Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-11-18
4 MATTER OF DEMONSTRATION.

There are none SO blind as those who
will not see. We asserted, and still affirm,
that the most of the State bookkeeping is
error, such as would not be tolerated in
crossroads grocery store. This we have
demonstrated: Fees are paid into State
Offices for services performed by the incum-
bents. No fee book of any specified form
is required by law to be kept. The fees
are to Re paid oyer to the State But
there is no check to prevent the official
pocketing the fees, and when he does 80
discovery is only possible by taking an in
voice-as it were-going over the files
and estimating what fees should have been
charged for services apparently performed.
But even then fees collected for services
not shown by the files-and there is OPP
portunity for many such-wiIl not be dis
closed. We repeat, the only true system
is the interposition of check, and the
only check is the entry of the service or
the collection of the fee by some other Off
Ger than the one who performs the service
a system that obtains in every we'll
regulated mercantile and business estab-
lishment in the lard. When we made
this demonstration clear some months ago.
and at time wnen the Controller laid
charges Of fee-stealing, our local contem-
porary referred to the plan of checks as a
red-tape proposition. It's remedy is " hon
est officials But the people do not always
choose them; in fact, the people frequently
show a lamentable lack of sagacity in Sc
Letting servants Men believed to be hon
est when elected, when in office and under
temptation fail. The dishonest may a.
ways be counted as opposed to checks; no
other boasts his honesty 50 loudly as
he. The honest man of all Others Is most
DESTROYS that business be conducted ac-
corCiing to approved business plans, and |
viii always favor a system of checks, since
they arc shields to his reputation against
unworthy suspicion. We have reason to
believe all officials now at the Capitol, and |
those still living who have held positions |
there, admit the looseness OF the present |
system, and favor some such 4 check as that
suggested. In this Judgment every Iusi-
ness man viii heartily concur. But cur
neighbor, in the inform stubbornness of its
nature, and its rule of insisting that the
horse is sixteen feet high, will continue to
denounce check system rs useless red |
tape 1t is very simple matter in detail.
II a" desires the great seal affixed to 4 |
document, he will need but to apply to the |
Controller, or some other designated Off
cial, who viii procure the service from the
Secretary Of the State FOR him. and collect
the fee. The Secretary will charge the
service to the official, and a complete check
of record, ayoidable only by collision and
forgery, is established. FEB has pay
ment to make in the Supreme Court for 4" a
filing" he can Just as easily pay it to one
officer of the Court on the memorandum
certificate of the Clerk, as to the latter
direct, and the agreement of the two ac-
counts viii create check avoidable only
by collision and forgery And even If it
causes some slight addition to the time of
the performance of = service, what of it?
As the San Francisco Bulletin puts it:
" The conduct of public business more on
the plan of private enterprises, would keep
much money in the public treasury"
In an article on the subject, on Satur-
day, in distinct paragraph, and having
no relation TO the fee system, we referred
to the recent thieving in the Treasurer's
Office, where there is no fee service what
ever The reference was simply and
plainly made to point ont that deputy in
that Office had demonstrated how, under
our present system, deposit moneys can be
used for other purposes than stop-gaps in
the general and other lawful funds Yet
upon this our contemporary, with amusing
seizeS the opportunity to misin-
Ierpret u.s. II says that the REcoRp-UNIoN
makes the theft of special deposits by
.on OF the State Treasurer an occasion for 5
reviving its scheme to abolish dishonesty
by a lavish use of red tape"
The RBcoRD-UNroN did nothing of the /