Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 September 1899 — Page 4 Advertisements Column 3 [ADVERTISEMENT]

, Carroll county ha* a population of 23,787, and ha* 13 township*. The estimated expense for assessing next year is 31,894. Jasper county has a population of 16,492, and 13 townships. The estimate for assessing here is $3,164.85, or $1,177.85 more than in Carroll county. In Deer Creek tp., (which includes Delphi, a city nearly twice as large as Rensselaer), the estimate is $281.50. Our own township of Marion is $375.05!

Benton county’s tax levy last year for county purposes was 22 cents on the SIOO, while Jasper county’s was 45|. Benton is almost as large in area as Jasper county and has a larger population than the latter, yet in the exSmditure estimates for next year enton is a great many thousand dollars below Jasper, notwithstanding she has 150 miles of gravel roads and the estimates include $5,000 for new buildings at the poor farm, and she pays more to state and benevolent institutions, etc., than Jasper county.

The first thing needed in Jasper county is the compelling of aIF officials, township and county to comply with the statutes as laid down for their guidance. Public matters have been run here so long without regard to law or anything else that it will no doubt be a little hard “breaking in” frisky officials, but it must come. The poor devil of a taxpayer who harbors a worthless dog is hounded dow'n and made to “cough up” that the dignity of the laws of the state of Indiana may be maintained, but the public official—who is presumed to know the law as well as the ordinary- taxpayer at least — goes right ahead openly defying the spirit and letter of the law concerning the management of his office every day, and not even a word of caution is meted out to him. Let all law-breakers be treated alike, and especially should public officials who handle the people’s money be made to feel the strong arm of the law whenever they so brazenly defy it.