St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-01-17
Insists That He Was Not in
Collision With w. w.
Taylor.
ADMITS HE WAS SLOW,
But Says This Is No Evidence
That He Was
Crooked.
COURTS AN INVESTIGATION,
And Seems in No Danger OF
Not Getting Salts
faction.

faction.
Special to the Globe.
PIERRE, S. D.. Jan. 16.-Col. Thomas
Il. Ruth arrived early this morning
from his home in De Smet, and is highly
indignant at the charges which have
been made against him during the past
few days. He enters an indignant de-
piaI aud asserts that ne is anxious for
the fullest investigation. He states
that he will be able to prove his limos
cence of any wrong done. Col. Ruth
emphatically refused to make any
statement, but says he will appear at
the proper time. and, having cleared
himself. will deal with those who set
the charges afoat Ruth has told his
friends his version of the affair and 1t
is given herewith. He states that the
charge that he was cogniZant of Fay
lor's collection or that he in any way
Aided Him 10 Escape
or to get a large amount from the state
treasury is false in every particular.
The fact that he failed to make the
apportionment before the 21th of De-
cemb4r last, he says, was not in viola
ton of the law, although the statute
says that such apportiOnment must be
made directly after the 10th of Noyem-
ber. He points out that the statute
reads substantially thus: The commits
sioner of public lands shall on or before
the 10th of May and November cause to
be made an apportionment of the funds
which he estimates Will be in the treas
ury on the 1st of July and of January
ensuing, and shall then notify the
auditors Of the respective cOun-
ties of the amounts so ap-
portioned. The sections Immediately
t0IIOWing fix no time for the distribu-
ton, and the statute is so blindly
worded that the commissioner cannot
be held liable for delay The state Off
cials understand that he is to appOrti0n
at once The commissioner disputes
them. 1t is fair to Gel. Ruth to say that
his view is taken by good lawyers on
this point, but
Che Serious Part
of the charges relates to his holding mp
of the school funds in the summer of
1898. The law provides that the state
| treasurer shall OH the 18th Of June GER
tify to the commissioner of school and
public lands the amount Of money i'll
the treasury in the income fund Of
school lands, and that the commissioner
| shall then proceed TO app0rtiOn them.
AS a matter of practice the treasurer
does not do so, since the commissioner
has all in his own Office, and so is ap-
prsed of the information. Under this the
commissioner should, on the 18th of
! June, 1898, have app0rtioned about So,
| 900. which was in the fund at that tiMe.
| He did not do so. but left for Pennsyl-
vania about July /. The Office was be-
| sieged with TemonstranceS from the
various counties. funds being particu-
| lary in demand on account Of the panic.
| No apportlonment was made until the
following December, despite the pro-
tests of the governor and other state
! officers. Col Ruth refuses to discuss
this matter further than to say that
during the summer his wife was very
iii and finally died. and that he would
not leave his dying wife for any cause;
also that the full amount of the ex-
pected income was not in the treasury
on the day fixed by law. 1t may be
said that
His Wife Died
Elthe second week III August. and that
that would not debar him from dis
tributing the fund Immediately on his
return in September. Moreover, under
his orders, the deputy did apportion all
| thefunds on Aug. 10, when they had
all come in, but Col. Ruth refused to
send them out for four months. not
Withstanding the plain wording Of the
law. and to the great loss of the state
Besides this, when he finally appor
toned the funds he sent only part of
them. All OF this information is gained
from the statement of his deputy, Bow
man, and of the state officers familiar
with the facts. Col. Ruth denies
absolutely the story that he wrote
a letter to Taylor which was sent to the
| treasurer Of Clay county, and states
tlIdI H6 MIOtS Ile IttIoL W ltidI county
treasurer respecting certain funds
which that treasurer had collected and
was holding up in defiance of law. This
letter was not seen by any one now in
the capital, but it was reported TO the
officials who gave credit TO the story
| The investigation has been ordered and
will probably bring out the facts. Col.
Ruth absolutely denied that he was
/ CONNECTED with Taylor i'll any way for
the use of the state funds. or that he
has had any suspicion of his shortage
Or his whereabouts since last seen here.