The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-02-23
VOL. XII.
FINDING A MARES NEST.

Some of the newspaper reporters
found mares nest in the Comp
troller's Office, or somebody in the
Comptroller's Office showed the re-
porters what passed for mares egg
and straightway the condition and
appearance of that egg was tele-
graphed to publication headquarters.
So the story reads:
Among the curious records and
vouchers in the comptroller's office,
found out by reporters to-day, was
the following:
ST. LOUIS, November 10, 1851
Sam Houston Normal Institute to
Gilbert Book Company: To $50
copies of Governor Roberts's Texas,
at go cents each, $3.50; freight on
same, So 90; total, 800. Received
payment. GILBERT Book COMPANY.
lndorsed are approvals of the ac-
count by e.. j. Baldwin, principal of
the institute; Thos. w. Markham,
pro TEN. president of the local board,
and Governor o. Nj, Roberts.
Evidently the purpose was to direct
attention to Governor Roberts as "A
very guilty man in approving this
bill, by which one hundred dollars
was paid to the Gilbert book COM
pany. Let us see: The books were
adopted by Superintendent Bald
win, of the Sam Houston Normal
School, and the reasonable suppo-
sition is that lac ordered lhcn of the
Gilbert publishing comp ,ay, the
owners of the published edition of
Governor Roberts book, and that
the books were delivered per order.
1t was quite a natural thing, then,
that the publishing company
wanted pay for the books,
and therefore the bill was
presented, and this was first APP
proved by Principal Baldwin and
then by the president of the local
board of trustees. Thereupon it
was a good claim against the state,
and the authority having been
vested in the governor to endorse
his final approval upon the claim,
he did so. He had no financial in
terest in the printed work, and
therefore his course was entirely
proper and right. The bo oks had
been bought and were in use, and he
had no right to prevent their being
paid for, and the simple fact that he
was the author of the book did not
make it reasonable that he should pay
for the books out of his own pocket.
It was his duty to approve the &C
count, and it was so approved and
allowed by the comptroller last No
vember. Had all things remained
lovely between the governors and
the comptroller's departments, the
account would have remained hid
den away among the files of the
comptroller's Office. Had there been
anything wrong about the account,
either morally or otherwise, the
comptroller should have refused to
draw his warrant for the one hun
dred dollars, but having done
so, he became part,cepS criminis to
the transaction, thus proving
more than ever, through
the action of this conscientious con-
stitution loving officer, that the bill
was proper one. This is the con-
dihon of the case as applied to the
governor and the comptroller, but
of Principal Baldwin, who made
this claim against the state, we can
not speak so much. His course i'll
adopting the books for the use of
normal students smacks simply of
sycophancy, and in the estimation of
the STATESMAN shows him up as
tit subject for removal from
the important post he holds.
We would have no objection to see
ing book written by the governor
adopted in public school, but when
it comes to adopting such book as
this for normal students there is such
great unfitness IN it as to give origin
alone to contempt for Mr.. Baldwin.
Governor Roberts book contains
many valuable scientific lessons, but
it is about as much fitted for nor
NAL school text book, as Colonel
Bob Ingersoll's lectures are for the
propagation of the Christian re-
ligion.