The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-04-24
CH0T[AU COUNTY AFFAIRS
Export Barnard Browns Report on
File With the County
Commissioners.
A Document Which Makes Good
Reading for tho Taxpayers
of That Section.
The Clerk, Commissioned and Others
Taken to ~Task-Some Alleged
Violations of tho Law.

IL ON ME Win uuo county CoAuAhiosAoAoA
makes mighty interesting reading for tn
taxpayers. Browns report covers the pc
Rod from March 1, 1888, to March l, 1891
The absence of the cash books from tn
treasurer's office for the time preceding
March /, 1885, made the task a difficult one
but the report contains q segregated state
ment of the outstanding unpaid warrant
prior to that time, taken from the record
of the county clerk. While the report is OF
file and is public property, no action has a
vet been taken on it, and the expert, it j
said, has not received any compensation TO
his labor. The introduction to the tabu
lated statements is as follows:
1.-The peculiar method employed in tn
county clerks Office for filing paid warrant
according to the year in which they wer
issued instead of the year in which paid
taken with the fact that the treasurer
quarterly reports give no details of wa
rants paid (simply showing the amour
paid out for each fund. warrants and inter
est combined), rendered proper check o
such reports extremely difficult, and l hav'
to recommend that hereafter the treasurer
quarterly reports shall show a full descrip-
ton of each warrant paid. with the amoun'
of interest separated from the principal
and that all warrants pertaining to eaci
report shall be filed with such report in the
clerks Office.
'.The issuance and delivery of warrants
h- tho county clark ia attended with mucL
disregard of the particular provisions OF
the law which require q voucher, bearing
the specific approval of the board of county
commissioners, for each and every warrant
~. arr.,+ ds,iya1 al nv hin,
VI s,'Irn;t harawitb q statement showinu
n list of warrants issued without apparent
proper authority, and call your attention
wsrrarts dsl;vsrea are taken mon warrant
stnhs ;nstead of the warrant register. and
that n n'a'1u ;nstances instead nf the Go
80 ~ tha narrnn re.aivino the vrorr.nt
thnra a,;sts pnIx menoranda indicat;no
thot ael;yerv yas made to ..hin,saif herself
~ ,,,n+v c,a,s
Att.chad L.rato va, vii, find a state-
uant dascribino warrants drawn in fave,
~ r.,;o,S nerson. whicl, bsar the endo.sa-
mont of ,!Alfrsi T.. Roge,s.r the present
county clerk. and which, without explana-
ton to the contrary, would seem to indi-
cate that, in violation OF law, that officer
had dealt extensively IN county warrnts.
AN apparent carelessneSs mas attended
the cancellation of warrants by limitation,
such CANCELLATIONS having been regular
OF warrants, that, having passed the proper
pef!ou or llinl1atloh' snoulu Ne eanceiea az
once. ~ ~ so.ae"ha' sisu.n.a..s 'na Sne
warrants oeseflpeu III 'nis st"teinen1 aeRie-
gaze d eiea'er sum .nan VI Il eanoeiia-
tions OF s"e p"st lout .t"te Fu' tosS.nei.
| liAu, o."'tnHo'iIoln IL .Ap.Sea Pio'
sts'oL " NV =" - .HaI ne
sworn ss"1t ii'en,S u Ioah.s o'noe.s, sno"-
ius we ieSe anu ie.elseu os
eacno tbeti gu l = each ~ every qu"rler'
are iiie' WIN tIs county clsIh.
ne anaeAl innioiai s,a'sinen.H ol the
Iia''ts' 's tA.tiiifa - rtiH .o..t.As .tele'
neeo wv 'aI uo ~ " o'on
uenneu' ~ a"s ~a,, .no Iohoi'ion " eaeh
equity ~" oni NV ~ ou'n VI az
o"ust"iuius ""'ieh19' i'1touiiS ept"oal
hhate 'inueieal' Resources u 'ne particular
iuHu. nis peeh e.n.e'.
contrary to eApEess pIov-s'on o. statute,
'het""nns .ieasuIti mas enAeli 81 ulI!ot lees
upon cotlectiois ut'esI without eAp'lclt APP
pluSulot uoaia - eounly eoni.n!Shloier
~ u ~ ""ihs u M"L.anIs upon ~ Con
sligels lnha 'hefeiof, anu some o. 'he lees
50 c9a Sea are excessive "h .o'lo"S'
IN TIE YEAR 1889.
For exchanging 1850 in bonds for
warrants. 4 per S34O OC
For handling proceeds $4,000 school
bonds. 4 per 400 OO
For handling proceeds $500 sclo
bonds, 10 per G 50 &C
Co.
$3.50 &C
.The sale ar is,1ance of bonds il rot .
COLLECTION snI evsrv act NJ onr Iao;slatnra
pltEGF1TllD tl1 1lSIVn or hnnHC hHG m q
fnllv nuarIea arn,rst the services Of ntf;
GERS in CONNECTION nerewith beino cun.
ensnted IA such.
sThere does not anpear TO have baen de.
ros1.nG u;tb tba no "pns"t so m'su zen ae,
lea helonrinp to the estates of dscaaSai
persons,'
"Fully forty per cent. of the warrants maid
bv the county tr4asur, =. .lthonoa drIwo TO
tile order of desionaten Indivian,ls an,
without endorsement TO Indicate that such
inaIyidnaIs. or their anthoriled agents "a
ceiyed the money thernnn and ,ero,o
mend that. hereafter. no warrant Maid Inv
the county treasurer be ussse1 to his crsdit
unless the navee,a order he endorsoI nnon
Or attached TO the Warrant. ~
Warrant No 7u, Of Jn,a & 1879, fnr
ko6 M in favor If lanes Giliat, or La,, =.
ana hearing the cancelad andosssma,t at
David a. Rrowne toUether With into,a.tN
s6. 40 sas Maid Nv tha conntv tr.ss,,.,
January 10. 1887. althouvb thn uarrant ;e
NOT signed by the CHAIRMAN if tre honrd 81
county com,nissiorers
.Warrnnta Nos 5ola md 81, in f.,o,
of Jno ". Tutten far S1Oo each nscanaha,
term 1890 ind;c,tao th.t NJ
Totta, wss nvernsi1 +ha r W.
S31 II for g rvices ns 'rnh,ta ;,d,,o II :,
cIaarlv shown nron ,n,.nIsrs 1 oe ~
sertlementa Of his a,lary ,cconnt th.t us
w,s Maid in fnli tn Sentemhar / 1850 onn
nc tba ofica If n,rho1 i,d,o ~ 49, 10 nnu
Novembc, IG 1870 thera ne dna M, ~
two mnntbo ,nd saon Sa5.s ~ ~
ot''o.s aF