The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-04
A FEW FACTS ABOUT FEES.

The Sentinel has displayed vast amount
of virtuous indignation over the fact that
the fees of certain county officers were not
paid in quarterly Now that the fees are in
the county treasury it keeps up it's small
fire upon men who had bondsmen and by
whom Marion county could not have lost a
dollar So much has been said upon this
subject that it provokes the inquiry, why
have Democratic county officers paid no
fees into the county treasury? Simply be-
cause Democratic Legislatures, influenced
by party friends holding offices, neglected
to pass a fee and salary law which could
stand the scrutiny Of the Supreme Court
because of the persistent watchfulness of
Hon. Mason j. Niblack, when speaker of
the Democratic House. defective fee and
salary bill was passed. The Democratic
official crowd was preparing to force it's re-
peal when Democratic managers informed
their associates that such fight was not
necessary, as the Supreme Court would de-
clare it unconstitutional. When the Re-
publicans came into power in the Legisla-
ture of 1895 every Democratic official, state
and county, was in the enjoyment of all the
fees he could lay his hands upon. That
Legislature passed fee and salary law in
the face of an organized opposition. Its
provisions may be drastic upon the officers
of some counties, but it has stood the
scrutiny of the courts. 1t is in force to-
day. and because it is the counties are all
better off. Because of this Republican legis-
lation $780, 99.77 has been paid into the
county treasury of Marion county as fees
since the expiration of the terms of Thomas
Taggart and the fee-receiving Democratic
officials. At the rate that the present au-
ditor has turned in fees, Mr.. Taggart, dur
ing his eight years as auditor, must have
received and pocketed more than $4,000 in
fees. There is no evidence that Mr.. Tag
CART and his associates turned in fees dur
ing the period that the Niblack law was in
force and before it was declared unconsti-
tutional.
Nor is this all: when the Republican
Legislature assembled in January 1895. ev-
cry state officer collecting them was revel-
ing in fees, largely because of Democratic
legislation. By proviso in Chapter III of
the acts of 1893 the attorney general found
authority to enable him to take for his
own use II per cent. of the unexpended
school funds. 1t will never be known how
large an amount he took as fees, but the es-
innate made by the Journal when he retired
from office, that his salary and fees for his
term were not less than $4,000. has never
been questioned. Others made the total
100000 The Journal has the statement of
a man who is familiar with the receipts Of
fees by the state auditor to the effect that
the last Democratic state auditor under the
Democratic fee system received 100000 dur
ing his four years. Because this method
reached the stage of abuse under Demo-
cratic rule it is fair to assume that it
would have continued if that party had con-
tinued in power. Large amounts of fees go
into the state and county treasures be-
cause the Republican party had a large ma
jority of the Legislature of 1895.