The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-01
COUNTY AUDITORS FEES
EVERY CENT ACCOUNTED FOR AND
BOOKS OPEN FOR INSPECTION.
The SentineI's Absurd Political Bum
c0mbe-MonthIy Account of
the Collections.

The Sentinel made an attack on County
Auditor Smith and his deputy, Fred
| Shepard yesterday morning, which the
county officials were inclined to dismiss as
piece of political buncombe after they had
read it. The Democratic organ stated that
the auditor had not made quarterly reports
to the county treasurer, in violation Of the
fee and salary law; that there was no evil
dence that the auditor had paid the fees
received by his office into the county treas
ury, and that both the treasurer and the
auditor were attempting to conceal the
facts. Auditor Smith has been for several
days i'll at his home with a case of malarial
fever contracted in the army, which has
developed since his return. Deputy Auditor
Shepard said yesterday that the Sentinels
story was absurd, and that his accounts
would prove it, Mr.. Shepard, County Treas
urer Schmidt and Messrs. Hawkins & Smith,
attorneys for County Auditor Smith, all
made the same explanation of the features
of the business of the auditors Office which
the Sentinel called violations of the law.
The Legislature of 1895 passed the fee and
salary law which is now in operation. 1t
provided that county officials should make
quarterly reports to the auditor and turn
into the county treasurers Office the fees
that they collected. From these fees sal
aries of the officials should be paid. If the
amount of the fees did not equal the amount
of the salaries, then the officials should re-
ceive as salaries only the amount jof fees
they had turned in to the treasurer. Shortly
after this law went into effect it became
apparent through the State that a mistake
had been made in drafting the law, for the
auditors should have been exempted from
the restrictions placed on the other officials.
1t was stated that this mistake had been
made in rewriting the original draft of the
law. But few fees, and those small ones,
are collected by auditors. 1t proved i'm
possible for the auditors to operate their
offices on the amount of the fees collected.
In many cases county commissioners al
lowed the auditors to ignore the law and
paid them their full salaries whether the
amount of fees collected was sufficient or
not. This was done pending the next session
of the Legislature, when it was confidently
expected that the law would be amended.
When the Legislature of 1897 met it prompt
ly amended the law so that the county audi
tors We're not required to be paid from the
amount Of fees which they collected and
legalized the acts of county commissioners
who had paid salaries in full. The law of
1895 was operative when County Auditor
The process of keeping the accounts in
the treasurers office is to entitle the ac-
count of the fees delivered by. the clerk,
''sheriff's fund.- and recorders fund.- No
auditors fund account is kept because the
auditors salary ($17 500 year, out Of which
he must pay the expenses of the office is
not paid from the fees he turns in but
directly out of the general fund. The fees
turned In by the auditors Office are merged
into the general fund and their Identity
is lost.
THE FEES IN DETAIL.
The reports of fees collected by county
officers are made to the auditor, and SO he
makes report of the fees collected in his
office to himself. This account of fees coll
lected is kept in a book and each days
fees are entered This book is not secretly
kept, as the Sentinel charged. Deputy Aud
itor Shepard opened it yesterday for exhibit
ton. The following statement is made of
the fees collected by the auditors office
from the beginning of the present auditors
term, Nov. 4, 1895: