The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1901-01-04
FUNDS POCKETED.
UGLY SITUATION IN STATE STATS.
TlCIAN'S OFFICE.
Daughter on Salary Who Never Entered
Office.
indianapolis sentinel.

Daughter on salary VINO NeNeI LuteIeu
Office.
indianapolis sentinel
State Statistican Conner has Tor
months been carrying on the pay
roA of his office members OF his
family, some OF whom have never
bsen in the state statistican' Office,
Others who have not been there Tor
months, and still Others who have
been there but a small part OF the
time.
lie has been payingout the states
money for clerk hire to persons who
are not known and have never been
heard of by the chief clerk OF his
office.
Hundreds and thousands OF dol
lars cf the states money have been
paid out to these persons, and MI.
Conner himself has been away from
the Office nearly two months, al
though the state is paying him
salary Of - 600.
Mr.. Colner has not only done
this, but he has extended the term
of his Office two months longer than
the spirit Of the law provides for.
Ii was in the summer Of 1897 that
state Statisticign Thompson was
found to have taken ~ 900 Of the
states money and deposited 10 his
private account in bank. The ex-
posure was made by the Sentinel,
and Gsv. Mount removed Thomp-
son from Office, appointing John b.
Conner.
Mr.. Thompson's term OF office,
as that Of his predecessors, had be-
gun ten days after the election in
November, as the law provided that
the term Of the statistician should
expire "as soon as the successor is
elected and has qualified. y
John b. Conner was appointed to
fll out the fifteen months uneXpired
of Thompson term Of two years,
and he was elected 70 succeed him
self. His new term should have be-
gun Nov. 10, 1898, and ended Nov.
is. 1900. This would have made
the term accord with the annual APP
preparations. The fiscal year OF the
state ends Oct 81.
With the connivance OF other
state officials in the republican
camp, Conner decided that he would
not qualify as bis own succe$or till
Jan. /, following, and he would
then begin his term of two years
from that date, giving him two more
months in Office. Benjamin +.
Johnson, Of Fowler, who succeeds
\ Mr.. Conner next Tuesday, should
have been in office since Nov. ID
The legislature at its last session
appr, priated the following annual
amounts for the state statlst clan
office: For salary OF chief stats
tician, 1000 for chief clerk, ST.
200: ..for clerk hire IN the olii,e not
to exceed 81 ,5O0;n for salary and
Expenses Of travelling agents, 81
500; for office expenses, $1,000.
Conner tried to have his salary
raised $500 last session, but failed
The records Of his office show
that Conner had paid the sl, ,50O
clerk hire almost entirely to mem
bers Of his own family, some OF
whom have never been inside the
Office. and that the salary OF the
stenographer, Miss Cora Wilson
who is employed regularly in the
Office. has been paid out OF the ac'
count for Office expenses, IN the
face Of the fact that the legislature
limited the clerk hire in the Office
Ito 81 500.
CONNER FAMILY on SALARY.
The following members OF Johr
B. Conners family have been draw
ing salary from the public treasury
j. A. Conner, j. b. Conner
brother.
Clarence Conner, j. b. Conner
'rephew.