Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 January 1898 — The Tax Ferret Contract. [ARTICLE]

The Tax Ferret Contract.

More people have received Christmas presents and have enjoyed a happy New Year this season than for a number of years. Storekeepers, postmasters, and express agents all over the country have rejiorted Christmas business as unusually heavy this year. The average shipment of wheat in November amounted to a little lobb than 0,000,000 bushel per week, as against less 4,000.000 bushels during the corresponding period of last year. The increased Christmas trade and the heavy work of the PostOffice Department and oftlie expre&s companies is a convincing proof that times are better and that th© business of the country is improved.

'Patriotic Democrats who have been industrially howling calamity Ear the past eight months will be delighted to know that the Treasury figures for last, month show a surplus. Thus the new protective tariff law is fulfilling the expectations and hopes of the country. Twenty per cent, advance in wages was the Christmas-gift received by some fifteen hundred employes of Indiana glass factories. The companies state that there is ample work in prospect to keep their factories running on full time, their entire stocks of glass on hand having been exhausted. What has become of that series of mass meetings which ex-Minis-ter Hannis Tax lor demanded should be held denouncing the Ptoesidenfs course on the Cuban question, and demanding instant recognition of that Island? Mr. Taylor's pronunciamento was issued a month ago, and no mass meetings have occurred yet. The McKinley dinner pails are s»oing back and forth with daily regularity these times. They are full too. Wheat has gone up and potatoes are higher than last year, but what the workingmen want to know is: What is the use of cheap wheat and cheap potatoes if there me no wages coming in with which to pay for them? President McKinley and his party have reiterated their intention to keep every American dollar equivalent' to a gold dollar. The dbemocratic party is satisfied with a fifty-cent dollar and even appears to be preparing to declare that a piece of paper.worth nothing is as good as a fifty-cent dollar and consequently as good as a hundredmeat dollar. With China being partitioned off among European gold-stnndard nations, the inevitable result will be the adoption of a gold-standard <jurroncy in that country. The aflver-mine owners know this, and hence they are anxious that the United States should take a hand looking to non-interference by European nations with Chinese affairs.

A Full And Ctfrrret Copy Of The Famous Contract Wiih Fleener & Carnahan. Whereas: it appears .to the Board of Commissioners of the County of Jasper, and State of Indiana, that a large amount of money is justly due and owing to said County and State on accdunt of taxes on omitted property within said County, and within other counties within said state, and within other states, within United States of America, which omitted property should have been listed for taxation, within said County of Jasper, but which was not so listed and hi}3 for many years last past, escaped taxation on account of the failure, neglect, or fraud of the person or persons wjrose duty, it was to so list the saffie. ’ And it further appears to 4he Board, that said omitted property which has so escaped taxation as aforesaid will be difficult to find, I and in the judgment of this Board, will require the services of parties armed with experience and skill in that particular line of work to discover and report the same to the proper authorities for all necessary and proper proceedings thereon. And 11fui'ther appears to frre~ Board, that because the limited time afforded by law, to the officers who are charged with the duties of J receiving and examining tax sched- . ules or assessment lists and ap- ( praising the property listed there(in such officers are unable to inI vestigate and examine the various and voluminous records instru- ( ments and. documents in said coun-

ty, counties, state, and states, I which contain and can be made to furnish competent and sufficient ,evidences of the existence of a . large amount of said omitted prop- , erty, whereby the same may be reI ported and properly subjected to I taxation, and save to said county of I Jasper, and State of Indiana, a ' large amount of revenue justly ' owing, which will be lost to said . county and state unless proper and timely efforts are put forth in direction indicated, and the public interest of the citizens thereof, will lie made to suffer greatly thereby. And it further appears to the Board, that the preparation of books containing entries showing the existence of such omitted property and where evidence of the same may be found together with such credits as have been listed for taxation will prove a great value to said county, as ready references to various records, instruments, and documents in said county, and important aids to the officers of the law, who are charged with the assessment and collection of the revenues of said county and state.

In view of the premises, the Board finds that an indepensable public necessity exists and the demands are urgent for the immediate employment of a competent person or persons to make carpful and diligent examinations and searches for said omitted property in this and in other counties and states, which is properly taxable in said county of Jasper, make a true and correct record thereof by placing under the name of each tax payer where otn itted property is discovered, an itemized stalemen tof ali monies, loans and credits discovered, the record where found, name of debtor and time of payment, together with/a true and correct list, of the amount of moneys, loans and credit# tfctualy listed by such tax payers, from the year 1881 to 1897, inclusive, and to enter the same on books in mannerand form aforesaid and when completed to file said books in the Auditor's office of said County of Jasper there to become and remain as (he absolute propei ty of said county, as references and for the aid and assistance of the Auditor, Treasurer, Assessors and Board of Review, of said county for their guidance, and to aid them in making and causing to be made n just nnd lawful listing <>f all the personal property belonging to tax payers of said Jas-

per County, and to subject said property to taxation according to law. 7 1 .... Believing that an indispehsible public necessity exists, and that great public interest will be subserved and that the general welfare of the citizens of sail} County of Jasper, and State of Indiana, will be protected, and greatly promoted by adopting and carrying into effect the plans and means here in outline, we as the Board of Commissioners of said County of Jas-., per, do hereby engage and fully employ, Mart Fleener, and John J. Carnahan, composing the firm of Fleener and Carnahan, as fit and suitable persons to commence and make the searches, examinations, and records herein before specified. It is therefore ordered by this Board, that the said Mart Fleener and John J. Carnahan, composing the firm of Fleener & Carnahan, as aforesaid be and they are, hereby employed, authorized and directed in furtherance of the aims and purposes herein expressed to make diligent and careful investigations in this and in other counties and states, as they may deem best to fully and faithfully answer the purposes of this employment For Moneys, Moneys Loaned, or other forms of credits, owned by the tax payers of this county, and to truly and faithfully record in

books to be furnished by thiscounty for that purpose, the true and correct results of such examination and researches, and also to make a full and complete investigation of the mortgage lis-pendens probate and misscellaneous records, judgment and execution docket, is said County of Jasper, and the tax schedules, when found, filed by the tax payers of this county, for the years 1881, to 18U7, inclusive, and in the event all the. tax schedules are not on file in their proper offices, to examine the tax duplicate for the years said tax schedules are missing, thus showing the amounts of credits returned' by such tax payers for each of said years, and correctly tabulate the same in manner of form as herein before set out. and file tfie book or books containing the same in the Auditor’s office of this county, there to become and remain as the absolute property of this county, for the guidance and assistance of (be proper officers thereof in accomplishing as fully as may be done the objects spirit and 1 purposes of the revenues laws of said state of Indiana. And it is further ordered by the Board, that as compensation for the services to by the said Mart Fleener,' and John J. Carnahan, composing the said, firm, of Fleener and Carnahan, in discharge of the work and expenses occasioned by this employment, they shall be paid a sum of money, equal to one half the amount of all money which may

be paid to the Treasurer of this county, on account of omitted property discovered and reported by them, and shall be entitled to receive the same as soon as such money or any part thereof shall have been paid into the Treasurer, of said County, and shall have one year or sufficient time in which to do said work, and shall be furnished the proper blank books, and stationery necessary to fully carry out and perform all of the obligations imposed upon them for this employment. Arraham Halleck, John Mastindale, Dexter R. Jones, Board of Commissioners Jasper Co. in the State of IndianaAccepted, Fleener & Carnahan.