The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-03-16


largely increased revenues arising fion
the rentals of school land in this terri
tory are due to the careful managemen
on the part OF the secretary of the BoarC
of School and Commissioners.
It is conceded by the majority repor1
that the statutes of the territory do moi
| prevent the attorney general of the terri
tory TO attend to business for territory
| has never yet assumed by the enactment
! Of any statute the management of the
| funds PERTAINING to the leasing Of schoo
| lands in this territory; and under act OF
| Congress govern its administration. The
! district court of Logan county, ha. there
| fore, decided that it is no part OF the du-
! ties of the attorney general to attend to
| business for the board of land commits
| sioners; and. in my judgement, it was not
! only entirely legal but entirely proper for
said board to place the business neces-
sary 10 be entrusted to the care of an at
! torney in the hands OF one whose ability
| and integrity they had every confidence.
No reputable lawyer in this territory
would hav etaken the contract made with
the attorney genera. The costs and ex-
Denses paid to him for the collections
made are not excessive, and are not more
than are paid by any individual firm or
corporation doing business in this terri
tory for similar service.
] agree with the majority report that
the salary of $500 per annum allowed by
the board to the secretary is not so ex-
cessive as to indicate either favoriteism
or corruption; and that the large increase
in he dr1+i +I,. II,
office at the time that the increase was
made, are ample justification for the rails
ing Of such salary. The language of the
majority report from which an inference
may De drawn that said salary was in
creased over and above appropriation
therefor" is unjustif1able because no ap-
preparation was ever made therefor, and
as the matter is entirely in the hands at
the commissioners of the school land un-
der the acts of Congress and the rules of
the secretary of the interior, governing
the action of said board. There was no
scintiJla Of evidence before this commit
tee that the governor or any member of
the school land board ever used one dol
lar of the school land fund fro3urposes
of personal gain. The bank account of
the governor, showing the deposits and
checks made against such account, dis
closes the fact that the deposits were reg
uarly made as the money came into his
hands, and that no checks were ever
made upon said account in any manner
or form except to pay the duty authorized
expenses of said board and to turn over
the funds remaining in his hands at stated
periods TO the various school and building
funds to which it belonged.
The majority report criticises the char
acter of the opinion and the advice given
by the attorney general or other terri
torial officers conducting the fiscal affairs
Of the territory in terms not justified by
any evidence submitted to the commit
tee. Crude or indefinite legislation is, of
course, always responsible for questions
Of doubt arising upon proper construc-
ton of law and the intent of the legisIa-
ture, and those questions seem to me to
have been uniformly solved in favor of a
good public service and an efficient adj
ministration of the laws.
I agree with the majority reports with
printing, but it is only fair TO the present
administration to say that all such con-
power. 1t is very unfortunate that the
majority failed to discriminate and place
the fraudulent printing contracts where
they properly belonged.
L agree with the majority report that |
there was extravaganza and fraud in the
of the adjutant generals Of |
hce and the quartermaster generals Of |
flee under the administration of General |
Rosenbaum, but the total expense of said !
offices during Rosenbaum's administra-
ton, under the present governor, does /
not exceed $1,000, and the extravaganza |
and fraud should not be characterized a.
gross, carrying with it the inference that
there We're many thousands of dollars
Wrongfully expended and the governors
statement in his message to his honorable |
body at the opening of the session, when
he had discovered that such extrava-
gances and fraud were being committed
that he dispensed with the services of
said adjutant general should relieve the
governor Of any adverse criticism by hon.
orable men.
The governor explained in his message
to the legislature why he had assigned
the second lieutenant to active service.
and had detailed him as acting adiutant
general of the territory: and all thir-s
considered, such action seemed to be nee
oessary and consistent and lawful. Or
ner's vouchers are approved by what Is
called an Auditing Board or a majority
thereof, and the other expenses of said
office during Orner's incumbency as act
ing adjutant general have been reduced
to the minimum and are entirely free
from criticism.
The statement in the majority report
hat Rosenbaum's bond had been sur
endered or cancelled may be inadvert-
nee. No such evidence appears before
he committee. The majority report.
when criucising the expenditures Of this
department. as systematic robbery. use ex-
RENE language: and when Il SAYS that no
determined effort appears to have been
made 10 stope the same. is in error; be-
ause Governor Barnes in July. 1898. up
n the discovery Of the extravagant prac-
Ices IN said department.. caused not only
ne dismissal OF Mr.. RoSenbaum from Of /
Ice but also compelled the resignation
L The colonel commanding. who had been
or some years the advisor and director
o fact Of the practices and expenditures
Z The military department OF the terri
Dry and from that day In this no extrsv-
glnt expenditure has been made in that
epartm5 ut. and the only criticism that
an he fairly placed upon the governor
: that he assigned the second lieutenant
o active duty and placed upon him the