Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-07-04
Where the Responsibility Rests.
tDenyer Post).

tDenver Post.
That w. Fl. Griffith was the instru-
ment through whom the purchase OF
the Robber Seventh warrants was ef.
iected there Is no reason to doubt but
mat Is mere incident in the
transaction, no matter how Industrious
the effort to give it overshadowing
consequence. is equally manifest to
discerning people. What the public
Is interested in is Chipley. Chipley
Is the state treasurer: he is the custo-
dian of the public funds. and he Is not
only under bond. but he. and he alone,
is personally responsible for their safe
ty 1t may be Illuminating to learn
that he has done certain thing be-
cause certain influences were brought
to bear upon him but the supreme
consideration after all is that he did
it.
In this particular case Chipley held
the money; he likewise paid 1t out
to the amount of nearly $90.0 for the
redemption of warrants covering Ger.
tain Indebtedness contracted by the
Seventh general assembly. Warrants
| issued as result of that same ses-
sion have been pronounced legal by
he supreme court: other warrants
have been decreed Illegal Six pred
ecessors of Chipley in the Office of
state treasurer declined to pay these
warrants. Some of them-if they are
20 be believed, and there seems no
GOOD reason to doubt them-have been
offered big sums of money to cash
Them. but declined Chipleys imme-
late predecessor had the backing of
joint resolution of the legislature to
warrant him in doing this very thing.
but on the advice OF his bondsmen,
who realized that no money could be
appropriated by resolution. respect
,ully declined to fall into the trap.
The validity of some of these very war
rants Is now being tested In the dis
trict court. Yet in the face of II all.
the state treasurer paid out this great
sum of money of which he was the
trustee.
He did 1t, too. not In the way that
public business should have been
transacted. but serreptitiously, like
nan who feared the consequences
Not even the governor Of the state was
,ey general was probably aware OF the
work going on, but outside of his once
no one even suspected It, II was done
with dark-lantern secresy--dOne an
my deed of darkness would have been
lone. and 1t only became public prop
| erty through accident State Treas
| urer Chipley may be an honest man,
he may have scrupulous regard for
| appearances and be extremely Jealous
Of his own reputation for integrity. but
II he is. he has done himself the very
gravest Injustice that it is possible for
a man to do and his most malignant
enemy could do no worse.
No one viii be satisfied to let the
matter rest The governor owes 1t to
himself. his party and the people to
set on foot impeachment proceedings.
II everything was open and above
board which nobody under the extra
ordinary conditions can bring himself
to believe, then DIR. Chipley should be
given an opportunity to explain why
things are so very different from what
they seem He should be given ev-
which now seems indefcnsible Any
thing short OF this would be a crime
against the people OF the state and
an open invitation to other custodi-
ans OF public funds to follow similar
reprehensible methods, leading to re
suits that might be even more disas-
trous results
u