The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1909-12-06
ASKS ATTORNEY GENERAL
TO INSTITUTE ACTION
Insists That All County Officers
and Taxpayers are Alike
Interested
Continued frem PAGE ono

IONlluuc1 iitAl EdAc OiA1
NJ. &c. France and j. l.. piekens, spe-
eial deputies appointed to do this
auditing, (both men OF long expert
ence In county Office work. IN it there
appears 1899 Illegal and irregular
claims from November l6, 1906 to
June 80, 1909 Personally believe
that most il not ALL Of the Illegal
and irregular items were more from
ill-advioe or lack Of knowledge Of the
law thsn dishonesty. but the facts re-
main that there We're many illegal
and Irregular claims allowed which
were wholly unwaranted undes the
law
In the first place, we were un-
able to find any record made by the
county commissioners OF a finding ii
the population OF Pottawatomie coun-
~ upon which TO base the sslarios 70
80 paid county officers.
There were eialma flicd and alloR.
ed to the amount Of SSf.igs,sn for
roads ana bridges and SO are unable
81 ind where there was ANY such
wOek done under contract as proNid-
ed bg law excepting one contract
for S7sg.po and ono contract for
$li3a5.
"Yon will note here Nere clalms
filed and gloucd % lhc amount of
Sss, ,242. a THAT werc lcnal and very
Indefinite. of ths amount we nave
he douhf blt that dpou proner court
pruceanre there would be thousau0s
Iof dollars returned to the county
Alleges Excessive Claims Were Paid
you win further naic, That there
were claims flied and allowed That
under the law were excessive g tho
ainoW of s27N6l3 and there we're
claims filed ana SLOWED 70 the amount
Of s4.Si52l that were Illegal, said
amount should be recovered aud le-
turned 70 the county SOu VIII also
lnote, there were claims filed and ai-
loved To the amount of SS,SsS2i that
We're drainage claims, not stating
4 what drainage disttict snch claims
should be charged 70, and there Hese
i drainage district claims TO the anonnt
& of Sl4.6ilGl filed and allowed ami OK
said amounts Warrants drawn qn 'ne
salary and contingent funds q IA
county. hereby expending such funds
iog other purposes Than whai they
We're Appropriated for. Also, there
We're contracts made aud ma,eelal
purchased by the board az county Gem
nisi0ncrs from member 0l tHeif
board, and excessive claims allowed
r Il. Hagar to the amount OF sS3p4d
also ". AZ J Ticer $ai0 and NJ w
Price si2.T5. Also. a the time this
report was being made The county
commissioners as above named paid
into the county treasury $2e.3Q each
as excessive salary received hy them
You will note III the report en- the
sueriffs office that All the feea
earned aud collected in sabias insane
persons lo The insane asylum. c0nNlcis
10 the penltentary and fees earned u
serving criminal processes outside q
. the state, have been collected and moi
charged BY the sheriff against his
salary Also. you will notice that
there were claims filed aud alloaet
g. the sheriff III Which there wers
claims for undersherifl keeping books
Ia lhe sherifffs office FOR eenall
time during each quarter amounting
10 sGe4iS There Is no law By whici
inc county snail pas suea money lhi
report shows the sheriff has drawn a
excess amount 81 sIt2STl
County Judges Civil Fees
You viii note, in the rcpost on &
comfy judges office. that there weri
Si,1s7l2 81 civil fees earned by th'
probate judge prior to November i6tl
1907 and that there was money depos
tied in such cases to nay said Zee
ana that said fees were not ulned II
to the county treasury
You will note, thai there We're eiNl
and criminal fees MARRIAGES lieenses
terrified certificates OF marriage /
ecnses. letter nf crodente issued an
sheriff fees collected hg the count
Judge 70 The amount uf ss6a2G ha
was nai turned into he county ircas
uI4
You will note tnat the tepat