Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-04-01
not one man in the whole district had voted
THE IMPROPER USE AND EXPENDITURES OF
THE GpyERNnp ANn CnrfNcJI


PUBLIC MONEYS UNDER THE CONTROL OF
| THE GOVERNOR AND COUNCIL.
Your committee have explored this subject
so far as to disclose great irregularities and
misuses of public moneys. The accounts OF
the several members of the Executive Coun-
| Gil which are submitted and make part OF
the testimony show that the members lost
no opportunity OF making charges against
the State and drawing pay from the public
| treasury.
| Attention is especially called to the extra
| charges made for work as members of the
election committees while the work of tab
ulation and preparation was being done,
which resulted i'll the contingent" In
some cases these extra charges, as in the
accounts of Mr.. Fogg and Dir. Brown
amount to considerable sums of money, and
the payments were received for the same
| time.
The charges of this kind show that the
tabulation and preparation of the returns
cost the State about eight hundred and fifty
| dollars. If any part of the five hundred
dollars paid Mark Harden for his extra ser
vices in addition to his salary was earned
| for tnis service the expense would be great
/ ti blulitailiN ltlt
extra expense of tabulation has been less
than one hundred dollars.
| No doubt the extraordinary work per
formed by the Council in connection with
| the returns was onerous and wearing but il
is questionable whether the people who far
nish the money will be gratitcd to find that
so much of It was spent to accomplish such
/ a result.
! THE APPROPRIATIONS.
Your committee have examined into the
| condition Of the various appropriations made
for the year 1879, for specific purposes. and
| find that they have generally been stripped
and exhausted. The course of business fol
| lowed appears to be that an account is kept
with each appropriation, and that every sum
| drawn against il BY warrant Of the Cover
nor and Council is charged to the appropri-
alton, and the account is kept on the ledger
in the Secretary Of States office. so that a
| glance at each account NAV show at any
time the condition of the appropriation
| When an account or claim by any officer
! or employc or contractor of the government
| or by any outside party is presented, it goes
to the governor and council and is referred
to its proper committee which usually reports.
| If iayorably. advising the governor to draw
I his warrant on the state treasurer for the
sum allowed, and that the sum be charged 10
III" proper Appropriation, which ls named in
the Report, and the object i, stated for
which the money is to be applied.
This report is approved by the governor
and then warrant is drawn BY him on the
state treasurer. who, on presentation. pays
it and keeps the warrant Of the governor As
his voucher.
The original account or claim. upon which
the governor and council have acted remains
with them and should be found as has been
the practice for wears accompanying the
Report" In most cases they are so found
The rule also j., as i; should be- that the
report" which allows bill or claim pro-
vide, that it be paid out OF the appropria-
ton covering the ,uhjeci matter Of the bill
or claim.
The printing should be paid for from the
appropriation for that purpose, as should be
the binding. The appropriations for the
different branches and needs of the Govern
mcnt should never be touched for other pur-
poses. Otherwise the legislative scrutiny
and restraint over the sums to be expended
for such particular objects 90 for nothing
and the door IS thrown wide open to the I'M
proper and fraudulent use of public money.
Your committee find that this rule has
been repeatedly violated by the Governor
and Council for the wear 1879. In many
cases where money was needed for particu-
lar purpose and the appropriation for that
purpose was found to be exhausted the
charge was made against some appropria-
ton in no respect related to the subject mat
ter OF the clam allowed, and the money
taken from il on the warrant of the Cover
nor and Council.
In the space within which this report"
must be confined We cannot give the details
as 10 the extent TO which the late Governor
and Council carried this practice OF using
public moneys for purposes other than those
for which they were appropriated by the
Legislature.
The Free High School" appropriation
seems TO have been a iayorite fund upon
which to draw whenever the Governor and
Council wanted more money.
We have had copies of this appropriation
and the account kept with it taken, and sub
NIT them as part of the testimony and call
attention to them.
OF the appropriation for Free High
Schools" Slj,i1i.g1 were drawn and ex-
pended for legitimate purposes, while s.
,o3.23 were drawn and used for purposes
entirely alien to the nature of the fund. the
largest item being the 81 900 drawn BY war
rant of the Governor and paid to him on
December 81, 1879. Other appropriations
we're o,erdrawn, no attention being paid to
the limitation fixed by the legislature. These
are shown BY the accounts which are sub
mltted as part of the testimony.
Special attention is called to the appropr-
alton for printing which has been oyertlrawn
$l.ll2.i3 and in the account of Pillsbury X
Co., the State printers, and the papers filed
BY them as their vouchers for moneys drawn
from the treasury. no voucher or account is
found for the payment of $1,000 on October
1th, 1879 Ii is claimed that demands for
printing vet remain unsettled, but this ap-
parent over-payment of public money should
be closely looked into and proper vouchers
should be insisted upon whenever settle
ment is made.
THE MONEY DRAWN By GOV. GARCELoN
DURING THE LAST TWO WEEKS OF Ills
ADMINISTRATIONS.
These amount 10 $1,000. They were drawn
in the usual manner, on reports Of com
mittee of the Council approved by the Gov
ernor, and were as follows -
December oath, 1879, 81 900 for protec-
ton of public property; on appropriation for
military purposes
December 81, 1879 81 900 for counsel
fees and professional service for the State !;
on the contingent fund for the governor and
council.
December 81, 1879, "a 900 for expense
incurred for police services; ON the appro-
priation for free high schools.
In neither case does any receipt, account
or voucher appear with the report or among
any papers of the governor and council.
The money was drawn in advance of its
uses, with no accompanying statement as to
how it was to be used, taken from funds ap-
propriated for other specific purposes, and
expended, if at all, without any warrant of
Law.
We call special attention on this point to
the statement Of Gov. Garcelon, which is
found in full in the printed testimony, and
which contains the narration of the facts and
circumstances surrounding this remarkable
transaction as viewed from the governors
standpoint.
The sum and substance of that statement
is that the money was drawn and used for
payment Of the force which Gov Garcelon