The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-09
TURN ON THE LIGHT.
Reasons Why the Powers of Public
Officials Should BE Limited.

To the Editor of the indianapolis Journal:
in view OF the agitation for legislation
tending to limit the power of township trus-
tees an experience of the writer with a
salesman for school supplies may not be
out of place While stopping at a. hotel in
one Of the smaller towns of the State the
writer CHANGED to meet the salesman, be-
came interested in his exhibit of his goods
and inquired somewhat minutely in regard
to his methods the prices at which he
bought his articles and at which he sold
them, and other particulars. The salesman
stated that the supplies in question cost him
about $l3 each and that he sold them to the
township at $50, and went on to discuss his
methods in dealing with the trustees. He
remarked that his doodle account had
been as much as $500 in less than a week,
and that he was just at that time arrang-
ing deal with a trustee whose assist
ance he desired. The trustee was holding off
over the amount Of the bride to be given,
asking $1OO, which the agent thought to be
too much. However" said the agent, Il
expect to give him 500 tonight, as he has
agreed to meet me at his store at that
time" Upon my remarking to him that
thought there was danger Of his being ar
rested for engaging in the business of brib-
cry he seemed TO regard it great joke
and said that he had been in the business
for three years and had yet to find the
honest man among them. Said he: Il am
looking for the honest trustee and he Is
not to be found" and there is no danger
of being caught" The articles in question
would have been dear at one-tenth of the
price paid for them. The above is a correct
account of our interview, and there is no
reason to doubt that the salesman gave a
true statement of the case, as there was
nothing TO be gained by stating fasehood
calculated to 1njure him without any pc
cuniary benefit.
A conversation with some "plain people
of jay county is well remembered, in which
cases were instanced where the banks of
streams had to be cut away for a consider
able distance to accommodate bridges which
were absurdly too long for the space to be
bridged, and we no doubt all remember the
rumorS of grave scandals pertaining 70
bridge contracts in Wabash county not long
ago.
1t is not the intention to comment upon
the above, but it is plain that where secrecy
is resorted TO it is because the transaction
will not. bear the light. 1t is easy enough
to provide laws to insure publicity and TO
declare void all proceedings which involve
the expenditure of public moneys which lack
this element, and it should be done We want
no more steals, no allowances running into
the hundreds of dollars for making in
deXes' to records without which the records
would be almost useless We need laws
Whlch VIII make indirect stealing as much
a theft as burglary, and which will land the
perpetrator in the penitentiary instead of
on Meridian street and if a public officer
cheats his county by Withholding it's money
and COmpelS il to borrow its own funds at
interest paid to himself he should be pun
ished for grand larceny and branded as
the thief that he is We are getting tired
of this everlastingly increasing mountain of
debt and extravaganza. There is no excuse
for it. Think of it! If a man has a paltry
Sl0e saved UP for a rainy day the law comes
along on April l and takes $1.65 Of it. and
he can get but per cent. interest from the
trust companies. By all means, let there be
light. and let it penetrate TO the darkest
recesses of official business Let the people
in, so that they may see a will what their
servants are doing. Let us have a chance to
determine. first of ALL whether a project
is necessary, and then. if it is necessary,
to see that it is carried out at its proper
wrong channels A poor excuse, they say
is better than none, but where a printing
contract for instance, is given out at prices
which child should know are ridiculously
high the plea of ignorance is altogether
''toO thin" By all means, turn on the light.
indianapolis, Jan I. PUBL1COLA.