The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-20
House Committee on Public
Accounts Prepares to In
vestigate Affairs Of Audi
tor, Public Examiner and
State Fair Management
Capitol Investigation Near
ly Completed.

interesting disclosures are promised
by persons closely in touch with the
work Of the house committee on pub
lie accounts and expenditures, which
is preparing to investigate the admin
istrative offices of the state, as soon
as the capitol investigation is COM
pleted
The house has unanimously author
lied the committee to employ an ex-
pert accountant to prosecute the de-
sired investigation and the indications
are for thorough rafting of dry
bones. The auditors Office, the public
examiner and the board Of state fair
managers are slated for first consid-
Grafton, and it is more than limited that
the members of the committee expect.
ed to disclose the presence of several
gentlemen of color, in state fences.
Committee Do It's Own Work.
The public examiner will not only
be barred from Investigating on be-
half of the committee, but his own Of
hce and administration will be put
under the searchlight. Mr.. johnson
has been particularly anxious to he
permitted to conduct the investigation
of the auditors Office The relations
between Mr.. Johnson and Mr.. Dunn
have not been entirely cordial since
some of Mr.. Johnsons expense ac-
counts We're turned down by the last
auditor
When Mr.. Dunn heard of Johnson's
anxiety to go through the records of
the office Dunn had just vacated he
suggested to members of the commit
tee that Johnson would be Just the
man to do the work, because when the
investigation was finished the public
would have absolutely no grounds on
which to base a belief that the Dunn
administration had received anything
like whitewash. If anything irreg-
ular existed Johnson would employ
men competent to find it.
johnson Too Willing.
Johnson's anxiety to be doing some
thing for the committee rather at
tracted attention to him. Now some
OF the committeeman think he should
not be overlooked in the general over
hauling. In the administration of du-
ties so complex as Mr.. Johnson's, they
say, fees might be irregularly collect
ed or expense accounts not properly
chargeable to the state might get mix
ed up with accounts perfectly legiti-
mate. If anything of that kind has
occurred in the rush of business the
committeeman think it should be rec
tilted and fresh start taken.
The mana cement of the state fair
will come in for it's full share Of at
tention. Some of the country members
are extremely inquisitive about the
methods of the managers of the worlds
greatest agricultural fair. One of
them thinks that the profits of the fair
are SO large that the regular requests
for large appropriations could be dis
continued.
Country Members Tnquisitive.
He has a following quite as obdurate
as himself and nothing short of de-
tailed resume of the fair business for
a period Of years will convince him
that he does not fully appreciate mod
ern business methods.
The expert accountant is expected to
finish the capitol investigation next
week and his report will be ready for
transmission to the house in ten days
or two weeks at the most Members
of the committee say no disclosures
of irregularities have been made and
While Woodchucks may turn up at any
moment their appearance is not gem
orally anticipated in view of the re-
suits of the work now done.