The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1904-06-23

the man whose ambition is such that
he. is willing to sacrifice his friends
if they happen to stand in his Way?-
Long Prairie Leader.
AN AUTHORIZED INVESTIGATION.
What the Attorney General Told Bank
| Examiner johnson.
The statement of Gov. S. R. Van
SAINT that Public Examiner s. T..
johnson was instructed by the legisla-
ture of 1893 to investigate the timber
trespass settlements of Former, State
Auditor R. G. Dunn is amusing in the
light of correspondence between the
public examiner and w. B. Douglas.
then attorney general, which has never
been published.
About May Is, 1908, less than a
month after the adjournment of the
legislature, Mr.. Johnson wrote to w.
B. Douglas for an opinion whether
under the law creating the department
OF public examiner it was not his
duty to Investigate the State audi
tors office. The idea of it's being his
duty" never occurred to him during
the year and half that he held the
Office. The instructions of the legisla-
tive committee, which Gov. Van SAINT
mentions, must have been fresh in the
mind OF the public examiner, but there
was grave doubt whether the recon-
mendation of the committee could be
so twisted as to cover the investiga-
tlon Mr.. johnson wanted to make. So
it would be better to get a formal
opinion from the attorney general.
forcing the public examiner to make
the investigation as a matter of
"duty."
So Mr.. Johnson wrote to Mr.. Doug
las, asking if he had the authority,
and particularly if it was his ''duty''
to ransack the State auditors books.
The idea of "duty" did not appeal to
Mr.. Douglas as it did to Mr.. John
son, and Mr.. Johnson was quite dis
satisfied with the opinion he got from
the attorney general. Mr.. Douglas
said that the public examiner had
authority to look over the auditors
books for the purpose Of ordering a
uniform system of bookkeeping and
to "expose false systems of accounts, ;"
but that the authority and "duty'' of
the public examiner were limited to
these purposes. The public examiner
was not particularly interested in
bookkeeping" at that time: he
wanted to delve into the stumpage set
Elements of the State auditor and he
wanted Mr.. Douglas to tell him to do
| it,
So he wrote Mr.. Douglas for a
second opinion, laying especial en-
phasis on chow it was his duty to
make the Investigation MIR. Doug-
las wrote another opinion, practically
the same as the first, stating that the
examiner had the authority to go over
the auditors books, but that the only
objects for which the work could be
done were to order uniform system
of bookkeeping" and to expose ''false
systems of accounting
The gist of Mr.. Douglas opinion
was that Mr.. Johnson had absolutely
no power to make the investigation
which subsequent events have proved
that he intended to make. So it was
decided not to publish the attorney
generals opinion.
Mr.. johnson was in q bad strait.
The legislative committee had reported
that Mr.. Dunn's settlements were for
the best interests of the State. and
referred to the public examiner merely
certain uncollected accounts which had
been sent to the State treasurer for
collection. On top of this Mr.. Doug
las told Mr.. Johnson that if he made
an investigation it would have to be
merely for the purpose of ordering
uniform system of bookkeeping.
Meanwhile the gubernatorial cam
paign was approaching and the popu-
lartity of Mr.. Dunn was increasing
day by day. The only thing to do
was to begin the investigation on the
supposition that it was to ''order a.
uniform system of bookkeeping" So
after an expert examiner had rum
mayed about the Office a while Mr..
johnson sent out an ultimatum giving
State Treasurer Julius Block and
State Auditor S. G.. Iverson until
Dec. l, 1908, to put in operation the
uniform system of bookkeeping, ;"
which Mr.. Johnson interpreted as
daily reports from one Office to the
other.''
Seven months have passed since the
limit OF the ultimatum. The public ex-
aminer has forgotten about the ssuni-
form system of bookkeeping" and is
concentrating his entire foroo ~ a.