Jasper County Democrat, Volume 4, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 April 1902 — OFFICE-HOLDING BY PROXY. [ARTICLE]

OFFICE-HOLDING BY PROXY.

A system of office-holding has grown up among Jasper county republicans against which much complaint has been lodged, and rightly, too, which is more in evidence in the nominations this spring than ever before. Parties with “axes to grind,” but who, from various reasons, could not hold the ax and were compelled to turn the grind-stone, get one of their henchmen nominated for office. He is foisted on an unwilling constituency by the use of the party lash. He has to give bond, and the condition required by bondsmen is that THEY take charge of the office! Mr. Figurehead may be, and usually is, incompetent, and could not run the office if he wanted to, or he may be dishonest as well as incompetent. He draws the pay—or appears to—and when his official reports are to be made be “hires a substitute” or refuses or neglects to make any report at all. But his bondsmen are influential men and nothing comes of his prostitution of office. We have one case of this kind of office-holding in Marion townsnip, and if the republican county and city tickets are successful at the polls we will have more. Is it not about time to turn this thing down and in such a manner that it wffl not again disgrace the already shady record of this county?