Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-10-09
$4,000
SALARIES
No Wonder Highway Depart
mant Emitted Howl Over
Plank in Republican
Platform.

Columbus Especial = While the
auditor of states report shows more
than ninety thousand collars paid out
by the state highway department foI
salaries and wages the year ending
Nov. Is, 1913, it is found on investi.
cation that salaries were paid from
funds to inspectors, resident engi-
Eeers and others, making the aggre-
gate in reality upwards of n hun
dred and fifty thousand dollars at
least. These inspectors, resident en-
gineers and others do not appear on
any payrolls and therefore are not
known as fixed employees. They were
paid on separate personal vouchers.
Thus is made possible an army Of
~henchmen, to be engaged or dispensed
with as the political conditions make
essential, The method also makes
possible the shifting Of road building
to those counties where the most good
for the Cox machine can be realized.
The army of inspectors, resident en-
g~ineers. and other employees of the
highway department are a big wheel
in the Democratic machine and SO
concealed in the state aid road build
ing fund that the public cannot see
it. AS an index of the immensely of
the highway department as a possible
machine wherein contracts may be
awarded and positions created almost
without limit, the following extract
from the las report of State Auditor
Honahey (Democrat) is pertinent:
For 1914 there is no specie appro-
the highway commissioner will have
all the revenues Of the Hite law, one
half mill levy, and other revenues at
his disposal" which tremendous sum
is given in violation of the state con-
stitution-section %, article 2: mo
money shall be drawn from the treas
ury except in pursuance of a specific
appropriation made by law, and no
appropriation shall be made for q
longer period than two years."
In the current number of the Ohio
State Highway Department Monthly
is the following: Goods roads en-
thusiasts-Your name and address
sent to the education bureau, Ohio
state highway department, Columbus,
Ohio, will bring the Monthly to you
regularly without cost. Write us."
Will the taxpayers snotet the world:
WITHOUT COST"2 $5e,Oe0 of tie
money the people have spaid for tie
construction of good roads goes to
this publication and furnishes EN-
ployment for a couple of henchmen Of
the Democratic machine at princely
salaries, not to mention the attempt
to hoodwink the good roads enthu-
siasts'' into believing they are getting
something for nothing.
Upon investigation It is found that
a most fragrant and e~xtravagant ex-
penditdfe bfatiTe taxpayers' money has
been made by the highway depart
ment. 1t is discovered that the payroll
of the department In the Hartman
building, Columbus, for August last,
was more than sixty, not to mentica
the scores of resident engineers, in
spectors, superintendent and others
in the various counties who are paid
from this large fund in the hands of
the commissioner any amount they
may see fit to. fix. &..s
From this state aid in Dad build
ir.g fund in 1912 there were paid out
in salaries to employees from Nov. Is,
1912. to Dec. 81, 1912, inclusive,
s1,371s9 for thirty-three inspectors
located ia a like number of counties
of the state. The various counties
where these inspectors operated paid
them an additional srm of SHAFTS,
making a total of $~2,7S9.17. For the
same period there was paid $2,073.93
by the department for ~forty-eight resi-
dent engineers in a corresponding
number of counties, while the coun-
ties expended for the same employees
81 S3. "a, making a total of $4,157.87.
Not a single one Of those e~ighty-one
| employees of the department appear
on public record, but are concealed in
the expenditure of more
than 1913. 900 for construction of
roads. The public supposes these
employees are included in the amount
paid the contractor for the building Of
the road. Instead, they are being
paid in addition from the taxes paid
by the public either to the state or
| county.
During the same period, with all
this army of well paid employees, the
department only expended in the con-
struction of roads OF contracts, 1884,
O93.O 4, while the counties spent ST.
1918, making a total of $135,S32.22.
While the legislature made liberal
appropriations at various times for
services and expenses in the prepare
ton of a highway map of Ohio. it is
discovered in December, 1912, that
5000 was paid out of the state aid in
road building fund for a map of Cler-