The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-03-10

| ton Of the territory Is more deeply inter
ested in the territorial library than the
I supreme court. which constitutes the
| board Of directors OF the library. and yet
| there seems TO have been no interest taken
| by the court in the control and m2nn-e-
ment OF this institution. which ought to
be the pride Of the territory. They have
never audited the accounts of the library:
| have never required OF him a final settle
ment, although the evidence shows that
| he has offered TO the said board OF direc-
| tors 10 settle. but under such terms and
conditions as 10 his accounts as. 10 make
IL incumbent upon the directors to prac-
| tieaAy make up the accounts for him
During his management OF the library
some hundreds Of dollars worth Of books
We're stolen thereform, for which he is
| ready 10 settle, and claims that after such
settlement there VIII still be due 10 him
from the territory a considerable sum of
money. The chief justice of the supreme
court takes some issue with the late IL
brarian and thinks there will be found
due some balances to III eterritory. In
the opinion OF the committee the whole
management OF the territorial library, both
on the part of the board Of directors and
OF the librarian himself, has been unSat-
lsfactory, and some OF il absolutely in
violation Of law.
Under the twelfth specification. II does
not appear that compensation was receiv-
ed by any member of the banking board
except fees paid 10 the territorial secre-
tary. wholly unauthorized by law, and TO
the bank examiner
The committee did not have time TO take
evidence relative 10 the school book con-
tract
Under the fourteenth specification. the
committee finds by the reports OF expert
accountants, that in the distribution OF
rentals from section Is, $4,000 has been
paid upon the contract for the construc-
ton OF the Alva Normal school and that
the government had on deposit in the
Capital National bank large sums OF
school land lease money, but whether used
as source Of personal gain or not the
committee was unable 10 learn because OF
the refusal of the president of the bank
TO testify, claiming exemption from any
inquisition upon this subject. The gov
ernor himself refused to obey the process
of the committee, to whom 1t was appar-
ent that il is the opinion of the executive
department hiatt it is above the law and
not amenable 10 legislature.
Touching again upon the attorney gen
eral, under the fifteenth specification:
His every opinion as far as the commit
tee has been able to find, has favored the
unlimited and unrestrained expenditure Of
public funds. citing, for illustration, his
opinion supporting the squanderlng OF
public money, in connection with staff
officers in the military department; also
supporting the entering into of contracts
for the care and education of the deaf
dumb and blind; for the construction of
the Alva Normal school. and by the prac-
tice of his own office in drawing money
from the territorial treasury for clerk
hire upon cOuchers made by himself
The committee took no evidence as to
the sixteenth specification. and under the
seventeenth specification, relating to
printing contracts. the committee finds
that these contracts have been a source
of the greatest possible fraud. and abso-
lutely impossible for the committee TO
determine to what extent fraud was car
ried on. but it cites the prices charged
for printing the house and council jour
mails Of two years ago, to illustrate.
The committee finds that there have
been warrants issud in payment for ac-
tive military services for the years 1897
and 1898, to a total sum of $1.794.19, almost
all of which is wholly unauthorized by
law, as salary for a detailed lieutenant
acting as adjutant general. The report.
in connection with the operations OF the
military department. scores Rosenbaum
numerically, asserting that indisputable
evidence Of forgery was found. and vOuch-
ers were examined that had been altered
and raised. evidently after approval by
the governor, and some not signed by the
governor at all. The committee finds that
warrants for $4S5 in. excess of the appro-
priation for clerk hire have been drawn
by the auditor and that the territorial
superintendent drew $500 as salary for
which no appropriation was made; also
that warrants for S11. 40. 81 were issued 20
the Oklahoma Sanitarium company in ex-
cess of the appropriation. for the care
of the insane. but by reason of a defective
provision OF chapter IS. session laws OF
1897, these warrants were not only author
lied but required TO be issued quarterly.
The committee has taken evidence up
on some other propositions Of a general
character. as. for instance, showing that
some of the quarantine inspectors have
received brides in consideration Of their
passing of cattle across the quarantine
line. and also some evidence was taken |
relative TO the report current that the |
givernor of the territory had received |
some consideration for commissions Is !
sued to certain individuals as officials OF /
the volunteers raised in this territory dur |
ing the late war. The evidence upon this |
latter matter was direct and positive that |
no sum If sums of money had been paid |
to the governor in consideration OF any |
such commissions, but that sum not al /
all excessive for the purpose had been /
paid to him for his expenses 10 Washing /
ton to secure the appointment Of the'bat-
talon of volunteers to this territory IN
der the call FOR troops.