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

There is perhaps no state in the Union
where such Iooseness and negligence in its
system of public accounting is practiced as
has been done in Minnesota under its nearly
thirty years of Republican administration.
In fact. there seems to be no system about
it. The public moneys are wrung from the
taxpayers and 90 through the hands OF
lot of state and county officials, with
out the people having the oppor-
tupitv to know whether the money has
been properly applied or not. Some things,
however, the people know to a dead GER
taintv. They know that the bonds of pub
lie officials are not sufficient to protect the
sums that are paid into the city treasury.
They know that the bonds, or pretended
bonds. taken from the state repositories
are insufficient, and many of them in
valid and utterly worthless. They know
that the auditor has no means of aScer-
tanning what amounts are properly charge
able against the treasurer, except by TAX
ing the treaSurer's word for it. These
things have been clearly explained by Pub
lie Examiner Knox in his last report. and
heretofore referred to by the GLOBE.
But there are a number OF other
things in the public examiners re-
port which have not yet been alluded
to by the GLOBE. and which still more
clearly demonstrate marvellous lOOSenesS in
the management of the public finances.
Public Examiner KNOX is faithful and
conscientious official, who evinces DISPOSE
ton to 90 TO the bott0m.of things. He
brings many hidden things to light, and
evidently desires to have the crooked paths
made straight. He Is Republican, and
holds his appointment as such; therefore,
the GLOBE has no fear of being charged
with desire to give partisan coloring to
this matter when it quotes Mr.. KNOX's own
language. In addition to what has already
been said on this subject, we make the fol-
lowing quotations from Mr.. KNOX report to
illustrate the loose methods of Republican
administrations. On page IA of the report
we find the following:
In this connection have to report that
ninety state revenue bonds (Nos. 51-140J of
the denomination of $1,000, have been re-
deemed, hut remain uncanceled in the
treasury, with the several coupons maturing
on and since July l. 1888. attached and I'M
Cancelled. These coupons were paid at their
several dates of maturity, and the bonds
themselves were redeemed and the proceeds
charged to the proper funds, at dates reach
ing from Jan. 90 1885, to April Il, 1886. The
holding of these or any bonds or coupons in
the treasury after redemption, is not only
contrary to business usage, but also to the
provisions of chap 80, Laws 1879 (sup't of 81,
D. 81 which provides mode for the prompt
cancellation of bonds redeemed, and for GER
tifying as to the time and manner of their
destruction
1t is proper to say in this connection that
after Mr.. KNOX had prepared his report the
state house officials went to work and de-
stroyed the bonds referred to, although they
had been lying there uncaneelled for four
years, and that too, il plain violation
of law.
On page 16 we find the following Ian
guage:
1t is in regard to the receipts Of money into
the treasury that the proper checks are
either made, that such checks are lamentably
defective. Or are entirely wanting, according
TO the language of the various legislative
enactments providing for the raising of the
state re venues. Tue laws enjoin it upon the
auditor Ito keep regular account with the
treasurer in suitable books in which be shall
charge him with all moneys by him received, -
(sec Is. chap. 6, 6. 81 But in many cases
they gave him no data at all for making such
charges except as the-Same are furnished by
the treasurer himself.
Again, on page 19, appears the following
reiteration of what the public examiners
had previously attempted to impress upon
the legislatures which were worked in the
state house combination:
If as has been shown, large amounts of
funds can be and are paid to the treasurer of
which the auditor has no knowledge and no
means of check except as furnished by the
treasurer himself, and if, on the other hand,
the auditor can collect large sums of money
for certifying to the correctness of which the
treasurer has not scrap of paper, it is evil
dent that our legislation has prepared situa-
tion where losses will be inevitable only
through the sterling character OF our officers,
and not through want of opportunity.
his degree of looseness is not confined