Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-12-17
FIND THINGS LOOSE
Expert Accountants Point Out
Where State Officers Dis.
regard the Law.
They Did Not Hesitate to Elk.
press Their Opinions as
to Violations.
A Serio.Comic Muddle in Des
Moines Over the Proposed
Army Post.

| Special to Times Republican.
Des Mones, Dec. IA great deal of
interes. was aroused in the matter of
| the accounts of the state officials by the
appointment of committee consisting
| of the three members who hold over
next year TO employ one expert ac-
! countant to make an examination of
the accounts of the current year. The
| committee has taken no action as yet in
regard to employing an accountant, but
| it goes without saying that the commit
| tee will not employ Mr.. Skinner nGr Mr.
Hedges, the two men vino made the ex-
animation of the accounts covering the
| two previous years. 1t has not been
| customary to have checking done ev-
| cry year. but this year it is desirable.
| The Legislature Will soon be In session
and the report of Skinner and Hedges is
| on file where it will be called for by the
commmittee on retrenchment and re-
form OF the legislature and will be
| closely scrutinized. The fact is and this
! mas never UGeU IldQe DIS pidllt " tiaS
public as it might have been, that the
report of Skinner and Hedges had
great deal more In it both interesting
and sensational than that relating to
the alleged overcharges for binding the
| books of the state. The binding busl-
ness was eagerly caught UP by the To-
cal papers and generally by the cor
respondents, and was made so much OF
| that other things in the report almost
| equally sensational were overlooked. In
| this correspondence alone was there
| given complete summary of the entire
report, IN which was pointed out many
| Of the other things of great Importance
| The member of the legislature Will not
| overlook them. For instance, the ac-
countants found that in the handling OF
| the agricultural college endowment
| fund there was apparently not follow
| ing of the law. The sums are drawn out
| on order of the financial agent indorsed
| alone by the secretary OF the board OF
| trustees. and the law says the trustees
should approve. But more than this the
report called attention to the fact that
4 the executive council must also approve
| these loans This is not being done and
no attention was paid to this matter by
the council when 1t was presented So
with many other minor matters.
| The exact status of the report Of the
| expert accountants is not evident. There
/ was a disposition all round to drop 1t
| like hot coal They are all afraid OF 1t.
| When the experts were called in and
askedto amend the report, the spokes-
man for the council, the governor.
| stated that the council desired elimin-
| ated all that was in the nature of opin-
lions or passing Judgment on the law.
The council wanted only the facts and
| would submit the facts to the attorney
| general for a legal opinion and on the
| experts statement of facts and the at
| torney generals statement of the law
J the council would pass judgment. The
| only portion of the report which has
| ever gone to the attorney general is
/ that relating to the office of secretary
/ of state. In this is the recommends
/ ton, or suggestion, that the accounting
for the oil inspectors should be given
to the secretary of the executive coun-
! ella matter purely for recommends
] tion to the legislature by the governor.
| 1t is believed the governor Will make
| some such recommendation in his mes
sage. There are a great many other
! things in the report of similar import
and 1t is up to the governor, as head OF
| the executive council, to bring the mat
(! ters to the attention of the legislature.
| Apparently the attorney general is far
| from reaching any conclusion on the le-
| gal phases of the report submitted to
| him. But of course he Will dispose of 1t
! long before the legislature calls for the
report and papers. The expert VINO will
be employed this time will be expected
! to get thru with his examination much
| sooner than the others. There was much
criticism of Skinner and Hedges be-
cause they made their job last so
| long.
The situation into which Des Mones
and Des Moines people have got be-
cause of the extraordinary measures
| taken to assure the building of the
army post would be amusing If they
were not so serious. The whole city ap-
pears to be crazy on the subject. Yet
! a few have not lost their heads and
| these few are just now holding the bal
| ance of power On Thursday Mayor
Hartenbower is expected to make pub
lie his veto of the ordinance by which
! the CITY was about to turn over 10 the
water company, as loan, the money
| derived from taxation for the purpose
| of building municipal waterworks. The
| scheme to get this fund out of the way
so it would not longer be menace to
| the water company was clever one
1t was the last resort of the army post
| committee. And the CHAIRMAN of the
army post committee is one who long
| owned the water company and would
| like to own it again and might be able
to do so If that fund was got into the
! hands of the water company. But
Mayor Jerry Hartenbower, democrat
formerly of Sheldon, one time big farm
err in O,Bren county, strong headed and
determined, is writing red hot veto of
the whole scheme and will spring it as
surprise on the public in a day or
| two. Since it became known that he