The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-01-05

eral departments. The expense of such
printing, which should properly be
charged against the account of the Of
ficers of the departments and institu-
tons ordering the printing, is unjustly
arrayed against the State Printers ac-
| count Some proper check should be
imposed upon the expense of printing
incurred by the various officers, boards
and departments. Each public institu-
ton and Office should be charged for
its printing out of its separate appro-
priation or fund on hand. The door
of the State Printing Office is too ready
of access to public officers. It should
be remembered that public money is
trust fund, which public officers are
obligated by their oaths to protect from
waste.
Again. too many copies of public
books and documents are presented,
many Of which are distributed through
out the State to persons who neither
read nor use them. Added to this is
the unnecessarily voluminous charac-
ter of the reports presented by public
officers.
I find that conciseness is a rare
rhetorical beauty in official reports
Another source Of great expense
islation is the printing of school books.
It should be the aim of our Govern
ment to assist free education by sup
plying, if possible, free school books
to the children Of the public schools.
Until such object can be economically
attained, the printing of school books
| under the present system of selling
them at cost price should be made
self-sustaining, instead of requiring
new appropriations therefor to be made
at every session Of the Legislature.
This was the theory of the present
law, and seems not to have been ac-
complished.
EXCESSIVE COST OF PUBLIC
BUILDINGS.
1t has sometimes happened that GER
tain public officers. DESTROYS of in
creasing the grandeur Of the particu-
lar public institutions under their
charge, have gratified their desires by
erecting unnecessary palatial struct-
ures, and INDUCED in accompanying ex-
travagances. This misuse of the pub
lie money should not be tolerated, but
only reasonable buildings, additions
and repairs allowed. The money of
the State should be limited to the
never a State necessity.
Legislation should be directed to the
end that all money received by all pub
lie officers, boards and commissions
should be deposited in the State Treas
ury, which, in some instances, I I'M
derstand, is not now the case.
All claims and demands should be
audited by the State Board of Exam
iners and drawn out on warrants of
the Controller, as is usual in other pub
lie accounts. Such a method would be
a check upon wanton expenditures. and
vast benefit to the State. This mat
ter has been referred to in the last re-
port of tthe Controller. and is worthy
of your Eserious consideration
STALE CLAIMS.
With each new administration there
is a revival of stale claims which for
mer Governors have vetoed, or former
Legislatures disapproved
Strenuous efforts have been made to
lobby through each new Legislature
the bills which have failed to pass each
preceding session Of the Legislature.
The spirit of lobbying is too prevalent,
and should be checked
1t fosters a corrupt sentiment that it
is lawful to rob the State
Some people, who are scrupulously
conscientious in their private dealings
with one another, actuated by this
spirit, do not hesitate to demand i'm
proper or excessive appropriations, or
to attempt to secure the approval of
dishonest claims. The interest of the |
State should be the interest of every |
citizen. The money of the State is as |
sacred in ownership as the money of |
the individual.
BOUNTY ON COYOTE SCALPS. !
Although the Act providing for boun- |
ties for coyote scalps has long since |
been repealed, claims aggregating
S2S7,615 are likely again to be pre- I
sented at this session of the Legisla- |
ture. In the second biennial message
of Governor Markham, January I. |
1895, attention was called to the fact |
that the State had been "shamefully |
defrauded by the payment for scalps |
that had been shipped into the State
from Oregon, Nevada, Arizona and |
Mexico"
Governor Budd, in his first biennial |
message, January 4, 1897. recommend
ed that in any appropriation made for /
claims, amounting to 1887 ,615, provi-
sion should be made that the Board Of I
Examiners should take evidence as to |
the validity of the claims before allow
ing them. In that connection he said: |
II am convinced that frauds have
been perpetrated on the people in the
presentation and manipulation of these |
claims in several of the counties of the
State, and while the claims from many
Of the counties of the State are un-
doubtedly just, if the Board Of Exam
liners be given the above power, and
false swearing hereunder be made per-
jury, am confident that there will be
effected large saving Of money to
the State"
In. the last report of the Controller
for the fiscal years ending June 80,
1897. and June 80, 1898. attention is
again called to these claims, in the
following language:
Il have again included in my esti-
mate the amount due to creditors of
the State for bounty on coyote scalps
The greater part Of these are legiti-
mate claims, and the State is morally
and legally responsible for their pay
ment. / have no doubt there are
among them many that are fraudu-
lent, but these may be segregated from
the honest claims, and the latter should
be paid without further delay"
From the foregoing reports it will be
observed that these claims, amounting
to 1881, 615, are, as a whole, tainted
with fraud and the honest claims. II
MT kol