Jasper County Democrat, Volume 5, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 February 1903 — MAKING PLACES FOR ’EM. [ARTICLE]

MAKING PLACES FOR ’EM.

Bv the provisions of senate bill No. 48, which has passed both houses of the legislature and been signed by the governor, the law providing that certain county officers should take their office on January Ist following the election, has been repealed. This bill also provides for the officers taking office on Jan. 1 following their election, but provides that where an officer was elected to a four year office at the 1902 election, the term of which would not begin until after Jan. 1, 1903, no successor should be elected to such office until 1908. This lets in Charles C. Warner as county clerk in this oounty, and gives him a four year and eight months tenure of office, Mr. Major’s term to which he was elected expiring in May, 1904. Under the law as it stood, the latter's term would have been extended from May, 1904, to Jan. 1,1905, There is no telling what these freak republican legislatures will do, but it does seem that it would be for the best interest of the people to have a few laws relating to public office left on the statute books long enough to enable the people to get a fair understanding of them. This thing of legislating men into office in the manner provided in this bill is an outrage on public decency. A bill has also passed both bouses and been signed by the governor, to correct the mistakes in the Act of March 11, 1901, and to legalize the election of county clerks elected in 1902. This refers to the law of 1901 fixing a uniform time for county officers taking office.