The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-11
FOR THE TAXPAYERS OR TAXEAT-
ERS-WHICH.


ERS-WHICH.
What objection can there be on the part
Of the man who desires clean and economical
local government to the bill designed to Sc
cure uniform and correct system Of keep
ing the accounts of county officers? No ob-
jections which should have weight with in
telligent men were given in the debate in
the House on Thursday. Mr.. Reser, who
seems to be the spokesman of the lobby of
few county officers and supply dealers, made
some ridiculous assumptions, the most of
which are too absurd TO be considered by
sensible men. One of these objections was
that it would give the printing of a large
amount of blanks to Indianapolis printers.
This is absurd. Section l authorizes the
auditor of state ito prescribe blanks and
forms necessary in his judgment to secure
such uniform system Of bookkeeping as
the rest of the act provides for. He shall
prescribe" not furnish. When State Aud
itor Hart was questioned as to what he
would do under this provision he said that
he would simply provide the forms in
sheets, as the law gives MIN no authority to
furnish sets of books. There is but one fur
Their allusion to blanks in connection with
the state auditor, and that is in Section 8,
which provides that returns made to the
auditors office shall be made on blanks
furnished" by him. This would require
the printing of about one thousand blanks
by the state printer for the State. Mr..
Reser declared that it would take ten clerks
to aid the state auditor in doing the work
required in his office by the bill. The state
auditor says the clerks provided by the bill
will be sufficient. Who knows best about
this matter, the state auditor of long expert
ence and of Recognized ability, or Mr..
Reser?
Those who oppose this and other reform
bills have had much to say about the benefit
which would accrue to Indianapolis printers,
stationers and dealers in county supplies.
Do those who make this objection not know
that among the most effective lobbyists
against all these measures are the proprie-
tors and employees of one or more leading
houses engaged in this business in this city?
Such is the case, and the Journal has evil
dence that one of them has telegraphed a
Statehouse and fight the reform bills. Most
of the other opponents of this bill and others
relative to township and county government
are opposed by the lobbyists of those county
officers who oppose every measure designed
to abate abuses and secure good govern
ment. Those about the Statehouse now are
in part the same men who fought the pas
oft I,a NJ a1oY 1ax
are ex-county officers who have been de-
feated for reelection.
Is law needed to secure uniform and full
reports to the state auditor? If counties
and townships are to be law unto them
selves with officers free to make any sort
of contracts and to withhold from the state
treasury tens of thousands of dollars a year
which belong there, no law making the town
ship and county officers responsible is need
ed. In one county-that represented by Mr.
Reser-the commissioners have been pro-
ceeded against for making a contract for
printing because the price is eXorbitant and
there had been no call for bids. The editor
of one of the Republican papers in Lafayette
informs the Journal that he will furnish the
commissioners were about to make a con-
tract. In another county in which favored
supply house had been getting $1,000 a year
and above for several years the same firm
furnished the same goods for $500 year
when the irregularity had been exposed. Is
it possible that a majority of the members
of the House want this sort of thing to
continue in even a few counties? Are they
representing the interests of taxpayers or
the few men who desire to be allowed to
waste public money if they choose to do so?
Who can be harmed by a clear and con-
else system of bookkeepng-who but those
who know that they cannot cover up eXtrav-
agance and unlawful transactions? The State
is at the head of a system of local govern
ments. Counties exist by action of the Leg
islature-why should not the State, as the
head of the system, exact uniform reports
of the expenditures which affect State and
county alike? Why should not county COM
missioners report to the State the objects to
which they vote allowances and the amounts
voted? The Journal has it from state Off
cial that county officials are holding back
several hundred thousand dollars in the ag-
gregate of fees and dues of one kind and
another belonging to the State. AN adequate
system of bookkeeping which would make
it possible to compare collections, receipts
and expenditures would show up the delin-
quents. Why not have it? Are a few Off
Gals of greater importance than hundreds
of thousands of taxpayers?
FILIPINOS AND INDIANS.