Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-02-13

stead Of examination costing, as now,
from 500 to $3.50, it will not exceed
|one-fourth of that sum.
Says 1t Is Good Thing.
"The conversion. of Senator Ball
is case. in point continued Mr..
Speaker. -Four years ago l asked
that gentleman to vote for the bill.
But do not believe in it. said, the
senator from Johnson We have had
our treasurer twelve years in office;
he is the very soul of honor and |
would not wish to, support measure
which might seem to reflect upon his
integrity or business ability At the
next session Mr.. Senator Ball came
to me and said: L have changed my
mind as to state examiners. Since
the last session We have had some
trouble in Johnson county
.yf Was Short $4,000.
Questions as to the conduct or cor
rectnesS of the treasurers office. An
expert accountant was sent for from
Chicago, and we found that our treas
urer was short some $4,000, which
sum he and his bondsmen had to make
good. Now | am in favor of any sys-
TEN which will make this state of af-
fairs impossible. This case may have
been owing to bad bookkeeping, it
may not have been dishonesty, but the
facts are the same and the necessity
equally great. With specially devils
ed and uniform system of book-keep-
| ing all these risks are eliminated, and
| with an examination likely to be made
at any time the officials will see to it
that everything is in order.
Says Every County Loses.
'The known defalcations are not all
that the counties lose l doubt if
there is a county in the state, which
can show clean record in this mat.
ter. do not mean that in every coun-
| ty there, are or ,shave been defaulting
treasurers, but that, the counties have
at some time lost either by intentional
speculation, negligence of officials or
incompetency of examiners.
Treasurerss Association Against 1t.
The county treasurers' association
they say it is a reflection upon their
integrity. But why is the integrity OF
public official more easily assailed
by Such a supervision of his work than
is the responsible officer of bank who
when like examination is made under
direction of the state or national gov.
eminent"
| The Importance of the bill and the
real interest it has to every county in
the state will. l believe, justify the
length of the foregoing interview. That
the measure will be pushed to early
consideration goes without saying.
Relating to Road Supervisors.
| Members of the house are inauiring
as to the views of their constituents
on the bill introduced by Black OF
Mills county, intended to amend the
provisions of the code relating to SUI.
pervisor districts and the election OF
members of the board This bill
which is House File No. l, provides
that the present section. of the code
shall be changed to read as follows:
Such districts shall be as nearly
equal in area as possible. each OF
which said districts shall be entitled
to one member of such board, to be
elected by the electors of the entire
county. The. candidates shall be resi-
dents of the district and nominated by
the electors of said district. The can
didates residing in such district receiv
ing the highest number of votes shall
be the member of the board of super
visors from that district.
To Cure an Evil.
| The house on Saturday passed
bill which is deserving of mention. Il
is that providing that insurance notes
must be paid in the county where
made. 1t has been the custom of Ger
tain insurance companies holding
notes to bring suit on the same il
some county remote from the resi-
dence OF. the maker and secure judg
ment by default. This practice be
comes impossible under the provision:
Of the bill
To Honor Soldiers.
| Kerr OF Grundy has presented a ne
tition from his home county, askins
that the state appropriate S25, 900 TO
monument to the Iowa soldiers VIII,
died in southern prisons during TIL,
war of the rebellion. In connection
with this matter OF monuments t,
Iowa soldiers the governor on Satur
day sent to the Legislature the repor
of the commission appointed to cree
monuments on the battlefield of Shi
lob. This report shows that the com
mission has expended. or rather con
tracted for the expenditure of SAB
216.S0, of which $4,000 is for a stat,
monument and S1S,052 for eleven regi
mental monuments. Other expense
bring the amount UP to the total nam
| ed.
The governor advised the assembl!
that he had declined to permit the eX
penditure in the hands of the commits
sion for dedicating these monuments
and left this matter in the hands of TIL,
legislature. The report was referred
to a committee of three for considera
ton.
To Amend Road Laws.
Senator Hobart has introduced bill
to amend the road laws, the objec
being to make the county the unit il
road-making, all expenditures for i'm
provements of the highways to b.
made by order of the board of super
visors.
Recompense Treasurers.
Senator Young, of Lee proposes tina
county treasurers shall receive one
fourth of one per cent on all tax CO.
lection, instead of three-fourths of dc