Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1895-07-11
A COUNTER MOVE
On The Part of the Admin.
istration
To Offset tho Charges Against
Supt. Hatch.
duplicates THE DIRECTORS
Attorney General Dawes Rem
ders Decision,
And holds up Vouchers, Claim
ing they are Exhorbitant.

The attempt to remove Superinten
dent Hatch ofthe reformatory has beer
met by counter move on the part o.
attorney general. The board Of direc
tors have so far had no money from the
state, the appropriations not being avail l.
able until July /. About three months
ago the board of directors took triE
east visiting institutions in other states
The first of July they presented theil
vouchers for their pay aud the state au-
ditor referred them to the attorney gen.
eral.
The following from the Topeka CAPT
tai covers the desic.on:
Attorney General F. B. Dawes rem
dered an opinion yesterday afternoon in
which he held that the state auditor can
not legally audit the vouchers presented
for payment by the members of tie
board of directors of the Hutchinson 10
fOrmatory AS mentioned in the Capita
yesterday morning. The opinion is ad.
dressed 70 State Auditor Cole.
The attorney general begins with the
consideration OF the three vouchers, one
from each member, which are made out
as follows: Seventeen days per diem
$751; II days hotel bill, 81; per day, $GS
II Gays travelling expenses, 1915 81 total
1896. 34." Mr.. Dawes then says:
Nov as to the first item for seven
teen days work at $500 per day; / will
say that this claim is all right, provided
the work has honestly been done by
members Of the board. | would SUCCESS
however, that you do not audit the claim
even for the per diem Of the members
| until Jney itemize the claim by stating
when and where such work was done.
"Ihe next item of the claim, seven
teen days hotel bill, at $500 per day
SGS co. should be carefully investigated
before the same is audited, or any war
rants drawn. Four dollars per day foi
hotel bill, is to say the least, uncaled fol
and extraVagant in the extreme. 1t Is
not for mo to say that this money was
not paid out by the members Of the
board. IL was not for board. 1t was moi
for board bills, because they have pre-.
sented cain for "a 10 per day for this
purpose. There is only one thing that ]
can think OF that this item could have
been for and that would be for car fare
and 1915. "a would pay Cur fare at three
cents per mile the rate in Kansas, fol
9,214 miles, and it would keep the board
travelling at rapid rate on u special train
on special train the eutire time for
which they claim compensation to travel
this number of miles"
Referring to the amount of money eX-
pended for travelling expenses the statute
says that the managers shall receive in
addition to SO per DAY compensation, all
actual necessary expenses and Mr..
Dawes says if the members made un-
necessary outlay of money on the trip
through the east or incurred any eX-
penses above and beyond the appropri-
alton of 5000 they will have TO take their
chances on having some future legislA-
ture make an appropriation covering the
excess. With regard TO the bills pre-
sented for railroad fare Mr.. Dawes says:
"If they had free transportation they
bavei no right to charge car fare. AS
the statute says they shall have actual
"expenses.
The vouchers presented by the mem.
bers of the board aggregate 81 ,536.7S but
there remains in the fund tor the fiscal
year just closed only Sl07. AS to paying
the members of the board from any other
fund or the appropriation for the ensu-
inn Hunul vaar tbot a ftprnav raOaral a Olda
that the members cannot secure the
amount of the above mentioned vouchers
from any other fund whatsoever. This
will deprive them Of large amount of
money as the claims presented are great.
ly in excess OF the amount appropriated.
In making out the vouchers the board
marked them miscellaneous appropria-
tiOns," which indicates that they did not
expect TO secure the money from the feg-
ular appropriation made TO run the in.
stitutiOn until June 80 rs made by the
legislature. In concluding his opinion
Mr.. Dawes says:
"All the vouchers referred to me per-
tain onlyto per diem and expenses Of
members OF the board. Money AppFO.
priRted for maintenance, repairs, build
ing, purchase OF construction material
and machinery, cannot be used for any
other purpose than that for which it
was appropriated, and therefore cannot
be used for paying the per diem aud ex-
penses OF the members Of the board.
The other appropriation for the reform.
atOry is secilUn l77 OF chapter laws Of
1895, and reads rs follows: 40 the
bOard Of managers of the industrial re.
forinAtory at Hutchinson for the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1895, 5000, for the
fiscal year ending June 30, 1896. 81 800;
for the fiscal year ending June 80, 1897,
81 500.
illus last appropriation is the one,
and the only Ons TO which the members
Of the board can look for thor per diem
aud expenses, and as only $500 Vas APP