The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-04-20


ting done as speedily ~ possible.
Tho commissioners sucnd thousands
and thousands Of dollars belonRng 20
Marion county, taxpayers: their 50.
therefore always 10 be reiigiotislv in
spectod and Nye have sought TO dis
charge our duty in manner To Justify
the confidence reposed In us bY the
We would commend rather than
criticize. We believe the county Off
cials are honest and each individual
official is striving TO serve the county
to the very best Of his ability. We
find all transactions legally correct
SO far as disclosed by the vouchers
tracts properly filed and the law com.
piled with IN every respect. But. at
the same time your committee re.
grets the present deplorable condition
of laws governing allowances of fees
salaries, charges. etc.. to county of
| ncials.
we find the commissioners have al
lowed the sherins bills for livery hire
| These allowances were made. as we
understand under the ruling OF
| former attorney general of ohio. and
| holds the same to be Illegal
The county commissioners advise
your committee that all doubtful bills
edfney wSo If il the doa TSsefsns reers R a.
same to the attorney general: con-
structlon Is placed on laws by this
latter official. and an opinion. upon
which future allowances are made by
! the commissioners is rendered.
A change in the office of the county
prosecutor or attorney general. or an
| accountant sent out bV the state board
of public accounting and inspection
under the supervistOn of the auditor
| of state. often puts a radically differ
| cnt CONSTRUCTION ON the same laws.
and upon HIS report the press through
out the state with iiaring headlines.
announces that an official is over
drawn in his accounts, or has been
paid fees Illegally and the public
mind is poisoned against an honest
official.
Since the establishment of the State
board of public accounting an ac-
almost continuously. either checking
up county, city. township or school
board officials. At times as many as
two, three and four of these examiners
have been here at the same time at an
expense TO taxpayers of $40 n day
each. Usually sensational reports are
Med and OFFICIALS are charged with
drawing Illegal fees. then suits are in
stituted to recover the alleged Illegal
drawn ices. The cases are carried
to the supreme court at large expense
to the taxpayers and. in the end. In
Marion county at least the officials
are sustained a great many more
times than the state board OF public
accounting.
If the honorable court will pardon
tho digression. we would like TO ado
that the taxpayers have the Inn mpression
generally speaking that these ac-
countants are paid by the state for
their services. This is not true. as
the court well knows They are paid
out OF the county funds and Marion
county mas spent. in the payment of
the accountants salaries and in carry
ing on. unsuccessful litigation the re-
suit or accountants reports. a sum
su1lclent to water-bind a pike from
Marion to the county line in any di-
We lind that the county spent s2.-
10000 for the burial of supposedly in
digent soldiers and INDECENT soldiers
widows and wives during the year COW
cred by this report. A search of the
records in the office of the county au-
dltor alone warrants the CONCLUSION
that at least several of the thirty-two
burials OF this kind were not properly
investigated by the committee--uslfal-
ly old soldlers-aDpointed by the
commissioners TO investigate and sign
their wives and their widows. A
number of those who died left estates
which were amply sufficient to pay
all funeral expenses and leave sur
Viying relatives far from need.
Tho general impression among the
people seems to be that the govern
ment pays for the burial of the sol
dier. his widow or his wife. In case
of the death OF either the county al
lows $500 on the recommendation
OF the .regularly-appointed commit
county to investigate as to the fnan-
cial condition Of tho deceased at the
time of death and for signing burial
certificates
Their burial. as we understand. is
provided by the state that every indi-
gent soldier be assured decent
burial. II is not general law that
the other hand II Is but a step from
the paupers grave and should be so
considered by the families of such
descendants We feel that the town.
ship committee appointed by the com
missioners for conducting investiga-
tions and signing burial certificates.
should so explain the law TO the fam
In the matter of outside relief fur
nished by the Intrmary Directors we
do not feel that IL II necessary for the
entire board to visit each. separate
mend that the three infirmarv direc-
tors divide the county into three dis
tricts. each director to have super
vision over his district thereby saw
Ing big per diem expense to the
| county
We commend Miss V. Perle Gar
field, commissioners clerk, for the
neat and accurate manner In which
| the records are kent In the office of
the county commissioners. We COM
mend the county commissioners for
| the reforms they have inaugurated In
the purchase of stationery and look
| Ing towards the moro economical.
buslnessliSe administration of their
office. We suggest that every caution.
safeguard and check be exercised In
| the payment of vouchers: that no
voucher be paid unlegs tho same he
| audited and approvCJ bv every cm-
| ployeo or official responsible for the
| same; that n complete inventory Of
| the Countys property be made: and
| that the commissioners work out n
plan whereby every dollar Of the
| county's property can be accounted
| for by them. The detailed statement
of the Commissioners financial trans
actions for one year Is voluminous
affair. SO far as we are able TO dis
| cover 1t Is correct In every wav but
| II does not show total anywhere. We
| th'"t grand fetal should be shown
| bv all means. Tut the same condl-
| ton is shown by the commissioners
| Journal. Frequently the journal con-
| tains page of typewritten amounts
| and no total is given. We believe that
daily or monthly totals of all vouch
ers allowed would admirably serve as
a check. and we therefore recommend
| that this be done I'm the future.
Respectfully submitted.
G. E MCCORMICK.