Jasper County Democrat, Volume 13, Number 87, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 February 1911 — FIELD EXAMINERS WORKING HERE [ARTICLE]

FIELD EXAMINERS WORKING HERE

Examining Books of the Various County Officers All UNBIASED INVESTIGATION Is Now Assured, and Taxpayers Will Know Whether Officers Owe More or Less Than Was Charged Against Them By Private Examiners Employed to Investigate the Doc Nichols Shortage.

Field Examiners Hardesty and Gerhard, in the employ of the state accounting office, put in an appearance here Monday and are now at work investigating the books of the various county offices, commencing with the recorder’s office. A. R. Hardesty, one of the examiners, is a former resident of Jasper county, and liis mother now lives in Gillam tp., we understand. No matter what the examiners may find here, we believe the .public in general will have confidence in what they may report. The nice thing about the public accounting law is that the examiners are free from any local restrictions. They travel in pairs—one democrat, one republican, When they come into a county they know no politics and have no friends to shield or enemies to expose. They are not hired to find one officer “short” and another “O. K.” - For this reason, we say, almost absolute confidence may be had in their findings, and the examinations are worth all they cost to learn to a certainty how matters have been conducted. The exarniners hired over two years ago to go ■ over the books because of the disputed shortage of ex-treasurer “Doc” Nichols, at a cost of $1,900, found, some $1,700 due from other officers, principally in disputed fees, but nothing has ever; been done to enforce collection of these amounts and the public in general had little or no confidence in the report. The county commissioners ordered Abe Halleck, then county attorney, at their meeting last November to commence action to collect these amounts within ten days, but Abe didn’t do so and his resignation was then asked for, it is alleged. At any rate, he did resign and Geo. Williams was appointed in his stead. Williams has said that he would file suits to recover the amdunts as soon as he got around to it, but nothing has been done as yet and is not likely to be now until the report of the field examiners is made.