Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1894-10-19
le month Of April and subsequent

the month Of April and subsequent
months?
A. Warrants have been issued to this
and other state institutions as fast as the
funds came into the treasury to meet
@8them. Under my Interpretation Of the
a|$$sconstitution | am prohibited from issu.
Wing warrants in excess of the amount il
M@the treasury with which to pay the war
Grants when issued.
This statement is made in face of the
F8Sfact that in one single fund there has
Esklain since August 18th s24,S03.40 {, which
Improperly belonged to this fund out Of
(which this maintenance indebtedness
III should have been paid.
d The treasurer was asked:
n @. Has there been any time when
the funds of the treasury have been
overdrawn; or, in other words, have you
paid overdrafts out Of the different
funds?
A. Not that I know of.
@. Have any warrants ever been pre-
sented to you, and which you could not
pay because of no funds with which to
pay them? If So, on what funds were
the warrants drawn?
A.. None since July, 1893. Some time
in June or July, 1893, there we're
warrants issued by the auditor, and no
money in the treasury with which to pay
81 them. We consulted with the attorney
VI general on what to do, and got a book
" for the purpose of registering the war
rants that we're dra w on the treasury,
which there was no money to pay, and
which we're to be registered in the same
\ manner as the county treasurers now
register county warrants that are pre-
scented for payment where there is no
fund in the treasury to pay, and which
i meant that the warrants would draw in
terest after being registered. We did
not register any, however, and in about
two weeks, the auditor concluded not to
draw the warrants unless there was
money in the treasury to pay them. I
don't know that this was two weeks
time, but 1 know it didn't last very long.
Since that time, I have paid all warrants
that have been presented for payment,
whether the fund was overdrawn or not.
@. You don't know, do you, whether
or not the general fund has been over
drawn?
A. It has been overdrawn at different
times.
@. How much is the most that it has
ever been overdrawn?
A. From $1,000 to $4,000. You can't
tell from the books.
IS The auditor was asked:
@. You say under your Interpretation
of the constitution you are prohibited
from issuing warrants in excess Of the
amounts in the treasury with which tc
pay the warrants when issued?
A. Yes.
O. And for that reason warrants have
not been issued for the maintenance oil
public institutions? ~5.-.
A. The public institutions issue Ger
tifcates.
Q. Have you not overdra xn at differ
ent times by issuing warrants on the
treasury or general fund as much al
$4,000 at a time within the past four OF
five months?
A. Yes. t.
@. It you interpret the constitution
to prohibit you from issuing warrants
faster than there is money to pay the
same, how did it come that you issued
warrants in excess of the money in The
treasury to the amount of $4,000?
A. This has been done through the
leniency of the treasurer in advancing
money to pay these warrants, which
were issued in excess of the balance, anc
which was overdrawn on the genera
. fund. You understand, of course, tina
N there are funds outside of the genera
Vund.
sAnding between you and the treas
uAer?
Il. Yes. And in that line there ar
celtain transactions with the state which
] itlwould be impossible to conduct if w
didn't make prompt payment. For in
sHlnce, telegraph and expresa expenses
WV could not have this business dom
heie unless we made prompt payment
TEsee same is true of clerk hire. Clerk
az gave to have their pay. This class o
bills are different from the institution
of the state.
Note what the auditor says in tn,
above For instance, telegraph
aud express expenses. The whole tele
graph and express bill of the entire
state administration could not reason
ably exceed $1,000. Yet the auditor ani
treasurer keep lying in the treasury
idle from August 18th, se49, 606.91, and re
fuse to pay the maintenance bills of th'
public institutions on the theory tina
I5fAgA = 80 -.--x 81 ILL., L