The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-09-07
BOTCH Bookkeeping
The Kind That's Done When Pol
lticians Bun Things.
ERRORS At STATE HOUSE, $4,000.

Counties Pay Thousands OF Dollars
That They DO Not Need To-This
Bad housekeeping Has Been Going
On For Years.
A few days ago State Auditor George
Coles book-keeper, Mr. Ed NJ. SIN ith
started out to discover an error of fifty
cents in the accounts of the state school
lands but instead of discovering the fifty
cent error he has brought to light some
remarkably bad book keeping Of pre-
vious administrations.
The bad book keeping is not confined
to the late PopuIist administration but it
goes back over several years and shows
that Republicans who were charged with
the keeping of state accounts back as far
as any cares to look, made just as
many and just as bad mistakes as the
Populists.
| In going over the list of counties al
! phabetically tho records down to Co.
manche county Show errors in booking
on the ledger of the land accounts
| amounting to over 81. 1000.
! Assistant State Auditor Wiley W. Cook
| says, no one has lost any money by this
work, but that if the counties had known
| the condition in which their accounts
were kept, it would have been posi-
I bic for the county officials to have
| robbed the state of large amounts.
The county clerk of each county re-
! ports school laud sales to the auditor and
! the county treasurer reports the funds to
| the state treasurer SO that the money
could not go astray through the auditor
office.
The following is the notation of the
discoveries made by the auditor. All I'M
! der the dates of 1858 and 1894 were made
| by the Popuiists, and all others by the
Republicans:
ALLEN CoUNTY-We find in report of
sales filed Jan. 21, 1894, principal and
| interest for six months ending Dec 81,
1898, amounts to $95431 but the auditor
charged said county with $386.1O in
place of 1904 81, making an error of
$56S 90.
ANDERSON COUNTY-In report filed
Jan. 9, 1898 for the six months ending
Dec. 81, 1892, there should have been
charged, as per reports for interest aud
| principal paid on permanent school
lands, $1,S4823. We find that the charge
made was 1904. 49, making an error of
PSI, 1890
BARBER COUNTY-In report filed July
9th, 1885, payment of principal and in
terest as shown by this report, should be
! &3005 so. We find that the auditor
| charged said county with $3,5O2 60, max
ing an overcharge of $497. Report of
$2472 not posted.
CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY Report filed
July Attn, 1894, should be $274 48 in place
of $27O SO az charged.
Report Decem Der Both, 1894, shows
! there are two reports attached, one for
| sos 80 which we find charged against
said county and one of $288 which is not
charged
Report fled July 1, 1885, shows a
charge of $1,0S636. This report contains
four blanks. The first three added to-
gethsr make this amount $1,0s6.36, and
the fourth one, $144, is not included,
but should be charged to said county.
Report of Jan. 1. 1879, filed Jan. 10th.
1879 amount charged should be 81, 343.-
90. and amount is charged as per ledger
b. page II, was $343 SO.
CoMANcHE CoUNTY-Aug. 23rd, 1889,
charged 81, 4404J should be S1,44O72.
Nov. 10th, 1887, charged $512 so supple
mental report Same amount included
in report charged Feb. 18Th, 1888. Over
charge S51250.
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