The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-01-09

ing OF lne AuullOTS, eleCteu DN tiie pto-
pie for the purpose of inspecting and
passing upon the receipts and expendi-
lures made by the County Commission
ers and publishing report of the same,
is a wise provision of the law, intended
for the purpose of informing the people
how the money collected from them in
taxes has been expended, and giving
them (the people, an exact knowledge OF
the county's finances.
That the Auditors report should be
correct is a matter of fact that needs no
argument. If it cannot be relied upon
there is no use in the Auditors meeting
and the people might s well let the
Commissioners settle with themselves.
That the Commissioners are bound
under the law to lay before the Auditors
every item of credits and Indebtedness
for the Auditors to pass upon is also a
well-settled truism that will not bear ar
| gument. If the Commissioners have
the power of laying only such bills as
suit them before the auditors and of
withholding other bills until next year,
then the Auditors work would be
farce that three men of common sense
should he ashamed to idle their time at,
let alone accept pay for. In other
words if the County Commissioners have
the power of withholding n bill for one
dollar. they can withhold a bill for four
| thousand three hundred and fifty dollars,
! or for ten or twenty thousand dollars,
and if they can withhold either and
| grant orders to pay the bills the follow
ing year, the people could never tell how
the county stood financially and there
would be no possible Use for County
Auditors
The law intends and common horse
sense without any law would teach any
thinking man that the Auditors settle
ment should contain verything-settle
everything for the year. If the Com
missioners have contracted any debts
that remain unpaid they must lay the
Indebtedness before the Auditors or pay
the debts themselves. There is only one
way of getting behind the Auditors set
tlement either for credit or indebted
edness and that is to appeal from II itwithin
the specified time provided by law af-
ter that time is past the settlement is
final and conclusive and stands against
the world.
Ifa bill is presented to the Auditors for
allowance for an Indebtedness contracted
for prior to the last Auditors report, 1t
is the duty of the Auditors to examine
the Auditors settlement for last year and
if it appears that there was an indebted
ness, they can then, if the bill is just and
correct allow it. But if the last Audi
tors report shows no such Indebtedness,
the Auditors can have nothing to do
with it. 1t is not even discretionary
with a board of Auditors whether they
can allow an old bill or not, it is simply
a question of whether they regard the
obligations of an oath to perform their
duty.
Last year Joseph Hipps and George \.
Kinkead were on the board as County
Auditors, were reelected in November,
and are serving now. In their report
last year they stated the outstanding in
| debtedness of the county at S23, 500, ,63
none of which was for building bridges.
Cambria county, according to the Audi
tors report, made under the sanctity of
their official oaths had paid every dollar
| she owed for building bridges. Yet on
the very day that Joseph Hipps and
| George \. Kinkead as Auditors were
| sending out this report to the people of
| Cambria county an order was issued and
| rushed into the treasury for four thous-
and three hundred and fifty dollars in
payment for building bridges contracted
for long before the meeting of the Au
ditors. Why the County Commission
ers refused or declined 10 lay this bill be
fore the Auditors and the people we will
not now discuss; the time and manner of
issuing the order has already been told
to the readers of the FREEMAN.
One of the first bills TO come before
the present Auditors will be the payment
of this last years bridge bill. The
serenity expressed on the benign counten-
ances of the Commissioners rs they lay
this bill before the Auditors will almost
cast halo, Bridge building with them
has become a science, has been so care
fully done that although the bill is old
it would be an outrage to doubt of its
virtue.
But there is no use arguing the ques-
ton of whether the county got value for
the amount of this bill or not. The time
for paying this bill by the county is past.
Nothing but official perjury on the part
of the Auditors can ever saddle 1t on the
county now. 1t may seem hard, but 1t
is the result of the Commissioners own
act in attempting to palm off on the
people report that they knew was not
true. If they were willing to risk four
| thousand three hundred and fifty dollars
ON the presumed gullibillty of County
Auditors, and lose, they have none but
! themselves to blame. Monkeying with
a buzz saw is said to be dangerous but
monkeying with the peoples money
should be classed as extra hazardous.
Last years accounts, unless appealed
from are according to every legal ruling
| closed forever.
If the Auditors doubt the position of
the FREEMAN on this question-if they
doubt their own common sense-they