The Democrat-sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1906-1935, 1909-10-21
Well Enough to Investigate.

which they seem 10 be past mas
ters, certain Republican papers
reasoned it out to their cobfidiDg
readers that it was the Republi-
can attorney general who discov
cred that Kirtley drew 5000 too
much salary as member of the
state board of public works Thof e
who read newspapers which do
not garble facts viii know that
this discovery was made by Ohio's
Democratic governor and Demo-
cratic state treasurer.
The state constitution providt 8
that a state official is not entitled
to increase in salary during his ir-
cumbent term Of office. Ii WIS
while they were examining the re-
cords, after State Treasurer
Creamer reported to the governor
that the $50, 600 bond of Mr., Wat
kins president of the board was
not IN the files of the treasury,
that Governor Harmon and Mr..
Creamer discovered the overdraft
of salary by Kirtley to the amount
of 5000.
Governor Harmon is something
of lawyer himself. He did not
require an "opinion" from the at
torney general to convince him
that Kirtley had drawn 5000 too
much, for Kirtley was serving his
second term when the Legislature
boosted the salaries of the board:
and this was the real basis of the
governors order to Treasurer
Cteampr to hold up the salaries
until the whole matter could be
Strengthened out,
Here was one member of the
board of public works 5000 ah cad
of the state on salary; another
member without his bond on file
at the state treasury; and the
search also revealed that the third
member of the board had served
whole year During an extension
of term without any bond at all
for the extra year--somet thing at
fault with all three members of
the board. Wasn't that sufficient
reason for holding up further pay
until such discrepancies could be
corrected?
After consulting the Republican
attorney general as their legal adj
wiser Kirtley paid back the 5000;
Watkins, who found his bond in
the secretary of state's office in
stead of where it"should have been,
had the misplaced bond validated
by another opinion of the attorney
general and then filed it at the
proper place; Baldwin's service of
one year without bond was passed
over as technical omission, his
bond for the current term being
properly filed, then the regular
pay was allowed to proceed in ac
cordance with the voluminous ci
tations from the statutes of divers
commonwealth collated by the at
torney general. Got off easy
enough at that, you say, Well it
was the easiest way to settle with
out calling in the elevator attend
ants.
The only discovery made by the
attorney general was that Baldwin
is entitled to 5000 more and Wat
kins 5000 more than they have
drawn-but that is matter fo-
the Republican board of public
works and the Republican legisla-
ture to settle next winter, provid-
ing they feel like tackling the
proposition. They have at least
the "opinion" of the Republican
attorney general to start with.
All these incidents, however,
showed up extreme carelessness in
one of the important departments
of the state. The investigation
by Governor Harmon and State
Treasurer Creamer resulted in
taking out some of the kinks; the
rest, especially those relating to
salaries and expense allowances,
because of the Republican attor-
ney generals "opinion, remain
for the Republican legislature to
straighten out If it feels so dis
posed. Watch it next winter ana
see whether it does so or not.