The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-01-16
HE WAS ONLY CARELESS
Butte'S City ClerkDid No Intentional
H,ns.
AS THE REDRT PUTS 1T
The Committee found Many Evil
dences of Regularity and
Their Safe ment Is
Inteesting.

unanimous vote that the numerous
irregularities in cnnection with the police
court receipts aid records which were
brought out at tn investigation that was
concluded last night were due simply to
carelessness, AM report in accordance
with this fndngwas ordered drawn up.
After this decison was reached one OF
the members sfthe committee made an
indefinite remirk about a "bale of white
wash brushes, ,ut he was frowned down
upon 80 hard tht be withdrew the remark
when the repcters reached for their
pencils.
The full committee met promptly at 8
o'clock and sper nearly two hours in a
rather ramblingdiscussion of the case.
Chairman Schatlein inquired If ii was
the sense of the Committee that the public
would be satisfied TO have the present city
clerk retained. Cook and Sherman ex-
pressed the opini,n that there were no
facts to justify a change in that official.
1t appeared to them that the discrepancies
shown resulted from clerical errors which
under the old complicated system might
occur even with close watching. Byrne
thought that the troible was largely due
TO the inattention q the finance commit
tee and a general lack of supervision over
the city clerks offi.e.
Sherman replied that the finance COM
mittee, OF which he Is chairman, had al
ways checked up the clerks books and
receipts regularly, but were unable to
check up with the jailer's record because
1T was printed in such form as to
make companion with the city clerks
records a complicated and tedious job,
which the committee had not the time to
attend to. On hi' suggestion it was de-
cided to order a NEW and more convenient
Jail record, which will show the full his
tory of each case at a glance and make
comparisons easy.
"If this investigation had taken place
three weeks ago. said Schatzlein, 1--WE
would have found things In very bad
shape. Every item has been checked over
twice since then and a new cash book put
In use. Inc main question about the city
clerk is that he has handled money care
lessly and Ia a manner that don't believe
is satisfactory to The public. Looking at
the matter from 4 business standpoint
would we If we had an employee who hand
led money that way continue to employ
him?"
Byrne believed that city affairs should
be handled even more carefully than a
mans private business, for the reason
that 1t was other peoples money that was
beng handled.
Bowman stated that there were so many
people handling the police court receipts
that II was out of the question TO fix all of
the blame on the clerk. Court Officer
Hallahan, he said, claimed to have turned
money over to the clerk, but he didn't
know whether he had done SO or not.
After some further discussion the secre-
tary was instructed to draw up q report
condemning the careless method in which
the city clerk has kept the police record,
recommending that all fines in which pay
nent was alleged aud not denied bel paid
by the clerk. and that all persons owing
fines be thrown in Jail, and recommend
ing a strict compliance with section of
ordinance ITO, which covers the matter
fully and reads as follows: ut shall be
the duty of the keeper of the city prison
TO keep a record of all persons received by
him or committed to his custody; by
whom arrested and date of arrest, for
what otfense the person was ar
rested, the date of the trial
of such person, the date of the
commitment of such person to his GUS
tody, the amount of the fine and costs
whether or not such person served out
the time required to pay said fine and
costs or paid part thereof, and if so the
amount paid by such person. and the
final disposition of the case. He shall
also report to the police magistrate the
day upon which the term of Imprisonment
of any person confined in the city prison
will expire and the police magistrate shall
forthwith issue an order to the keeper of
said prison to release such person and
make an entry of the Issuance of such or
der of release upon his docket, and no
person shall be released from said prison
by the keeper thereof until such order of
release is issued by the police magistrate
and signed by the city clerk. He shall
also make full report to the city council
ut the first regular meeting in
fined in said prison during the
preceding month, the offense for which
sucn person was confied in said prison,
the date of the commitment and by
whom issued, the amount of the fine and
costs, the number of days served, the
amount of money paid on said fine and
costs, and the date or dates of payment
and the number of days served in addition
thereto, the date of the release of such
person from prison and upon whose order
such person was released and such other
and further Information as the council
may from time to time require of him."
A strict compliance with this ordinance
will make any further irregularities al
most impossible. 1t was also decided to
recommend that the clerk turn all moneys
over to the treasurer weekly and that the
clerk give receipts for all money received
from officers.
of several partially indefinite complaints
of gross Irregularities IN other branches
of the police department were talked of,
but the committee felt that they had no
jurisdiction outside of the separate inves-
tigation for which they were appointed.
II was accordingly decided to simply re-
port the matter to the council aud let the
council appoint another committee if the
aldermen so desired. The chairman said
he was convinced that what had been dis
covered by the committee was only
small part of the rottenness existing in
the police department.
Byrne said it was a significant fact that
there we're not two policemen on the force
who were not constantly trying to get on
tho Galena and Mercury street beats. He
said the women of the badlands paid fines
unlawfully and were entitled TO some con-
sdcration instead of persecution in a
spirit of vengeance. as he understood had
occasionally been the case.
The committee then adjourned until
evening 10 sign their report.
The committee met again this evening
and adopted the following report. which