The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-09-18

Vs. NN@C" @--5A- eonCh ~ oOhnc VI Tic Qcldulk-
ing ex-tfeasurers, and that the books bear
evidence Of efforts to cover up the crooked
ness. 1t is quite likely that the Jour
nal was aware of such rumors, and
that its attempts to extenuate the
defalcatlons by saying that the defaulters
are not guilty of Intentional wrong" is
designed to help the ex-treasurers down as
easily as possible. The effort of the Journal
to whitewash the radical defaulters is the
weakest and at the same time the most inn
pudent specimen of vensl subsidized jour
nalism we remember to have seen for many
day. A few extracts will suffice to con-
vince all fair minded citizens. 1t says:
These discrepancies, as shown by the report
of the experts, may be entirely correct, and
yet not single one of the officers be guilty of
embezzlement, or of even any Intentional.
wrong.
That is to say, money to the extent of
about s13, 900 can be taken and retained for
years, and the parties benefited by the trans
action be as innocent as sucking babes.
Good radical doctrine, but since it cost
Marion county about 81 900 to find out how
to make discrepancies so entirely honest, it
is rather too expensive. The way it came
about, according to the Journal, was as fol
lows:
We understand, however, that the greater
part of the discrepancies in all the accounts
resulted from the manner of payiBg taxes and
keeping the accounts of the payments.
We are of the opinion that the discrep-
ancies resulted from putting the peoples
money in the treasurers' pockets instead of
the county treasury. Deficits generally &C.
cur that way, and since it seems to have
been the way that three radical treasurers
hsaved about s13. 900 the people are displeased
with it, and are not likely to pursue that
method of paying taxes in future. The
Journal further explains:
When taxpayer pays his taxes his name is
checked by marx indicating payment, and
he is given n receipt. During the hurry of tax
paying time everybody in the office is kept
busy from morning till night, often crowds of
tax payers waiting their turns. Now if, in the
hurry and crush of business, some clerk omits
to cross off the taxpayers name, there is no
way OF discovering the mistake except by
verifying it by the receipt or the stub.
Here we have it that each of the three rad
ical defaulting tTeasurers got into such
laundering hurry, when receiving taxes,
that clerks and receipts treasurers, tax-pay-
ers and stubs; got 50 mixed up that too much
of the peoples money found its way into the
treasurers' pockets, and order has never been
sufficiently restored in the Office for the
money to find Its way back into the treasury.
The Stub seems to form a basis for the
stubborn facts brought to the surface by the
experts. The Journal still further white
washes the defaulters by saying:
The law requires the treasurer to settle with
The auditor from mis- duplicate. aud not from
the stubs or receipts. So if any one pays his
taxes, but his name is not checked as having
paid, the treasurer will be "long." Then when
this is discovered the treasurer corrects the
error, and he is 'short'' that much at the next
settlement.
BY this it would seem that the law is re-
/ sponsible for the deficits and all because the
defaulting treasurers tied to the duplicate
4 instead of the ''stubs and receipts AS a
result the game of short and 'long' was
played pretty extensively, the county COM
ing out short every time, until it cost about
! $4,000. The Journal lays on more white
wash by saying:
Now, when we consider that each treasurer
handled hundreds of thousands of dollars,
much OF which was paid in in a few days,
when everybody Is hurried and driven, 1t Is
apparent that mistakes will occur. Again,
sometimes mistakes are made by the auditor
in carrying out his multiplications IN the du-
pllcate furnished the treasurer. When this is
discovered the treasurer corTects il. This
leads TO mistakes when the settlement comes
to be made.
Sure enough; to handle hundreds of thou
sands of dollars seems to be too big thing
for radical treasurers. They make mistakes
I and continue to make mistakes; make them
on both sides, but more on one side than on
| the other. In no instance did the county
come out ahead of the RAIDS which
shows there was method IN making
the mistakes. Seriously, this county treas
ury business is most shameful. 1t stinks in
the nostrils of every taxpayer, and the Jour
nails attempt to whItewash the rascallty
makes it still more offensive. The county
/ commissioners should make short work of
the matter. If the radical defaulters can be
made TO pay back their lllgotten money it
should be done at once. If this can not be
/ done, and there is no punishment
known to the law for such crookedness
the people ought to know it. An election is
close at band. Radicals are asking to have
the custody of the peoples money. Good
taste as well as common honesty suggests
/ that before any more RAIDS finger the funds
the radical defaulters should be made to dis
gorge. The Sentinel will continue to make
it unpleasant to the defaulters until they
/ pay over the money. AS for the Journal,
having compelled it to squeal in the interest
of rascslity, we dimiss it for the present
MAINE AND BLAINE.
The news from Maine is good news, grand
| news cheering news Ii could scarcely be