Because an honest and economics
management of our county affairs was nc
what the Republican file leaders an
party bummers wanted. There was n
money in it, There was no chance to ri
ward partizans.
We hope that the new board will kic
party to the dogs, and see what it can d
! 20 bring order out of the chaos which exist
in the county clerks office, and what it ca
do to prevent the sharpest IL an from swine
3 ling the county.