Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1909-05-17
THE Law laughed At
TWENTY-FIVE STATE OFFICERS
CRlMINALLY MISUSE FUNDS.
Public Money Regarded as Private
Snap at Olympia. Attorney Gen.
eral Says Many State Officers Are
Open to Criminal and Civil Prose I.
CutiOn.

OLYMPIA, May 15.-Twenty-two
officers of the state and trustees of
the state institutions are liable to
criminal and civil acion if Attorney
General w. C. Bell enforces the
claims of the statute of the state of
Washington.
These men are responsible for the
deficiency appropriation of the last
legislature, amounting to the unpre-
cedented figure of $113,726.61, of
which sum the statute legalizes only
$39,5O0. The law is plain that it
is misdemeanor to expend a great
er sum than is appropriated by the
legislature and it provides also for
civil procedure to reimburse the
state.
Attorney General Bell says, and
other lawyers fully agree with him,
that the fact of the legislature pass
ing a deficiency bill doesn't condone
the crime or remove the responsible
ty of liability, but that it is merely
an act protecting the credit and hon.
or Of the state.
The only exception to the general
rule the law makes is where the
general appropriations are not suffi-
cient to meet the expenses of the In
sane Asylum, Reform school, Sol
diers' home, school for defective
youth, and the state penitentiary and
the statute then provides how these
deficiencies shall be created.
The above list does not include
the $61,00 appropriated for the mill
itary fund, as that bill could not go
through the legislature as a defici-
ency measure, although the military
authorities admit now that $4,000
of that sum was to cover the defici-
ency in AdjutantGeneral Hamil-
tons account with the Olympic Ma
tional Bank Of this city.
With this $4,000 added, the to-
tai deficiency during the last two
years reached the sum Of $146,726,-
81. Every one had to have the ap-
proval of Governor Albert E. Mead
and here is the law:
Civil and Criminal Liability.
Any officer, trustee, manager, di-
rector superintendent or commission
er, enumerated, who shall violate the
provisions of this act by creating a
deficiency incurring liability, or ex-
pending a greater sum than is ap-
propriated by the legislature for any
public institution or department of
this state, shall be individually liza
BILE for the same, and shall be deem
ed guilty of misdemeanor, and upon
conviction thereof shall be fined in
any sum not exceeding one thousand
dollars.
When Governor Mead is summon
ed before the investigating commit
tee next he will be asked why he ap-
proved these deficiencies.
The protest of the last state leg
islature against such extravaganza is
we'll remembered, and during the de-
bate on the Yakima Fair deficiency
bill, it is recalled that Representa-
tive Palmer of King county, said
on the floor of the House that the
legislature would be doing right If
it issued warrants for the arrest of
the men who would voluntarily vio-
late the law. The Yakima Fair was
given $4,000 in 1907, and came to
the 1909 legislature with $4,000
deficiency bill.
The 100000 deficit in the public
printers office was also made mat
ter of long investigation and debate,
in the course of which it was stated
that tons and tons of printed matter
and stationery were removed from
the cellar of the capitol and des-
troyed because the space was need
ed for other purposes.