New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-08-29
HIS AUDITING ILLEGAL.
Effort on Foot to Shoe This of Sec
retary Hitchcock.
[rnoM THE TRIBUNE pUREAU.l


Washington Aug PA determined effort is or
foot to show that the Secretary of the Interior
has violated the law in his method Of handling the
funds accruing from the sale OF town lots IN the
towns of Lawton, Anadarko and Hobart OKLA
and it is claimed that an investigation to estapllsh
this fact has been instituted in the Treasury De-
partment
Reference to a rumor that these funds had not
been handled in accordance with the law, was MADE
in The Tribune this morning, and 1t was there
stated that Secretary Hitchcock had explained
the statement that the auditor for the interior
Department had record of them by saying that
they deposited with United States treasurer
Roberts, and did not therefore, come under the
supervision of the auditor In this conneouon'
it is but fair to state that there has long existed
grave friction between the auditor for the Interior
Department Robert s. Person, and the secretary
Of the Interior. This friction arose from Persoh
efforts to save the official scalp of Indian agent
Yankton, S. D., whom the Secretary oeIleVeo'
and subsequently proved, to be an improper person
for the office The agent was. however, strongly
backed by influential politicians in his State
More recently the friction has been intensified
by the efforts of the auditor to communicate d.
rectly with the subordinates OF the Secretary re-
gafding their accounts, a course which MT. dltcA-
cock forbade and effectually checkmated, claiming
that the accuracy of the accounts Of Indian agents
and other employees contributed largely to the
efficiency or nonefficency of such subordinates'
and that it essential that all correspondence
between them and the auditor should pass through
his department, in order that he might Keep posteu
the subject.
1t is now maintained at the Treasury. that while
the Secretary of the Interior has TO his credlI
with Treasurer Roberts 1929 157 a. there is nothing
TO show whence this fund came, and that. although
it is subject to the personal check of the Secre-
tary, there is official of the Treasury Depart
ment on whom devOlves the responsibility Oh
auditing disbursements from it,
To prove that this manner of conducting pub
lie account is at variance with the law the Treas
ury officials cite the following Section 2S6, Revised
Statutes
An claims and demands whatever by the United
in which the United States are concerned, either
as debtors or creditors shal be setu TG ana ao
Having thus established that the Treasury De-
partment must have cognizance of all fiscal opera
TONS section of the Act Of July 81 1884. points
out who shall nave supervision over the accounts
of the Interior Department 1t says:
The auditor for the Interior Department shall
racafye and examine ali accounts Of salaries and
Incidental expenses of the office OF the secretary
his direction and all accounts relating to army
and navy pensions, geological survey pupnc damIS.
and to all other business within the Jurlsdlcuon
Ia1onoas arisng thereon to the division of book
keeping and warrants, and send forthwith a copy
Attention is further called to the fact that Secre
Hitchcock has ASSIGNED 3S 20 his the e6aTmen the
duty of auditing these accounts, as shown by
0uofation from the Secretary's annual report for
The fiscal wear of 1901 in which occurs the state
mont that the expenses connected with the town
lot sales have been audited by the General Lang
they were properly chargeable." From the same
source is cited a statement from Whlcl II appears
that while expenses were so AUDITED the re-
ceipts amounting TO nearly $00,OD were not audit
ed at all. =, ,-.,.-.4., -
this method are Section 1922 Of the Revised stat
provides that every ottlcer or oSeuI OF
the limited States who receives public money Whlcn
emOIument shall render his accounts monthly,
and Section 5491 which provides penalty Tor 1all-
ure to comply with the former statute
That the Secretary OF the Interior is under the
in1presson that his in depositing the funds
in question with the Treasurer of the United States
is in accordance with the provisions of the law Is
evident from his statement to that effect to a
representative of The Tribune. But Treasury De
partment officials say that he could only do so
under specific provision of the law, which they
claim does not exist and in support of their con-
tenton they quote the section of the law approved
March g. 1901 which provides for the disposal of
the receipts from the sale OF the lots above men
toned The law reads:
The receipts from the sale of these lots in the re-
spectiVe county seats shall after 6eductng expenses
Incident to the surveying subdivding, plating and
of be disposed of under the dlrec-
ton Secretary of the Interior IN the Hollow
ing manner: A courthouse shall be erected there
wit at such seat at cost OF not exceeding
5000 and the residue shall be applied to the con-
structon of bridges, roads and such other puDnc
improvements as the Secretary of the Interior shall
penses actually necessary to the maintenance or
the county government until the time for collecting
county taxes in the calendar year next succeeding
the time of the opening.