Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-07-15
TIE EXPERTS REPORT
State Treasurer's the Only State
Office Unscathed by Skin
ner's Report.
Reformatory Measures Needed
in the Matter Of the
State Bindery.
Talk on Gov. shaw's Reform
Suseestion..State Fair
Butter Exhibit.
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines. July 15.-The sensational |
developments of the report of p. II |
Skinner, expert accountant, with regard
to the accounts in the various offices at |
the state house, such as they are, were
discounted by the bits of information |
which have crept out surreptitiousl;-
While the members of executive council
We're engasd in trying to have the re-
port fixed up so that in each case the
other fellow would get the worst of it. |
Not that any individual member of the
executive council at present had any
lhlns TO conceal or anything to dodge |
put the report reflects quite as seriously
upon the executive council as upon any
body else. and the executive council ls
the body that employed the expert and
provided that the work should be done.
The only office that comes out entirely
unscathed is that of the state treasurer
As has been heretofore reported. the r--
port is highly complimentary TO John
Herriott and the manner in which he at
| tended to the affairs of his office. 1t
IS also Complimentary to Secretary Da-
1 ~
although he has incurred the hatred of
a good many of the state house hab-
ltues by his exactions, has done a great
| deal in the direction of reforming the
accounting system of the state. Amos,
the only real new thing in the report
just disclosed is the fact that the state
oil INSPECTORS nave been engaged in pu.
ting az many of the dollars exacted from
the oil monopoly in the way of fees, int,
their pockets as it is possible for them
TO DO and still keep a straight face be-
fore the public they are supposed to
serve Ihe discrepancies in the .secre-
tary of states office are trivial and
merely show that under the last admin
istratlon there was not that exaction in
regard to all there should be- Aa for
the report In regard to the different con
structions of the law regarding binding
books and pamphlets for the state
| that has already beer aired 1t was
found and 50 reported weeks ago that
while on many items the state binder
had been paid less than appeared to be
allowed by the law, on some things he
had made charges amounting TO over
S4.IOO. which in the opinion of the expert
accountant, was not warranted under
the law.
The executive council. regarding this
TO be legal question rather than one OF
bookkeeping and the reflection being up
on tho s.ata hinaar ras..rra, 80 -.
of the renor. 10 Tie a,,arn., -,
for action ane, an ori,io, w.. ,7sa,,,s.
ant wisely recon rnendad tb., -
should he a co,nnlata ravis,or ., ~
state laws relating 10 state nrintinp an,j
binding. This 10 a reco n, mend, ,tio,, ,h., i
could easily have been made bv any
well informed public man. r, ia notori.
Gus that our system of having the bind
ing and printing done il wast.fnl and
extravagant and has been for thirty
years or more The earliest printers
land binders set the pace for extraya
gance and fee making, and whila the
tendency has been reduced somewhat IL
is still too great. However. the report
of the experts which goes to the next
legislature and to the committee on re-
trenchment and reform of the house,
will prove valuable basis for egisla-
tive action and for such refornatory
measures as may be slggested to the
good sense of the republicans in the
lsislatiure and executive departments.
The reform measure suggested by
Governor Shaw with relation TO asses
ment of railroad. express and telegraph
property. have not met With ready ac-
ceptance by the people, and there is an
apparent inexplicable Indifference tol
this greatest of all questions in states
manship. The railroad commits
sioners have not rushed into print
indorsing the idea that they shall
be given power To make the assess
ment of railroad property. The railroad
managers have not approved this. and
make against the present board. Treas
urer Gilbertson says II is not SO much
question as to what board makes the
assessment as to who are members of
the board. Any board rightly consti-
tuted and Intending to be fair and to-
make the assessment properly can per-
form the the work. and IT will not help
matters any to shift the responsibility
to different board. Secretary Martin.
who was sharply criticised by railroad
attorneys for having ried to get some