The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1874-12-17
Auditors Report.

We have receivsal from Auditor Wilder copy
of his annual Report. II makes pamphlet oil
$50 pages, and Is very full and valuable, in the
xav Of statistics of the State 1t contains not
only financial exhibit of the State for the past
wear, but gives full tables of the expenditures of
the State every year since its admssion-show-
ing the increase of expenses, the abuses, and the
steals In this respect, it is the completest Re
port ever made in Kansas.
As literary production, it is an oddity. In
style and language, the matter would be lively
for daily paper; but for an official document,
it falls far short of the dignity that shonld char
acterizs an official paper. We believe the only
apoopy that the Auditor offers for it, is that it
is "his way" Last year his report created
sensation. because of the importaus matters of
which il treated. But a second edition of it will
he regarded as too much of good thing.
Til. principal feature of the Report is Mr..
Wilder's egotism. As he tells it, he is the only
honest officer in the Stats-the only one who has
ever exposed wrong doing, or been in favor OF
furnishing the guilty. (However. be does finally
admit that Judge Kiugmsn, Father Dickinson,
and George W. Martin, wonld, in pinch, be
suitable material to ward tue fate of sodom from
wicked Kausas.) 1t was be, solitary and Alone
| who exposed aud impoached Treasurer hayes
The Auditor deserves credit for his exposure oi
| HAYES, and we haze always sustained him IN the
| matter He has right to take much Oi the cred
| il TO him himself but it does not read we'll In
public document Before the conviction of Hayes
| IL was Wilder who was really on trial. The re-
suit of that investigation gave Wilder reputa-
| tion that his own selfglOrifcation was not need
ed to strengthen. But there were other men
who did good work in convicting Hayes. Had
| Wilder stood solitary and alone in the hight,
as be appears to think, he would have gone un-
der, aud Hayes would have triumphed. If the
other State officers have been guilty of viola
tions of the law, why does not the Auditor ex-
pose them, as he did Hayesi His insinuatons
that the other officers all rascals and that he
alone has to fight corruption, do not look well in
print.
The Auditor also indulges in random assertions
and gets off n good deal of buncombe- Ono in-
stance is where he speaks Of the cost Of publish
ing the proposed Constitutional Amendment.
| There is no doubt that the cost was much great
| er than it should have been-there should have
been no allowance for publishing in daily papers
but when he says 81, 900 would have been suf
ficieur, he says what he ought to know is not
| true The Constitution itself requires that pub
lication be made in a newspaper in every County
in the State in which a newspaper is published
How could this be done for 900, except the Leg,
islature provided that publishers should work
for the State for less than living wagesi Wilder
was long enough connected with newspapers T."
learr better than that. If he is anxious to save
money to the State on printing, why did he string
ont Report of $50 pages, in order 70 advertise his
own greatness and show his smartness, when so
pages would have been sufficient How much
will the printing of that Report cost, and how
much would have been saved had he confined it
to its legitimate boundsf
We believe Auditor Wilder to he an honest
| man, an able officer, aud faithful public serv-
ant. But nevertheless, we do not approve of all
| he does, either officer or citizen. This
Report has a good deal in it that might have
been left out without injuring his reputation.