The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-10-25

c&ACS ll utUl v ntCccodIftS VI ~ u al
amount equal to his expected salary for
another six months. would be in exactly
the same financial condition as was Ma
rion county on June !, 1880.
During the year from June l.. 1890. to
June ], 1891. the County Commissioners
again misappropriated about one
of the next year; and, besides. they. bor-
with which to meet the running expenses
or the year, thus at the end OF the year
leaving the county not only in debt for
years previous. sl7s.oOS. but iwth its reve-
nues for the next half OF the year spent.
During the period between June !, 1891,
and June /. 1892, an important event oc-
CURED which made 1t possible for the Coun-
ty Commissioners to put an end TO the
its means on borrowed and misappropriated
money. In March, 1891, the new tax law
was passed. This was Interpreted by the
the Democratic oficial9Din Marion county,
as requiring property TO be valued for taxa
ton at a much higher rate than thereto
thereupon placed upon all property by the
assessing officers, and all enormously higher
valuation was placed on railroad property,
which particularly benefited the counties.
Nowhere was the new method of valuation
more vigorously applied than in Marion
county.
1T is evident that the higher the valua-
ton of the property in the county the
greater will be the amount realized upon the
same amount of tax levy. 1t was, there
fore, possible, by continuing the same rate
of tax levy, not only to make the county
self-supporting, but even TO pay of Its
floating Indebtedness in a few years.
vision in force in 1890. by which counties
were forbidden to issue bonds to an amount
ton, the county having heretofore issued
bonds TO the extent of 100000. had ex-
hausted its power, under the valuation of
1890. to issue bonds. The increase of valua-
ton in 1891, together with the enactment
of a statute giving additional power TO
counties in issuing bonds. made 1t possible
for the county to issue about s., 600, 600 worth
of bonds without exceeding the limit. Thus
the County Commissioners, in 1891, had the
opportunity to convert the floating debt of
the county into bonds at a low rate OF in
terest, and thenceforth., upon a lower rate
of tax levy than ever before, to keep the
county self-supporting.
DICKERS IN BONDS.
Instead of taking advantage of this op-
portunity they followed the plan of the pre-
vious year. During the year they sold $780,
900 worth of Jail bonds and turned the
money into the treasury TO be applied on
current expenses. When the time came to
make the tax levy for 1891 they reduced the
levy so low that. even upon the high valua-
ton, and even with the proceeds of the
Jail bonds in the treasury and applicable
to current expenses, they not only had to
again misappropriate the revenues properly
applicable to the next years expenses. but
to borrow, as a temporary loan, at g per
cent, to pay, the county,s everyday ex-
penses, a further sum of $4,000.
Marion county began Its fiscal year of
1892 with a large part of its revenues for
that year misappropriated and spent. with
an Indebtedness incurred for running ex-
penses of over $4,000. and with not enough
money in the treasury by s25,O 600 to pay the
balance to become due for work on it's new
Jail.
During this year, by reason of the ex-
penditures for the new jail and other ex-
i nan6ifnraG tho nrIntr nronnfc1tAnar m \
nous sum of $4,000. of which $4,000 was
per cent. and $3.50 o was in the form Of a
balance on the wrong side.
During this year. by misappropriating
should have been kept as a sinking fund to
pay of the jail bonds and by Dor.
at af"' 5 per '"e cent? an0 and 5000 Spa at 6 per Cent cent.
as a temporary loan, and by misappropriat-
ing and spending a large part of the reve-
nues for the next year, the books were
made to balance on the first day of last
June within about 5000
L sum up, the result Of the Democratic
administration of county affairs for five
years past is that the county. which five
years ago had a floating debt of $3.50, 600,
has now a floating debt of about $3.50, 900. In
other words, its floating debt has increased
within the past five years about $4,000, or
at the rate of over $4,000 a year. During
that time it's bonded debt has increased
$150,000. The only permanent improvements
made by the county during this time has
been the jail, costing $50, 000, and a bridge
costing $50, 600. So that the indebtedness of
Marion county during five years of Demo
cratic administration has been increased
about a quarter million dollars. with nothing
whatever TO show for IL.
THE paupers of Marion county-a coun-
~ containing property assessed at $135. 000,-
prosecuted and kept. its insane provided
for on money of which for every dollar
spent about % cents is borrowed. And this
has been going on for five years.
VIOLATED THE LAWS.
THE County Commissioners have not only
violated the law, which requires them to
establish a sinking fund by levying a tax
of a certain amount, but they have misap-
propriated to current expenses every cent
Of money which has been collected for sink
ing fund purposes.
THE statutes of Indiana, in force in 1890,
and at the present time, command the
County Commissioners, as soon as they
issue a bond for any county purposes, to
levy a special tax each year of not less
than one-tenth of / per cent, and require
vested sum in t the' S %neh c Aforesaid. sn or o. other 1er
State or county securities, and, thereupon,
shall. constitute a sinking fund for the ex-
debt created by the issue of such bonds.
The statute also requires the levy of a
special tax to pay interest on outstanding
1.-The County Commissioners nave not
complied with these statutes in any respect.
While they have levied a special tax in
each year, they have never In any year
levied a tax Of one-tenth of ] per cent. of
small a tax for this purpose that 1t has
hardly produced a sufficient amount to pay
interest on the outstanding bonds.
Moreover, instead of keeping the money
derived from this special tax as q separate
fund to be used Ia buying up outstanding
bonds or as a sinking fund for their ulti-
mate VINE the County Commissioners
have uniformly Incorporated the moneys
derived from this special tax to the every
the law been followed for the past five
years the sinking fund would have amount
ed, at this time, to about 100000.
Marion county to-day is in the position
of a man who has nothing but his salary
TO live on, who has drawn all that is due
and spent IL, who has obtained an advance
OF half OF his next years salary and spent
expenses for five years past, who is now liv-
ing at a rate not warranted by his in
come, and which is certain to plunge him
further into debt, and who has thrown
away his opportunities TO collect large
amounts due him.. which he ought to have
collected and kept for the payment of his
Indebtedness
MARION COUNTY'S TAMMANY.
"To hear the Democratic leaders talk
about fair and honest elections and a
high conscientious regard for exact truth
and honesty, one would suppose that the
Marion county tally-sheet f~orgeries com
mitted by the Democratic ward heelers and
bosses occurred early in the century; anc
that I0nr cipoa thu communication 80 tboc