The Grange advance., 1874-09-09

different funds; Of: the State, as shown
BY the foregoing report, give an aggre-
gate deficiency as follows:
Deficiency in LIST and I'd Lumber
Amount received for stumpage on
L: 8: & NJ. R. r. land .... 0,496. 81
Aandiyohi Co. stunpage> 6l904
Hennepin Co. stumpage 90. 90. 12,GO0. w
Making total loss to the State 500, ,oo5. OF
I Your committee having ascertained
the foregoing facts the inquiry suggest.
ed itself as to what remedy the State
had, if any, to indemnify itself for the
losses thus sustained, when the surpris-
ing TACT was developed. that Mr.. Nell
frath executed no. official bond to the
State at the :ime:of or since the CON-
Emencement Of his last official term of
three years. His official oath was duly
filed and recorded:in the Office of the
Secretary of State, but no bond was
fgiven. AS the law makes it the duty Of
the Governor to approve the bond of the
State Auditor it is impossible for your
committee to explain why the then ex-
ecutive Hon. Horace Austin) should
have overlooked so important an official
duty.
Your committee did not deem it a.
lpart of the duty they were expected to
perform, to enter into an investigation
of the sales Of school lands. Such an
investigation would prove work Of
greater magnitude than we would be
able at this time to perform. We will
simply state in this connection that We
find that large amount Of the school
lands sold have reverted by
default to the State, a detailed state
lnent Of which is being prepared by the
present State Auditor, Mr.. Whitcomb,
who will report it to the Legislature.'
Your committee would say that while
they are opposed to the creation Of new
Offices except in cases where the public
welfare absolutely demand it, we are
clearly impressed with the pro.
Prlety and necessity Of separating
the Offices Of State Auditor
and State Land Commissioner, and
making them distinct departments Of
the State Government. In doing this,
each would operate as check upon
the other, instead Of being, as now, a
means for enabling the incumbent, if he
|ls so disposed, to practice the ''irregu-
(arities' which this investigation has
discovered.
Your committee feel it to be their
duty to criticise in emphatic language,
the looseness and palpable negligence
which seems to have characterized Mr..
McIlrath's S system Of accounts relating
to stumpage, &c. One Of the most as
tonishing developments Of this investi-
cation has been the utter lack
of material in the Auditors S
office from which your committee could
obtain information or even a clue re-
garding transactions involving thous-
ends of dollars. In plac<: of clear ex-
hibit upon the pages Of the books of the
office Of important transactions, we find
in some instances loose memoranda,
giving indefinite information of an am
biguous character; and in many cases
involving matters Of great consequence,
nothing whatever can be found in the
office in any manner referring to them.
The labors of your Committee would
have been greatly lessened if they could
have had access to any authentic
record Of the transactions referred to,
but the almost entire absence of data
in the Auditors or Land Commission
er's Offices, upon which to base our in.
vestigations, has imposed upon US
vast amount Of labor in obtaining the
information from other sources.
Your committee would call attention
to the practice that has prevailed in
apparent disregard of law, Of the State
Auditors receiving money for the sale
OF stumpage which should be paid to
the Treasurer direct. It is not contem.
plated by the law, according to the un.
derstanding Of your committee, that
ANY public money should, pass through
the hands of the State Auditor or Land
Commissioners.
Your committee cannot conclude this
report without giving expression to
their regret at being compelled to make
these disclosures. They do it:sorrow-
fully, and only in obedience to the
stern demands Of the public duty and
responsibility imposed upon them by
your body. No citizen of our young
State can learn of the facts herein dis
closed without feeling humiliated and in.
dignant at discovering that one of the
most sacred trusts ever imposed
upon public officer has been thus vio-
lated. Every citizen Of Minnesota has
felt especial pride in the belief and as.
lsurance that our school fund secured to
his children and generations unborn the
means whereby they were to become
educated and worthy citizens of our
common country and to now learn that
tho Stafo hoe hoor 1ofroudoI of NV,