Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 309, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 December 1910 — OUR STATE ACCOUNTING LAW ASSAILED AT OSGOOD. [ARTICLE]

OUR STATE ACCOUNTING LAW ASSAILED AT OSGOOD.

Weekly Journal Can See No Use For Law That Maintains so Many Men In Real Fat Jobs. The Osgood Weekly Journal, published in Ripley county, in its issue of Dec. 21st, takes a swing at the state accounting law and delivers some sound arguments against the maintaining of a law so expensive and that makes it so possible for the governor of a state to build up a powerful political machine with the taxpayers paying the frieght. The Journal says: “The public accounting law was passed by the legislature in 1909 and provides for a chief at $4,000 per annum and traveling expenses; two assistants at $3,000 per annum, one clerk at $2,500 per annum, and one hundred field examiners at $lO per day and traveling expenses. There being 300 working days in a year the salaries foot up to the staggering sum of $312,500 per annum, to say nothing of traveling expenses, increased cost of booksand blanks and incidental expenses of the counties, towns and townships, which would bring the total expense of the law up to nearly a half million dollars annually. “This law was backed by the commercial club of Indianapolis at the instance of the big supply houses of that city, and Governor Marshall’s first intention was to veto it, but under heavy pressure he signed the bill and all the township trustees wer? forced to buy a new set of books, not only for their own offices, but for every justice of the peace in the state, also with new blanks multiplying the old blanks three fold, and these expenses for new books came just when new trustees had supplied themselves with old books that were just as go* 1 and in many case» better than th) new ones. The same condition applied to every county office, to every town and every school board and the blank book and school supply trust has reaped a rich harvest at the expense of the taxpayers. “Taking the trustees as an example, they are required to buy all their supplies by bids which are classified by the chief of the accounting board in the interest of the .school and township supply trust. Brooms, tincups and pails are classified with a lot of blanks that no local dealer can supply and as they are bid off in classes the supplies are being purchased in Indianapolis and more paid for an inferior broom than the local dealer would charge for a good one. “We have enough officers without the state board of accountants to do all that the state board is seeking to do and do it even better than the state board. If it is necessary to have three men in 'each township and seven men in each county to watch the trustees and the commissioners, how many men will it require to watch this state board of accountants? We have many small towns in Indiana that have their tax levies as high as the statute will permit and the town trustees and members of the school boards are giving the public the use of their time practically free in order to make ends meet. And the board of accountants is sending out field men to examine the accounts of these little towns and school boards at a salary pf $lO per day. Is it-any wonder the people object? The state of Indiana has no right to interfere or meddle with the affairs of the towns and school boards. The funds are raised by the local taxpayers for their own use and benefit and these same towns have paid their part of the state tax and if the state chief accountant decides to send his examiners into the small town he should provide that they be paid out of the state treasury and not burden the taxpayers further in the small communities. “The state of Indiana through its officers should supervise the expenditure of the state’s money and see that it gets value received, but when the state has done that, it has done its full duty and the same power should be delegated to counties, cities, towns and townships. It is for this purpose that advisory boards have been created. Let each take care of its own affairs and let the people feel 'he responsibility of selecting men who will do the clean thing in office. Governor Marshall said in his campaign two years ago that we had too many officeholders and we -agree with that proposition, but it does not look consistent that he stands for this accounting law that has created more than a hundred jobs at unreasonable salaries.” The Republican has always opposed the accounting law on account of its great expense and because the power of sending out the examiners in a practically unlimited number rests with the governor, thus making it possible for him to build up a political machine of great power among these overpaid men whose heads he can chop off whenever he gets ready to do iL We have opposed it also because it was inspired by the Indianapolis Commercial Club because it would establish a big headquarters in Indianapolis and chase these hundred accountants into the state capital every few weeks. We believe that a board of from six to a dozen accountants at salaries not exceeding $2,000, subject

to call from places where they are needed, would be a good thing. And we are convinced that the law should be changed at the coming session of the legislature to lessen the expense by a reduction of salaries, by a reduction of the working force, by the disposal of the headquarters, and attaching the department to the office of the auditor of state. Making the accountants subject to call from counties, cities, towns and townships upon the call of officials or by petition. An accounting board of this kind will be a benefit and justify the expense which would not need to exceed $30,000 or $40,000 per annum. It would accomplish more than the half million now being expended and leave no cause for criticism, because the local. communities would then endorse the. expense of their own examination of records and accounts.