The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-15
PHASES OF THE CAMPAIGN.
Commissioner Sahm's Misleading Fig
ures About the County's Expenses.
A Campaign Document That Fails to Tell How
Democratic Officials Tried to Increase Ex-
cesSive Tax Values-Talks on Politics
sAHM,s ARRAY OFF FIGURES.
A Democratic Campaign Document Made Up
by Concealing the Truth.

Oemocratlc Campaign document Made Up
by Concealins the Truth.
County Commissioner Sahm is posing for re-
election and in the interest of Sim Cows ticket
economist He has been in the service of
the county about year, and his young ambition
is to make everybody believe that he came to the
front as Coy patriot just in the nick of time to
save the tax payers thousands of dollars. He has
taken few hours from the duties the little boss
exacts OF him TO prepare a campaign document
on county expenditures. 1t is comparative
statement, with the purpose of showing that
Sahm. who appoints inspectors of election at the
dictation of the Democratic central committee,
who orders the polls to be opened
at o'clock in the morning, on petitions of al
legged voters, which are now in the keeping of
Coy, who fought for high real estate apprase-
ment and other measures to the discomfort of
voters and Taxpayers, is the only man who ought
to be county commissioner. The mental
process by which he evolved favorable show
ing for his administration is not difficult to fol-
low. Going back to the fiscal year of 1883 and
1884 he found that the disbursements were
$55l, 757 S5, but did not have the hon
esty to subtract therefrom $l50,000 time war
rants and interest account $62, 900, which would
leave $3.50. 157 for money expended in managing
the county for that year. He did not explain
that this $3.50, 757 includes 500 900 for building
and repairing bridges swept away and damaged
by the freshets of that time The whole county
suffered from the loss of these structures and the
expenditures were of immediate necessity. Nor
did he take time to remove from this sum $685. 900
spent In gravel roads, which return an income
to the county and pay off their bonds in taxes
Eliminating these figures from the $780, 1871
leaves $246, 49, the actual running expense of
the county.
Mr.. Sahm forgot, also, to state that the $780,
600 time warrants were issued to meet deficit
by the reduction of the tax duplicate from $685.
900, 600 to $50 600 000 In 1879 county levy of
10 cents was made, on the superstition that there
would he no reduction of the duplicate of $780,
hence the time warrants had to be issued to
meet the deficit. But he ran across another
startling array of figures for the fiscal year
of 1883 to 1884 Then the disbursements were
$747, 943.49 but he did not state that outside Of
interest and bonds, the ordinary expenses for
the county amounted to only 1914, 05S. l3 at is
not necessary" he reasoned, TO 60 into details
| will take the disbursements as they appear
and not saw ANYTHING about them, including
$500, 600 of the 1915, 600 bonds issued to refund
from s per cent. to d per cent interest Nor
will refer to the balance as being time warrants
charged out and renewed" He did not even
subtract SIS, 900 for gravel roads, which retura
their value in taxes.
The facile accountant followed the same plan
in dealing with the disbursements of 1884 and
1885. which he allowed to carry on their face the
supposed enormous expenditure Of 1862, GIG l5
Out of this must come again the loan and inter
est account. $3.50 646 So. giving ordinary eX-
penses of 1865, $3.50 Comparing it with these
aggregates he presents the disbursements of last
year, nine months of which he sat as commits
soner as 1901, 358 90, of which $29S, 100 81 was
for ordinary county expenses. But this he did
n o. ha I'M ia hon
the ordinary expenses of tho preceding year,
and $24 1872 II more than such expenses during
1883 and 1884 $52 033 more than the expensesn
1882 and 1883. Sahms administration shows near
~ thousand dollars more for keeping the court
house in order than that of the last year of the
Republican ma ority. In the poor account the
expenditure of this year is 81 l04 II in excess of
that ofhis predecessors for the years 1884 and 1885,
The county is running on revenues levied by
Republican board, Not dollar has thus far
been raised by the Democratic Commissioners.
nor will there be until the duplicate of the com
ing year.
Mr.. Sahm's continuous plant has been that
there will not be sufficient revenue for the
county on account of the reduction in real es-
tate tax values made oy Republican assessor
He it is who urged Mr.. Quilts predecessor, a
Democrat to start the real estate assessments
for the present period Of six years at high rate
Of valuation, in other words, to keep them up
at their Old enormous values. More than this,
he told Mr.. Messck that it was probable the Com
missioners would not be able to get
along without deficit unless the duplicate was
raised to 100000. This plan was carried on
for fourteen days preceding the installment of
Mr. Quill in office. That gentleman found in
every instance OF the real estate appraisements
OF the Democratic assessors that no value had
been changed from the burdensome figures of
the six years before unless to raise them.
These appraisers hardly ever went out of
the office to view property. Mr. Chill
and the majority of the Board of EQUALIZATION
caused reduction to be made that met with
popular favor Sahm fought every effort to this
end until the last minute, insisting all the time
that this county could not get along with any
corporations He voted to reduce only because
the majority was against him.
TALK ABOUT TIE CANVASS.