The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-07-31

A Startling Sensation at the State
House Unearthed.
Attempted Plumber of the State Treas
uTy---A Raid ON the Militia
Fund.
Gov. Hamilton, the Adjutant General
and Others Implicated.
Fraudulent Vouchers Presented for
About $50, 000---HOW the Scheme
Was Fooled.
Springfield Register
GOV. HAMTLTON'S THREAT.

Ai'oH q ~" va S ago, III WHICH inc
governor expressed himself as determined
to force the auditor to distribute to. the
state militia large sum of money which
had been turned over by him, under a
recent law, to the general fund, as an un-
expended balance. There has been a
good deal said pro and con about this ex.
pressed determination of the governor,
and much feeling has been exhibited by
the military department on the subject.
Register reporter was sent to the
state house yesterday, to see what could
be unearthed in regard to the matter and
to get the bottom facts, if possible. The
reporter did not expect, when he set his
loot under the dome to hear anything of
startling character, but when he left he
felt that 1t was wonder the grand dome
had not fallen and crushed the men who
had been scheming to defraud the treas
ury, And thereby hangs this DER true
tale
THE MILITIA LAW.
In order to more full understanding
OF what is to follow it will he necessary
to explain that under the old militia law
IN force previous to July 1, special tax
OF oDe-tenth of mill was levied, and the
amount raised thereby was called the
militia fund. This fund was under the
law distributed by the governor, pro rata
among all the militia organizations in the
state. The amount of money raised nv
this special tax was from S72, 900 to S75-
OUo per annum. The last legislature re
pealed this law and passed the following
act, which went into effect July /:
AN ACT to provide for the payment of the
Illinois National Guard for the year
ending July /, 1884 and for the year
ending July l, 1886, aud to transfer
balance of military fund to the general
revenue fund
SECTION l. Be it enacted, etc That
there be, and is hereby appropriated, to
pay the expenses of the Illinois National
Guard, for the year ending July /, 1884.
and J-ly l, 1885, the sum of $75, 900 per
annum.
SO. The auditor of public accounts is
hereby authorized and directed to draw
amount above set forth upon presenta-
ton of the proper vouchers, and the state
treasurer shall pay the same out of the
proper funds in the treasury not other
wise appropriated, to the order of the
persons entitled thereto.
S 8. That all that part of section /.
article 10, of an act to provide for the
organization of the state militia, and en-
titled The Military Code of Illinois.
now in force, providing for the levy and
collection of one-tenth of mill for mill
tary purposes, is hereby repealed.
A. That any unexpended balance that
may be in the state treasury to the credit
of the military fund on the first day of
July, 1888, shall be transferred on warrant
OF the auditor of public accounts to the
general revenue fund and that any mil
itary tax collected from the levy of 1882,
and paid into the state treasury after
July /, 1888, shall also be placed to the
credit Of the general revenue fund
Approved June 20, 1883.
The law was approved June 20 At
that time there was some $72, 1000 in the
treasury to the credit of the military fund,
collected from the one tenth of mill tax
under the old law. Of course this was
we'll known to the military department
including Gov. Hamilton the commander
in-chief. Under the new law it will be
seen all the unexpended balance of this
large sum of money after July 1st, the
auditor was required to transfer TO the
general fund. The law is very plain on
this subject, aud this is what set the
military to maneuvering
MILITARY SCHEME.
The Register reporter, on entering the
state house, happened to strike the right
man the first tine, and hung on to him
until he found out about all there was to
know. For obvious reasons we do not
give the gentleman's name. He is one of
the officials. To the inquiry, do you
know anything about the ruction between
the governor and the auditor and his
chief clerk" the colonel" 1--WE will call
him coloneD replied, Il know all about it,
and it has some very disgraceful phases.
All! what are they? said the reporter.
picking up his ears at the prospect of
sensation, but not expecting so terrible
story of attempted fraud as followed.
Promising the official not to give him
away he unburdened himself as fol
lows:
You know there was between $4,000
and $4,000 in the militia fund at the
time of the passage of the new law. A
plan was concocted-by whom of course
you can draw your own conclusion after
hearing the story-to transfer the bulk of
this money from the treasury to their
own pockets, or to the treasures Of some
of the militia mpanies-probably the
former. 1t was scheme that developed
the
MOST OUTRAGEOUS FRAUD.
Seventy thousand dollars was tempt
ing pile of money, and the military gen
tlelnen thought it belonged to them, not.
withstanding the law very explicitly
provides for it being transferred to the
general fund after July 1. How TO get
this money before July / was the ques
ton, and they evidently set themselves to
work to contrive plan. There was only
six days after the law was approved for
them to get in their work, and they came
pretty near doing it. In fact they did
their part of the work most wickedly; and
had it not been for suspicious that were
aroused in the minds of Auditor Swigert