St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-09-29

to the state house, but extends to the man.
agement of all the various state institu-
tons and on down to the county treasures.
The public examiner calls attention to the
want of uniformity in the method of &C
counting at the state Institutions, and says:
The duplicate vouchers of some of the
institutions are not promptly and regularly
forwarded TO the state auditor according to
provisions of sec. 8, chap. 2S4, Laws 1855,
and previous acts of same purport and Ian
guage. Noticeably is this the case with the
vouchers of the university, which, at the
time OF my examination, had not been so
filed for the period of eighteen months. The
funds appropriated by the state are not
strictly confined by some of the boards to the
specific purposes for which they were set
apart, according to the fundamental require
ments of constitutional and legislative pro-
visions.
Further on in his discussion of the subject,
on page 25, he says:
On the other hand, as appears from the fore
going schedule OF receipts, the sum of 49,,
607.5S was during the year received at the in
situations, none of which appears on the
books of the state auditor and treasurer. If
we except from the above amount the sum of
$50, l47.27 paid TO the state by the prison as
the residue from the rent of shops, grounds
and labor, after deducting the amount due
is reported TO the state only as its due and
not as receipt of the institution, we have
remaining the sum of So. 460.31 as received
by the treasurers, of which no account is
taken by the state. and no return made to
any of its officers, save incidentally, or as it
appears in the regular printed reports of the
institutions.
The same nO-SyStem system of accounting
Is found in the county offices. Notwith
standing his reported verbal and written in
StructiOnS to the contrary. the public exam
iner states that in the personal visits made
to some of the counties he still finds the
same old loose methods prevailing. 1t is
no surprise, then. to hear him say: During
the past two years l have been called upon
to report the usual number of cases of
official misconduct" The entire report is
largely taken up with calling attention to
the multitude of defects and utter lack of
anything like an Intelligent system in the
management. or as it may be, the misman-
agement, of the public finances. The whole
matter is explained by the following sum-
mary of the years transactions. We quote
from pages 90 and 90 of the examiners
report:
The legislation of thirty years has provided
no check upon the correctness or upon the
amount of the receipts into the county
treasures of the state. The total
amount of such receipts for the year
ending Feb. 2S, 1856, as appears else
where in this report, was nine million one
hundred and fifty-t1ve thousand nine hundred
and ninety-four dollars and fifteen cents
(SSl55, 994.15). Of this amount there was
celved by the county treasurers in the collec-
ton of taxes the sum of seven million three
hundred and sixty-one thousand eight hun
dred and ninety dollars and ninety-seven
cents S7,361. S90.97. This vast sum of money
was paid to the treasurers in small amounts,
for'W mich they gave myriadS of receipts,
varying from one dollar and less to greater
sums. The whole of the business which per-
talns to the checking of these numberleSs re-
ceipts and to the debiting of the proper sums
called for by them, together with the knoWl-
edge that the amount of money is in the
treasury which proves the correctness of such
checks and entries, is both legally and practi-
cally controlled by single person. This is
statement SO startling that its bare announce
ment would be supposed to bring the whole
body of taxpayers to their feet with a de-
mand for an immediate remedy.
So it will, and so it has. The whole body
of taxpayers are now on their feet and are
demanding an immediate remedy. They de-
mand that party which for nearly thirty
years continued administration can do moth
ing better than to place it in the power of
one single person to rob the public treasury
and leave no evidence of his guilt shall be
turned out of power. This thing has gone
on too long for the good of the taxpayers,
and they are going to put stop to it. The
handwriting is on the wall. The rule of
the state-house-ring regime is at an end.