Omaha daily bee., 1899-03-14
MESS IN THE AUDITORS OFFICE.

WILDER Democrat: Auditor Cornell ma!
not have committed any crime, as his de
tenders assert, but he made stupendout
blunder in keeping such a holdup gam
around him.
HOldrege citizen (rep): The work of in
vestigating the auditors office goes merrily
on and considerable of the evidence Is OF an
interesting nature. 1t is made very evident
that the reformers in that Office were not
there for their health or for reform but for
revenue only. There is nothing to show that
the auditor ever objected to their method OF
| getting their gains, although he must have
! known of their Illegal doings and charges.
Fullerton Post (rep): 1t is amusing t.
review the testimony given in the investi
cations now in progress at Lincoln. Mr.
| Archard seems to have been endowed will
desire (?) to help the state by purchasing
mileage transferring it to his wife, after
charging it to the state, and then accepting
passes for himself Probably the excessive
| charges per diem charged for the examina
| ton of insurance companies was for himself
and wife
Oakland Independent (pop) A few un-
reasonable populist papers are trying to de-
| fend Auditor John f. Cornell, when he can
not defend himself. He should have run
, his business in such manner as to have
needed no investigation, much less to have
his dongs shown up in such an awkward
manner. When man from farm has
preached reform so earnestly, has roasted
others for acts no worse than his own and
disregarded his party platform so thoroughly
1t Is time for him to gracefully fold up his
tent and steal away as easily as possible.
For few paltry favors and few lousy
dollars Mr.. Cornell has made an ass of him
colo l,,t hos ri oh tp N
any source.
Kearney Hub (rep): The investigation
of the state auditors office has been going
merrily on, and it has been a merry dance
that the investigating committee has been
giving Auditor Cornell The last witness
on the stand is the auditors blessed nephew,
and the tale that he tells is the worst Of all,
He admits that he received a salary as
treasury examiner and at the same time put
in his best licks examining" insurance
companies and charging all that the traffic
would bear Whether there has been any
more of this same kind of reform in the
state house does not appear, but the rot
tenness in the auditors Office is sufficient
to inspire a large number OF reformers with
the wish that they had never been born.
Auburn Granger (pop): Relative to the
conduct of Auditor Cornell the Granger will
say that, remembering the attempted i'm
peachment of some of our state officials in
1898 it can barely be believed that Mr.. Cor
nell would be impeached If proceedings were
commenced. Nevertheless his official acts
have been such as the law abiding citizens
of Nebraska ought not to overlook, and
probably the best rebuke that could be ad-
minstered would be for all who believe
that in his official career he has been guilty
of pop5upt hpnpa tb tho dipnitv Of
for and as the choice of the honest voters
and taxpaying people of Nebraska, for all
these to join in a request that he tender his
resignation at once. So long officials
believe that their rule of conduct was only
to be such that they can escape legal pun
ishment by cunning and intrigue, so long
will we have officials unworthy to repre-
sent an honest people. Feeling satisfied,
Mr.. Cornell, that you have not done your
official duty faithfully and impartially, we
wouldn't be displeased to see you resign,
just little.
Tecumseh Journal (rep): The investiga-
tion into the affairs of Auditor Cornells
office has proven a revelation to a great
many people. 1t has been a source of much |
discussion what occasioned so much expense /
in running the insurance companies. The |
facts brought out, show to what an extent |
ILS companies are Dieu ny tue insurance |
departments of the several states. The peo-
pie make laws and create an insurance de- |
partment for the purpose of protecting the |
people from abuse and the imposition OF |
fake institutions, and these insurance de- |
partments go to work Systematically to rob |
the companies and thereby indirectly the |
people. Life insurance Is a good thing if !
and honestly conducted, but If the |
people are forced to pay for junketing tours
all over the country by band of political
appointees we are inclined to believe the
public will keep its money before paying
1t to insurance companies under such cir
cumstance. The expense account of average
insurance companies nearly or quite equals
all the money paid for losses and policy
settlements. AS long as this is the case
people cannot afford to carry life insurance
Some of the fraternal insurance societies
have eliminated this Objectionable element
from life insurance expense and thousands
OF people are investing in this character OF
insurance instead of what is known as old
line. If an insurance department does not !
offer us any protection we might better save
the expense and do away with it.
Stanton Register (popD: Nothing that
has been done in the last eight years has
stirred up the reformeTs so much as the
discoveries in the auditors office. We have
been lulled into fancied safety by the
thought that electing was all there was to
be done, our officials would do the rest, and
part of the blame rests on us, too, there is
no question about that. We put officials
down in Lincoln that were untried but
honest, and amid the debris of corruption
left there by the republicans it's no wonder
that one or more of our people became
tainted with all the smart tricks the repub-
licans used TO feather their own nests. No
one is much surprised that few of the
tricks would be used. The fault of the
parties making the reform forces lies in
with the evils that exist In
state conventions we have put up long plat
forms filled with patitudes, and left unsaid
the very words that would have builded the
solid rock of public confidence. We do not
believe there is much in the pass question.
but our declaration should have been so un-
equivocal that the officials would not have
dared to tempori2e with it. We hope that
when our parties are again in convention
hat we shall not be afraid to denounce
every wrong committed and compel all nom
nees to pledge adherence as we compelled
adherence of our legislators to Allen the
asst year, in such a determined way that
none will misunderstood. 1t is not Ques-
ion of dishonesty that faces us, for there
ire no actually dishonest acts committed but
he condition that confronts us is, Are we
going TO allow our elected and aDDOnted