Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 September 1874 — Retrenchment? [ARTICLE]

Retrenchment?

Editors Union: . Will you permit me through the medium of your columns to enquire why it is that a gentleman now filling the office of County Auditor, who pledged himself four years ago, whilst making the canvass against ex-Auditor Yeoman, to reduce the expenditures, fees &c., of the office, has failed to make those pledges good ? You will doubtless remember, as will most of the voters of Jasper county, that the strong point made against Yeoman by Mr. Babcock andhis friends, was that Yeoman had been unnecessarily extravagant in his expenditures of money for the office, and had, also, charged for his services excessive fees. “Why,” they said, “Yeoman’s fees for the last year of services have amounted to seventeen hundred dollars; an amount unparalleled in the history of the county.” Mr. Yeoman iu his answer acknowledged that the amount was more than had ever been received before by the Auditor for one year’s services, but said that it was not excessive, inasmuch as he had made two extra copies of duplicates for the railroad tax assessed to aid in the construction of the Continental railroad. At that time I was convinced by the arguments of Mr. Babcock, and his friends, that IW*—Yeoman had .charged the tax payers too much for his services, and made up my mind that I would vote against him, which I accordingly did.— The people now are anxious to know if Mr. Babcock has been more economical in the administration of the office than Mr. Yeoman was. I undertake to say that he has not, but on the contrary, he has charged far more excessive fees for his last vear’s services •r .than Mr. Yeoman ever did in any one year. A careful investigation of the commissioner’s and other records in the Auditor’s office, will show that Mr. Babcock has received at least twenty-five hundred dollars for services for the year ending May 31st, 18*74 —eight hundred dollars more than Mr. Yeoman received for the year in which he made the Railroad tax duplicates, above referred to. It is true that Mr. Babcock had to refund the Railroad tax „4uring the present year, but the extra labor was not more than the extra labor performed by Mr. Yeoman when he made Railroad tax. If seventeen hundred dollars was too much for Mr, Yeoman to receive, is not twenty-five hundred too much for Mr. Babcock? Or is Mr. Babcock’s services worth eight hundred dollars a year more than Mr. Yeoman’s and former County Auditors’ servises were worth ? Mr. Editors/ my impression is, that the people of Jasper coupty are tired of Mr. Babcock’s style of retrenchment.

’’“d eight hundred dolThey have 'nuch of it, lars in one year, too 'h.”— and the cry is, “Hold, enou^ I address this communication v.

your paper hoping that it may provoke Mr. Babcock to “rise and explain,” for you see the people want to “know-you-know” why “this is thus.” Fate Puly. Septr. 19th, 1874. \ —■* We paid the enterprising town of Hemitfgton a visit last Monday. One may truly say that Remington is situated in one of the most beautiful countries in .the United States. Afedaryrillc Guard.