Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-11-04

uhe oit. p4aH! scal4e JusG as we pre-
dtcted it wonld. The truth is that
sheet is not in position to parade its
honesty to the Cresco public. Having
forgotten the events just cited it is
not surprising that it should have
forgotten when Griffin and Lambert,
democrats, were on the board of
supervisors, with Peck, Griffin,
Theophilus, Lowry and Clark hold
ing the county offices. 1t was during
their administration that the county
was freed from debt, the most of it's
iron bridges built and paid for, it's
court house furnished and paid for,
its sheriff's office and Jail built and
paid for, its poor farm bought and
paid for. In those days the county
officers did not hide thousands of
dollars of expenditure under the head
of Miscellaneous" withholding from
the public all the items thereof.
Each year since and including 1894
large sums of money have been paid
out for which the board has carefully
avoided giving the items of which it
is made up, the aggregate for the
four years being $15, 1914 0S and for the
year 1897 it was nearly one half
that sum the amount being $3.50. 81.
We call attention to the line in the
table headed Miscellaneous" A
little explaining as to the use made of
these vast sums would be instructive
and useful to the taxpayers. I'VE do
not say there is anything wrong with
the county funds" but will say that
the evidence of the honesty of the
officials is shown by the "Miscellane-
Gus" item of $7,2s9.34 for the year
1897 Just stop and think of the ridic-
ulousness of such an item in the report
of what are called business men. The
largest item by nearly twice of any
| county expense, for to this sum must
be added new fund of $1,9O3. 81
! which had evidently been included in
some other funds for the proceeding
years. With almost every conceivable
item given in the report except the
school and state funds which are not
listed as county expenditures, it looks
as if the biggest item in the lot con.
cealed a large sized negro of mis-
management or ignorance, or that
money had been spent and that it
was no business of the taxpayers
where it went. A comparison of the
expenditures for the years given will
show that with the exception of q
trifling variation in court costs and
the like, the expenses from year tc
year were about the same, until with
a deficit of $12,047.59 comes a prodig
ious miscellaneous" item of 81, ,2s9. "a
Perhaps it is mere peculiar" coin
cidence that this Miscellany" o
1889. "a, the new fund for 1897 o
81, 903. "a and the cost of court house
addition of $2,979, makes a total o1
$12, III 81, and the deficit is Sl2, ,047. SO
What is this Miscellaneous" The
county bill heads have a note re
quiring dates and items of all claim!
against the county, but triflins
item of 81, ,2s9 "a, about one-fourth o
the total expenditures for that year
is not worthy of explanation by oul
supervisors and auditor. Any busi
men sending out an agent to transact
business for him, returning with {
big Miscellaneous" bill of expense!
such as our agents have presented
would look elsewhere for job. Ant
, that's just what ithis county should
, do with it's financial agents, dis
charge them and get some who woule
keep a smaller Miscellaneous
account. "Miscellaneous"-what /
nice. changeable, useful, Jingling
word that is and h ow business like.
The county expenses exclusive Q
miscellaneous" for 1894 were $24, AT.
93; 1895, $25,972.7S; 1896, $50, 1850
1897, $23, 136.25, showing about tn
same amounts expended one yea
with another, but the reader wi
notice an increase in the Miscellany