Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-04-05
BETTER SYSTEM ASKED
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL ASKS LEG
lSLATuRE FOR AID IN Check
ING ACCOUNTS.
cuMMINs AS GOVERNOR
INAuGURATED REFORMS
Haphazard Methods of Expanding
Public Funds Done Away With I'm
der His Administration - Justice
MccIain's Fee for Annotatins the
Code Easily Explained.
to Times-Republican.

Des Moines, April 5.--Secretary Dav-
idson, of the state executive council, he
who was accused of a great wrong be-
cause he put a stop to petty graft IN
postage stamps, has a bill prepared
and before the committee on retrench-
ment and reform to require that all
vouchers for expense and similar ac-
counts filed with the auditor or execu-
tive council be in duplicate, and that a
COPY go TO each office, and making
some changes in the law regarding the
printing of the annual report OF the eX-
ecutive council This report cost this
year about $1,000, and while it is val
liable book, there is a feeling that its
value could be retained while there
would be a grouping and condensing
of the information it contains. BY hav-
ing duplicates of vouchers filed, Mr.
Davidson figures he could reduce the
cost of the book about one-half, as mis-
office would then have at hand all the
information necessary for a more rea-
sonable editing of the book.
The report of the executive council
has been looked into oftener by legis-
.ators this year than ever before. The
latest report is very complete. The
first one a few years ago was COM
piled almost wholly from the vouchers
in the auditors office as there was not
an office in the state house prepar ii
TO make the report called for. In fact,
there was hardly an office in the state
house where any detailed account was
kept of the expenditures from the va
rious miscellaneous funds. That was
when the state was getting its start in
the direction of a more business-like
administration of state affairs, and
when the executive council was first
given the specific duty of passing
finally on each and every expense ac-
count for the state. Now every official
keeps an accurate record and the state
is and has been in possession he
past five years of detailed informally
as 10 where every dollar is spent, and
these facts are embodied in the printed
reports. The value of this compilation
and publication appears to have just
dawned on the minds of many of the
legislators.
In this work of putting the state in
Iowa on business basis as to its
petty business affairs the executive
unit. Under the mastery Leadership
of Governor Cummins that body has
gone on quietly and earnestly closing
up the loopholes tightening the loose
places and compelling the adoption OF
a.
Nobody will ever know just how
much of this work has been done Il
has been done quietly and without ad-
verrisenent. The old way of each Of
fee spending what it pleases of its
contigent funds and then accounting
for it all in a lump was broken III
gradually. The old scheme of charg-
ing the state mileage at the full rate
and getting reduced rates or free
passes was ended long ago. Occasion.
ally bill was cut and an officer wa:
told he must get along with less thar
s1.5o meal, and in the case of some
OF the boards half days We're reckoned
And in all these years, it is stated
every act was taken by unaniuou:
action of the council 50 long as Gov.
ernor Cunmins was member there
OF.
An Illustration of the necessity fol
vigilance in the various offices OF tn,
state came to light the other Gay whel
a warrant was presented at the offic
of the treasurer for $4,000 to go to on
of the colleges, the warrant calling 70
payment out of fund accumulate
from the old millage tax. The warran
was not paid There is money in TIL
znillage tax fund, but not from the ac
cumulations of the tax levied nearl.
ten years ago. The error was discov
cred before the warrant was paid.
In explanation of the little sti
which has been made over the fac
that Judge Emlin McClain, of the su
preme court, drew $500 from tn
state treasury in excess of his salar
Of $4,000 a year as judge, it is state
that the Code commission authorize
this payment, not as compensation TO
annotating the code supplement, bu
for the purchase from the judge of tn
annotations. The code commission wa
not authorized to employ a judge o
the supreme court but was authorize
to purchase such annexation whe
made and this was done. The law for
bids a supreme judge from receivin
any compensation other than his sal
AIRY, and the court would not tolerat
any evasion of the law.