Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 December 1898 — REFORH NEEDED. [ARTICLE]

REFORH NEEDED.

The Rensselaer Republican copies the following from the Delphi Herald without comment, but of course no such condition exists in Jasper county, at least in the opinion of the Republican: There are loud complaints all over the state concerning the increasing expenses of township trustees. It is charged that in nearly every county in the state combinations have been formed among trustees to make all they can out of the office. There seems to be a concentrated effort to bleed the taxpayers. As an illustration it is charged that a certain trustee in Cass’county drove to town and bought 15 cents worth of chalk for the schools and charged up a day for the work. It is also reported that a trustee went to Logansport and bought a quarter’s worth of school books for some indigent children and charged a full day—or s2.oo—for the service. So extravagent has the administration of township affairs, in many places become that there is talk of abolishing the office of trustee altogether and a measure with that purpose is now being formulated, it is proposed to have the county ! school superintendent look after he schools, the ditch commissioner K/ok after the ditches, the county commissioners after the poor, ’ec_ 'oas arid other incidental and oamentai duties. The reformay that there is no question < there must be a consolidation jot offices, and three county commissioners. If is pointed out that they can easily manage the township business more safely and much more economically than a retinue of trustees, while the incidental duties belong to other county agents.