The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-04-02
]. B. CONNER APPOINTED
SUCCEEDS STATE S~TATIsTICIAN
THOMPsON, WHO RESIGNED.
The Resignation. n Voluntary One.
Handed i'm Yesterday-R etiring OIL
Ger n Victim of circumstances.

Governor Mount yesterday afternoon ac-
cepted the resignation Of State Statistician
Simeon j. Thompson and appointed John 3.
Conner. editor of the Indiana Farmer. to
the office for the unexpired term. The resig-
nation takes effect at once and Mr.. Conner
will assume office to-day.
The resignation was voluntary on the
part OF Mr.. Thompson, who declared that
he did not care to be worried further by
the criticisms that had been made upon
his course. and he retired from office. as
nine men out of ten believe, the victim of
circumstances Mr.. Thompson was preceded
in office by William a. Peelle. Up to that
time IL had been the habit in this office,
as in nearly all other state Offices and state
institutions. to regard the appropriation
made as the property of the office accru-
ing 10 ii on the first day of the year. when
these appropriations became available. Mr..
Peelle always drew his appropriations thus
and the only voucher filed for them was his
receipts given to the auditor of state for
the money. State Geologist Gorby and
State Superintendent of instruction Worries
drew their appropriations in the same way.
When Mir. Thompson came into office there
were no accounts, not even a scrap of pa
per, to show where the appropriations had
gone. and. more than this, he found that
the appropriation for the first fiscal year
for his term had been reduced by something
over 81. 100. drawn and expended by his pre-
decesso- during the first month Of the fiscal
year. or, rather. in less time. for Mr.. Peelle
was in office but twenty days after the be-
ginning of the fiscal year. Nobody has
charged. or is likely to charge. that the
appropriations under Peelle or Worries were
dishonesty expended.
Mr.. Thompson followed the plan of his
predecessor in drawing the appropriation
and expending ii. Unlike his predecessor,
however, he turned back to the treasurer
over 800 of the years appropriation. For
tunately. also. he kept a bank account and
made most Of his payments by check. These
Cancelled checks served him as vouchers
when the investigation was made on the
charges brought by his deputy, John Wor-
rel- But they did not account for all ex-
penditures. Mr.. Thompson stated that he
had Drawn 81, $50 from last years appro-
priation to pursue a special line of work
this year and this amount he covered back
TO the treasury. The itemized account of
expenditures shown by his Cancelled checks
showed but $40 for postage. while the pos
tage or the bureau uSullly runs about $500 4
year.. He deposited the amount of differ
NAO otPA CIV dlA1u
the aggregate of his Cancelled checks,
amounting to a trifie over 81. 100, with the
auditor of state, asking that an allowance
for postage be made MIN from this and
that he be given a reasonable time to file
and prove clGim against il. There the mat
ter rested until yesterday, when Mr..
Thompson handed in his resignation and in
sisted that IL be accepted. He was under
no bond. and had he any purpose of get
ting away with money belonging to the
state there was nothing compelling him
10 deposit this money. The State cannot
lose a dollar by his careless method of
bookkeeping, a matter from which he Is
the only sufferer.
Mr.. Conner. the new statistician, has ac-
cepted the appointment. He was the au-
thor or the law creating the bureau, which
was passed while he was a member Of the
Legislature. in 1873. 1t is -ncdeled upon the
law creating the massachusetts, bureau. of
which Carroll d.. Wright was the author.
Mr.. C0nner was formerly statistieian, has
been a member of the indianapolis School
Board and was a member of the Board OF
Safety under the Denny administration.