Rensselaer Democrat, Volume 1, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 April 1898 — A Few Questions. [ARTICLE]

A Few Questions.

Vote for B. F. Fendig. Vote for John Eger. Vote for William H. Beam. The Democratic candidates for the city council are pledged to reduce the expenditures . and lower taxes. A votp for the Democratic candidates, is » Vote against empty houses. JSconomy in public expenditures and lower taxes will bring men with money to invest in our city. The expenditures in Jasper , county last year averaged $5.64 per inhabitant. Benton county’s expenditures amounted to but $1.97 per inhabitant. The $5.64 per inhabitant for Jasper does not in- , elude court house expenditures. Buletin No. 4, issued by the Indiana Bureau of statistics contains much valuable information of interest to tax payers. It deals with the cost of county administration for the year 1897, and gives the county judicial expenditures, population of counties, county expenditures for bridges, roads, • drainage and gravel roads, expenses of county officers, county expenditures on account of criminals, insane, benevolent and reformatory institutions and the total expenditures of the several ■ counties for courtsand judiciary, and showing the per capital expense in each item together with the indebtedness of each county. From it we learn that the indebtedness of Jasper county is $82,973.84, which does not include a large proportion of the court house, bonds, which were issued after the : statistics were made up. Total indebtedness on court house bonds now being $152,500. It seems the total expenditures of .Jasper county to be $93,786.89 or $5.64 per inhabitant, which does not include expenditures for the . construction of the court house. The total expenditures in our neighboring county of Newton amounts to $36,814.47 or $2.94 per inhabitant. The expenses for the populous county of Lake is $126,667.65 or $3.36 per inhabitant. The expenditures of Porter county are $79,467.36 or $3.59 per inhabitant. Starke county’s expenditure amounts to $40,668.60 or $3.57 per inhabitant. The expenses of White county is $56,840.36 or $2.52 per inhabitant. Pulaski county expends but $40,535.72 or $2.67 per inhabitant. The total expenditures of Benton Co. is $32,172.83 or :$1.98 per inhabitant. These facts alone should convince the tax payera that a change in the financial management of this county is absolutely necessary. The high taxes and large indebtedness prevent men with capital from investing money in the lands here. This (condition can be changed by the .election of a Democratic board of (Commissioners, pledged to rigid .economy and lower taxes.

The Democrat desires to propound a few questions to any party or parties who may be interested in answering the same, and •especially Jbo the Honorable Board •of Commissioners of Jasper county. Why was Alfred Grindle selected ms an expert to examine the old •court house? After condemning the old court house, why was the said Grindle ■selected as the architect for the new court house? Why was an effort made to prewent the lowest bidder for the conetruction of the court house from haring the contract for the oonetruction of the wew oeurt house? What particular interest did the Board have in one Boeseker, of Ft. Wayne, that they desired that he

have the contract for the construction of the court house, when his bid J w*as some $6,000 above the bid of Hefaunnan Bros. ? A Why did the Board of Commissioners desire that the Consolidated Stone Co. should furnish the stone for the new court house? Why did the Board of Commissioners contract tor furniture for the new court house before the foundation was laid, and before Capt. Faris went out of office? Where was the contract for the furniture for the new court house drawn up, and who drew it up? Why did the Board buy a clock for the court honse which, after thorough investigation, was found to be deficient in other places where it had been used, and pay for the same $1,500 more than the cost of the clock in the court house at Monticello? Why did the Board pay at least $2,000 more for the marble in the court house than it could have been purchased from other firms? What was the actual extra expense over and above the original estimates for the construction of the tunnel conveying the heat from the power house near the jail to the new court house? What was the actual expense of the $lO per foot flag pole used on the new court house?

How much money has this county paid to the members of the Board of Commissioners for their services since the beginning of the new court house? What were the particulars of the contract let for filling in of the grounds and the construction of cement walks around the court house square? Why is it that the name of Halleck Bros. Telephone Co. has never appeared upon the tax duplicate of Jasper county, although it has been in operation three years?