Jasper County Democrat, Volume 6, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 January 1904 — THE GRAFTING TENDENCY. [ARTICLE]

THE GRAFTING TENDENCY.

Ed. Democrat: — We notice in the published reports of receipts and disbursements by township trustees, that the practice of hiring members of their own families to do certain work or duties of their office and paying them out of the funds of the township, is growing. One trustee, “our Charlie,” paid his sister for making out transfers and also paid his brother for other duties which should have been done by himself in the 200 days whioh he received pay for. But the report of receipts and expenditures as published by B. D. Comer, trustee of Union township, in McEwen’s “weakly” shows that he paid himself an enormous sum: B D Comer, service* as trustee $ 300 00 Addie Comer, (for trustee’s work).... 5 00 Addie Comer, taking enumeration ... 35 00 B D Comer, for 18 cords of wood 54 00 B D Comer, handling school b00k5.... 5 00 B D Comer, another 18 cords of wood 54 00 Ist National Bank, office rent, (something not authorized by law) 50 00 B D Comer, school house lot 50 00 B D Comer, gravel 194 50 Total. 807 56 Here is a total of $757.56 paid to himself and family and SSO paid to First National Bank for office rent. He charges for services of himself and family as trustee, $400.00. For 36 cords of wood, which he bought of himself and sold to himself as trustee, he charges just what the same would bripg in Rensselaer; he saved hauling it ten miles. He must have figured the gravel which he bought of himself and sold to himself as trustee, pretty close when he got $194.56 for it. We also notice that he paid Lewis Hamilton $2.30 commission on school books. We had not noticed that Lewis had taken a day off to work the school book

business.

A REPUBLICAN.