Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1890-01-07
IN A TIGHT PLACE.
More than $1,000 Seemingly Illegally
Extracted from the County Funds
Another Mess.
Can the County Board Credit the Treas
urer with a Shortage?-faCts
for the Tax Payers.


sioners began its task of untangling the
county finances this morning and to this
end had the treasurer and sheriff and
collector before them. Most OF the fore
noon session was consumed in examin-
ing the books of Gavino Ortiz, county
treasurer, and the greatest interest was
centered on the public school fund.
Treasurer Ortiz had the GOODNESS to
come in and ask the board to allow him
credit in his settemeht for the sum of
$4 ,O63 SO, most OF which he had, in open
violation of the law, paid out on long
standing school warrants.
This story is an intensely interesting
one for the tax payers.
At the beginning of 1889 there was but
$3Oin the county public school fund. Since
midsummer last the sheriff and collector
HAS COLLECTED SOME MONEY
and two months ago he had paid in, Of
taxes collected for 1899, sufficient funds
to bring the amount in the school fund
up to $4ub3. IS. The law plainly and
emphatically sets forth that all taxes col
lected in 1889 shall remain untouched in
the treasury to enable the county to pay
spot cash all current expenses for 1890.
Ample provision IS made for taking care
of all old Indebtedness.
But that nice little sum of $4,000 and
odded dollars in the school fund was to
great temptation for tile rapacious
holders of ODD school warrants, many OF
which were bought up on the street at q
and 30 cents on the dollar. Who opened the
RAID ON THIS FUND
does not appear as yet, but it was opened,
and Treasurer Ortiz seems to have been
very Wiling to let down the bars and let
all the county's school pigs-in-clover out
of the pen in 1889 which were being fat
tened for use in 1890. The treasurer was
fully advised that he had no authority to
pay moneys out of this fund. The school
uperintendent, j. 2. Victory, says he
also told him that it was very grave
question; but at the same time it appears
that MIR. Victory himself afterward drew
moneys from this fund on old warrants
held by trends Of his. Mr., Victory prac-
tically admitted this much before the
board this morning and condoned his
action by saying: "Well, gentlemen, the
old debts
HAD TO BE PAID SOMETIME"
and Mr.. Victory claims to be law abid-
ing citizen, capable OF interpreting the
law.
Before the board this morning the war
rants as paid were compared with the
record of payment in the treasurer's books,
and it was found that fully three fourths
of the school fund had illegally been paid
for the redemption Of warrants bearing
date of 1887 and 1888. Here it may be
remarked that these warrants are not reg
islered, and, it is believed, were illegally
issued in the first place. When the COM
parison had been completed and the
treasurer minated that he wanted the
board to give him credit for this "a ,Ob3.6S,
there was
LCLL IN THE PROCEEDINGS
which was painful, and this was followed
by Chairman Sloan hauling the treasurer
over the Goals without mincing matters.
The chairman said the treasurer had no
authority to pay those old warrants; that
the school fund should have been re-
tanned intact for running the schools dur
ing $780, that the proper disposition OF
the old warrants, if legal, was to fund
them, and he expressed great regret that
now the county schools must be closed,
or at least, greatly embarrassed, because
of the unlawful disposition of the funds
by the county treasurer. Mr.. Ortiz said
nothing, but the sheriff said for him
that
THE PRESSURE UPON HIM,
the treasurer, by holders Of these old
warrants had been very great, and that
the treasurer thought he could thus use
the funds. The chairman also inciden-
tally remarked that the treasurer had no
authority to pay $4,000 on interest coupons
due T. S. f. & n. bonds year and
half ago out OF funds collected for 1889 to
pay the interest on these bonds due in
1890. He wanted to know where the
money was to come from now to pay this
YEARS interest, but the treasurer never
made reply.
As a result of the whole business the
board declined to allow Treasurer Ortiz
credit for this $4Ot3 68. until the opinion
Of District Attorney Twitchell, who is
sick, can first be had
1t is known that the district attorney
long ago
ADVISED MR.. ORTIZ
OF his unlawful disposition of these funds,
and it is therefore more than probable
that.h will advise the board that it would
be compromising felony to credit Treas
urer Ortiz with this amount.
This UNIV arranted action Of the treasurer
has got the county in another sad plight
for 1890, and, under the circumstances,
it it's more than likely that suit will be in
stituted against MIR. Ortiz and lis bonds
men to recover the sums illegally paid out
of both the school and T., S. F. u n, bond
interest fund, amounting to between
81 900 and $4,000.
Gratifying to All.
The high position attained and the uni
versal acceptance and approval OF the
pleasant liquid fruit remedy, Syrup OF Figs,