The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1898-03-11
A FEW QUESTIONS 10 AU-
DITOR KOERNER BY
A TAXPAYER.
LET THE TAX RIDDEN PE0-
PILE READ THEM And
ASK HIM.

ASK HIM.
Z For the COURIER.
Tie following questions are sub
| mitted to the voters OF Dubois coun
) ty for them to ponder over, and
. think of well before they cast vote
: on March II, 1898, to retain the
present incumbent, August III.
X ,ner, in the auditors Office four
! years longer.
1st. ifthe county books are all
right as the Auditor and the ex-
, auditor say they are, why is it that
on the day Mr.. Sweeney announced
! himself as a candidate, and after Mr..
! Sweeney had informed his opponent
that during his campaign he was
going to insist on the books being
opened, why didn't Mr.. koerner
then and there suggest to Mr..
Sweeney for him to name the ex
perts, and he would personally see
that the books were examined?
I'd. Ii the books are AL right, as
the auditor and ex-auditor say they
are, why was it necessary that at
the December settlement of 1894,
made by the Commissioners vii h
the Auditor and Treasurer of the
county, for the Treasurer to file a
petition with the Board Of Com
missioners asking permission that
the Auditor add S72 20 to his dis
bursement account, for the purpose
of squaring the books? How did
this mistake occur?
3D.. Ii everything is all right and
square, why is it that Dubois coun-
ty paid S1i % each for its ele tion
booths to Friedman & Co., while
Madison county only paid $500
each for its booths?
4 4th. Why have the tax payers
of DubCi' county been paying Mr..
Koerner 81 300 per year since he
has been in office, to fosterhi~ large
timber business in Tennessee?
( 9th. Why is it that Mr.. Koerner
has not devoted more than one third
of his time to his office since he was
elected, but was absent on his per-
sonal business the remaining two
thirds of his time?
9th. Why is it, that there has
been no advertisement for bids for
bridges in Dusois county, and all
competition thereby shut out in a
majority Of the cases, and the In
diana Bridge Company putting in
all the bridges in the county?
eth. Why is it that Gus Koer
ner. as Auditor of Dubois County,
reduced the Jasper Desk factory
Co.'S assessment from $4,000 to
S12 900, when their property was
worth from $40, 900 to $4,000?
Sth. Mr.. Gramelspacher, in
your letter published by the News
and Signal of last week, VIII VI
didn't you say that the county isl
now in as good a shape as it was
ten years ago?
9th. Why is it that it takes a
higher rate of taxation on the hum
dred dollars worth of property to
keep up the expense of the county
now, when we have ar assessed
valuation of property of about ST.
600, 900, than it took prior to 1890,
hen the assessed value of the
county did not exceed $500, 200?
For the year ending May 81
1892, the commissioners published
reports show S21 ,774.S5 on hand.
The expense of that year was only
$19, J43. GA, thus leaving two thous-
and dollars on hand more than was
necessary to run the county for ami
entire year. This report was signed
by August n. Koerner, as one of
the county commissioners, and
this being true, why was it nects-
sary to levy and collect tax OF
$22 ,357 95? What was the bene-
fit to taxpayers? If they did not
get the benefit, who did? Will Mr..
Koerner explain?
And for the year ending May 81
1898, there was on hand $23, 105 G0I
left over and above all expenses OF
the previous year Why did Mr. |
Koerner, as commissioner, levyl
and collect S23 ,S9l 81, "a dollar
for every man, woman and child il,
the county? In either of these
years the county could have beer
run without collecting one dollar o.
tax. Why was it not done?
liz ne Mr.. Gramelsnacher saws