St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-01-15
Was MEYERS BLIND,
That He Should Have Allowed
Taylor's EmbeZZlement
to Continue?
UGLY RUMORS ARE AFLOAT
Regarding the Bank EXamin-
er'S Connection With the
Defaultep.
UGLY RUMORS ARE AFLOAT
TAYLoR'S TRACKS FOUND.
Missing Man Is Believed to
Have Sailed on the Steam
er Persian Monarch.
Special to the Globe.

Special to the Globe.
PIERRE, s. D., Jan. 14.-As the case
of default of the treasurer is being
probed into more and more, additional
evidence is coming to light that his act S
involved deep-seated and long-contin-
ued plan of robbing the state and con-
spiracy among Taylor and other promi-
nent men to profit by the state funds
with impunity. Today the inve5tiga-
ton brought out the facts that Public.
Examine Myers. to whose
Carele ssness or ancompetency
is largely due the heavy loss ofthe state !,
secured his pesent position through the
immediate wolk of Mr. Tayler. Two
years ago, when Gov. Sheldon took the
chair, Mr.. Taylor, who had been treas
urer for two years, and who had been
presumably using the state funds in the
way exposed, made strenuous effort to
secure the appointment Of q particular
friend of his The governor refused.
John krouse, of YanktGn, received the
place against Mr.. Taylor's effort and
protest. But when the legislature re-
fused to submit the prohibitory law,
Mr.. Krouse, who Is an ardent anti-pro-
hibtionist, resigned the place and re-
fused to serve. That was
MI. TayIor's Opportunity.
The session was drawing to a close,
the executive was overwhelmed with
work, there was no time to investigate
the qualifications Of any candidate.
Some five years ago Mr.. Myers, the
present public examiner, was candi-
date for congress. He lived il: Mr.. lay
lor's home town of Redtield, and Mr.
Taylor, WHO at that time was pulling
the strings to secure the nomination as
state treasurer, and, knowing that two
prominent officials could not come from
the same town, made every effort to get
Mr. Myers out Of the way. Finally,
when Myers withdrew, Taylor promised
him that at any future time he woul do
anything in his power to return the
favor. When krouse resigned, there
fore, Taylor sent mutual friend to the
governor and
Secured Myers appointment.
The nomination was great surprise
to every one, and especially to the poll
ticians, and it encountered strenuous
opposition before the senate; but Tay-
lor and some of his friends went into
the lobby, and, by the hardest kind of
work, at last succeeded i'll gaining the
confirmation. Mr.. Myers conduct in
the office has presumably justified the
expectation of the treasurer, while 1t is
not stated that Myers had any
part in the corrupt deal in which
Ruth and Taylor were concerned,
he neglected OF refused TO make such
examination of the treasurer'S Office as
would detect the crookedneSS and brig
the criminal TO terms. Myers himself
has admitted that, during the time when
in defiance of ali, and against the pro-
tests Of the governor and the other state
officials, and despite the angry demands
Of the people of the state, the treasurer
and the land commissioner held in
their own hands for six months S3OO.O0O
belonging to the school fund of the
state he saw the letter to Mai.
Ruth from Treasurer Taylor admitting
that the two were
Using the Public Money
for their own benefit, and were default
ing the state to ballast their own for
tunes. Mr.. Myers, while he told some
personal friends of this occurrence at
the time, did not do what the plain
emergency OF the case demanded,
namely, to make an investigation, and
to see that the officials enforced the
law. Mr.. Myers also admits that thirty
DAYS ago he tried to make an eXamlna-
tion of the treasurer'S accounts, aud
that when the latter refused to make
a showing he expected that there
was shortage. OF course, in
these circumstances his clear duty
was to promptly take possession or the
office and to bring the treasurer to
terms. Had he done so, the 1859, 600
gobbled by Taylor during December
would have been saved to the state.
His action in these two instances con-
victs him either Of incompetency or
corrupt knowledge, and the officials
have determined to investigate bis
office and probably to impeach, If not
to prosecute him. This action by the
legislature is expected in day OF two.
There is no question in the minds OF the
public officials that
Taylor's Advocacy of Myers
was based upon his knowledge of the
public examiners characteristics, and
while the officials are inclined to the
belief that Myers was simply guilty OF
gross negligence and of incompetency,
they propose to sift the matter to the
bottom.
The legislature met today in secret
session to hear the report of the attor-
ney general on the Taylor case. They
agreed to promptly pass bills autnorlz'
inc him to employ counsel and detec-
tiyes. and not only to search for the
fugitive, but to bring attachment and
suit against the bondsmen outside OF
the state of South Dakota. There .1a5
been a strong suspicion in the minds OF