The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1907-07-25
our AT LAST.

Funk has been insisting that the
county clerk had not made out the
financial statement &C riding TO- law,
and promising SOM startling dis.
closures. LAST week be published a
portion the section Of the statutes
requiring the county court to
make out detailed statement OF the
receipts and expsns.s of the county,
and quotes as one item OF receipts
that OF "finss and penalties" Nov
this IL no new law, Il has been in eff.
feet practically in this form for about
twenty years, and has been constru-
ed by every county clerk in the tate,
OF all political affiliations, and by
every state auditor, whose duty Il is
TO prescribe the form for these state
ments, none Of whom have ever TAX
en- thesame view and placed the same
construction upon II as Mr.. Funk,
and therefore they are all wrong.
Auditor Wilder, a Republican state
officer and therefore free from Funk's
charge OF covering things up to shield
q Democratic office-holder, wrote Mr..
Weeks complimenting him upon his
statement. Mr.. Weeks submitted
his statement to the grand jury be-
fore IL was published, and that criti. |
calbody reported that II was In legal
form. But, OF course, they are all |
wrong and ignorant, along with the
editor OF The TIMES, as Funk says
the section of law Is so plain shat ,
an editor born In Kentucky ought to
understand It,"
We want to make few sugges-
lions, which might convince Bro.
Funk, after thoughtful consideration,
that an editor born In Iowa might
possibly be mistaken In his construc.
tion OF Missouri statutes, even II they
do appear so very plain at the first
blush. Funk admits that he knows
mat fines In criminal cases 20 into
the common school fund. He didn't
admit. but probabl y Knows that the
county funds and school funds are
separate and distinct and that re. 9
celpts on one are not entered up as |
receipts OF the other. That II a call q
was made for the receipts and dis.
oursements on the school fund that
1t would not be proper to include In e
thatstatement receipts OF the county ?
revenue fund and vice versa, II the :
law required that school receipts be G
entered In the financial statement as Q
county receipts, the same law ought p
to provide how It is to get back into s
the school fund, and the section of 8
statute which Mr.. Funk quotes Sig q
nally falls to make that provision. g
Did Mr.. Funk ever know OF his own q
knowledge, or by hearsay Of penalties n
being collected together with fines In G.
'riminal cases? and hasn't he heard s.
81 penalties being added In cases of o
delinquent and back taxes? and II
ioesn't the collection OF delinquent
md back taxes 60 into the county
und? and might 1t not be reasonable U
% so construe that section, since it :"
Vas 30 construed by all previous ~
ounty clerks and the present county y
Jerks OF all the counties in the state .
nd ell the state auditor, including 10
he present one. "
Now, Bro. Funk, be fair, If for once !o
o yourlife, and admit that you know W
he Newberry fine and other fines Il
'ers paid and credited to the school Oh
md. We know you can do this, be- sc
ause We know that you examined 20
ne fines record more than once and OIL
our continued efforts to make Il sp. ca
oar that they were not paid is not os
nly unfair, but positively dishonest. u,
ont you come out In the open and :"