The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1885-12-26
OTTAWA, Dec. 7, 1885.
o. Gnlla Gonntu To q L Stackdale lr

Credit by cash received Dec. ESQ w
La Sale County TO J. NJ Day, DR..
Dec H. 1855 to u days Of school work o. &6S 0O
All of which is respectfully submitted,
+. s. DRESSER,
Chairman.
Sup Gallagher presented substitute
petition from the commissioners of high
ways of Peru to take the place of toe one
presented at last term, which had been lost;
and on motion the committee on roads
and bridges were instructed to visit and in
spect the progress of the work on the
bridges at Peru and La Sale and report on
the petitions presented by said towns at
this term Of the board.
Sup Gum presented the report of the
special committee on outside aid to pau
pers, which is in the words and figures fol
lowing, towit;
Mr.. Chairman, ,fc . Your special commit
tee appointed at the last July meeting of the
Board, to investigate the matter of outside
aid to paupers in the several towns of La Sale
county, have devoted such time us they could
to the subject, and rs the result Of their in
vcstigations, present the following report
The committee have taken the pnuper ac
counts allowed at the last July meeting OF
Board, as the basis of their Investigations.
But as the Mendoza pauper bills that might
have been passed upon ut that meeting were
not all presented, that part Of the bills allowed
at the september meeting that might have
been passed upon In July has been added to
the amount Of the Mendoza claims passed in
July. With very few exceptions involving
triling sums, the claims are for supplies fur
nishcd on orders given on and after the iirSt
day of March 1885, and down to and includ-
ing the 10th day of July 1885; though goods
were supplied on a few orders issued while
the board was in session, and the claims
based on those orders audited at that meeting.
1t may bc well to state that in the case OF
some individuals, and some families, orders
were issued once a month, in some cases
about once in ten days, and in few cases
lust about once i week.
The committee have examined every order
given in the time before mentioned and each
itemized statement, item by item, of every
claim presented, when the same were item
lied.
In the tables below are given the name of
each person who received orders, and the
aggrc gate amount for which the orders were
drawn, within the time before indicated, by
towns; also the amounts expended for the
principal articles considered neccssaries, AS
well Us the sums for the leading articles of lux
uries, 10y towns The tables will explain them
selves. 1t was not thought necessary to give
the amounts of bills for medical attendance
or for burial expenses. But the amounts by
towns, for railroad tickets ordered by super
yisors Of the different towns are given.
Neither Is the expenditure for transients, or
"tramps,N given rs the aggregate sum So
expended is small, and mere incident; al
though at tunes the tramp business is little
ycXatious to the supervisor called upon by
the traveller, who almost always balls from
down below" and has come north for
=" workn 1t has been thought best by the
committee To give Il few of the bills in full,
such rs the Board is called upon to audit, as
the aX-payers certainly have the right to
know for what purposes the treasury OF the
county is drawn upon.
In quite a number of instances it has beer
found that the supervisor las refused aid,
or after giving it for time, has stopped Civ
ing IL for reasons considered satisfactory To
himself, and the former recipient has then
called upon and received orders from the as
sistant supervisor, and sometimes orders
aggregatng considerable amounts have been
SO given by the assistant supervisors.
In the case of old aud dccrepid people who
have no relatives To care for them, but who
require personal attention as well as clothing
and sustenance, the committee are satisfied IL
would be better for the county, and probably
benefit 10 the benehCiares, II they should
be sent to the county house. Cases have
come to the knowledge of the committee
where they are satisfied this should have
been done heretofore. The recipients OF or
ders are frequently found drawing feed"
bran, shorts, corn and cornmeal, evidently
for stock Of some kind, and although the
thrifty coalition of pauper is to be admired.
yet he shosld take care of his stock ut MS
own expense.
1t often happens that only small part of
an order is traded out in goods, and due
bill Is given for the balance not traded out; or
| sometimes this balance is paid In cash by the
merchant on whom the order is drawn. In
such cases no itemized statements are ever
made TO the board for what Is bought ON the
due bills, and OF course no returns are made
as to what Is done with the cash.
And the committee are satisfied, after inves
tigating the facts, that liquors are often
bought with the due bills and cash; hence
they tank II becomes question whether the
board should audit and allow any more OF an
order than Is shown 10 have been actually
| traded out for gopds adaptx.d To the condition