The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1908-12-18
Plank No. g. Require County Officers
10 Keep a Publ.c Zee Book.

The people who pay fees TO public
officers have a right 20 know that
hose fees are accurately charged.
properly recorded and accounted FOR,
and thar they are turned into the pub
Tic treasury Books recording the bus.
mess OF public officers with the public
should bee public records always open
20 the public.
PLANK No. 9. Require sheriffs TO Feed
Prisoners al Actual Cost.
The present law provides that the
sheriff shall receive "A fixed amount
per day for feeding prisoners. and that
amount is the same IN every county IN
the State. whether the county Is large
or small. the Jail crowded or empty.
the cost little or much. This system
is clearly unjust. either 20 the sheriff
or 20 the public Any system which
affords the sheriff a profit from the
feeding OF prisoners is a violation OF
good business principles. such sys-
TEN induces underfeeding the prison
ers, Overcrowding the jails. the pad
ding OF accounts, ard is an outrage on
public mOrSi-. That the present sys-
tenn is an eXtrayagant one for the pub
lie is conclusively proved by the fact
that in every case where prisoners are
fed in warehouses or jails al actual
cost the expense ranges from one-third
10 one-half OF the cost under the pres
ent system.
Plank No. 10. Require the State Audi
tor 10 Audit the School Funds.
Under the present law accretiOns 20
the school fund are reported 10 state
H.. D. 81 a
bur no fiscal officer OF the State Is fur
nished record Of the items belonging
TO this fund at the time such items
originally accrue. The only superNi-
sion OF the school fund by any State
officer authorized under the present
law is given TO the superintendent OF
public instruction, who is an educa-
tional and not q fiscal officer. And
the original charges of school fund
items are not even reported 10 him
The common school fund is 4 sacred
fund. and every item belonging to that
fund should be reported 10 a fiscal
officer Of the State AZ the time il or
iginally accrues
Plank No. II. Compel the Collection
Of Fines and Forfeitures Due TO the
School Fund.
Unwarranted remittances OF fines
and fragrant neglect In collection OF
fines. fees and forfeitures belonging 10
the school fund are matters OF com
mon knowledge in every county az the
state. The present annual loss 10 the
fund on this account amounts 20 hun
drels OF thousands Of dollars. This
loss not only gravely threatens the ad-
equacy of the school fund. but il has
already caused a material Increase in
direct taxation for school purposes.
Every taxpayer in the whole State is
annually paying a tribute in dollars
for the long Indifference o. citizens TO
this abuse. Correction lies in placing
the final responsibility for the coliec-
ton OF all items belonging to the
school fund in a State officer.
Plank No. 70. Put the Prosecuting At
torney and His Deputies on Salary.
The fee OF the prosecutor under the
present law is fixed. not on the inves-
tigation OF crime nor on the trial OF
criminals. but only on conviction
And that fee is identically the same
amount where conviction is secured
after weeks OF trial In a single case in
the criminal court and in the police
court where scores OF convictions are
often secured in a single hour The
prosecutors fee for a months trial in
the criminal court may be nothing II
no conviction is secured. And the
chance OF convictions is very much
less in the more important cases
where stubborn defense is made. But
the prosecutors fees in the police
court may amount 20 hundreds Of dol
lars In an hour. The present system.
therefore. furnishes an incentive 10
prosecute minor offenses 10 the neg
lect of matters OF public interest. And
in large cities il greatly overpays the
prosecutor.
Plank No. 10. Compel the Payment of
All Fees Into the Public Treasury.
The fee system Of paying public
officers is endured by the public only
on the theory that it costs the tax
paver nothing That this theory IS
utterly false needs no argument. The
opportunitv 10 make an independent
fortune in the public Office shows how
the public treasury would profit II all
the fees We're paid into the treasury
and the officers were paid a straight
salary. To make a private fortune out
/ OF a public Office is in violation Of the
/ principles OF republican government
I The fee system is vicious and obso-
lete. and should be abolished.
Plank No. II. Require the Courts to
Be Responsible for the Drawing Of
Jurors.
The law provides with the utmost
exaciness what shall be presented TO
the jury and the court scrutinizes the
evidence with the utmost diligence.
why then should the law not require
that the court exercise the same
scrutiny in regard to the men who
shall compose the jury Our method
OF selecting jurors is ancient. ineffec-
tive. unsatisfactory and offers oppor-
/ unity for the protection Of Official