The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-10-05
TO AUDIT THE BOOKS
OF THE LAND BOARD


Salt Lake, Oct 1.-The Evening
Telegram today prints the following:
For thirteen years there has never
been an audit OF the books OF the
state board Of land commissioners.
And this board handles upwards Of
million dollars Of the public money
annually.
As an instance of the careless and
haphaZard fahIon OF the Republican
administration In dealing with the
business public this stands almost
without parallel.
For the first time since statehood
an audit is being made, at the in
stance OF William Fl. Famsworth, who
began his work as secretary OF the
board the first week Of the year Mr-
FanSworth Will not admit that In his
few months of Office he discovered
anything which led him 10 believe
that an audit was necessary. but he
insisted on having II just the same.
John a, Edwards, former state audi
tor, and an accountant OF some note,
is. engaged on the work Mr Edwards
declined to say anything about the
work as far as he has gone. nor would
he deny that there were any irTegu.
larties in the accounts Rumor per.
siSts that there are such irregularl.
ties, and that the gross amount is
not small
Governor William Spry said this
morning that the audit was being
made al the instance of the secretary,
Mr. FarnswOrih.
THE books have never been checked
up since statehood" said the COVER.
nor, "and Mr.. Farnsworth would natuf
rally like TO know exactly where he
is at Large amounts have been paid
In as deposits with applications for
state lands, and he wants TO place
these exactly. | do not know whether
anv Irregularities will be shown In
the examination of the books. or
whether there Is more money than
the records will show. If anything Is
found, the public will know of it."
Like Close Corporation.
Isn't # rather loose way OF do
Ing business not to have an audit of
such an important board in so many
years, governor
Yes. 1T is. The fact remains there
has been no audit and we are having
It now"
The state land board has always
been close corporation, and few
even OF the administrations them
selves have known exactly what was
being done. The secretaries Of the
boards have handled the funds as
lhcy saw fit, and each succeeding sec
rotary receipted to his predecessor
for the funds turned over to him IT
Is on record that one secretary tried
to induce the bank with which busi.
ness was being done to pay interest
to him personally on amounts he was
depositng for the state but he could
not make that stick, and It ended
with the attempt
Who Secretaries Were.
There have been five secretaries OF
the board since statehood These are
Byron Groo. the first. and following
consecutiycly Wesley X Walton. John
De Gray Dixon, T. c. Calllster and the
incumbent. William II. FaTnsworth
The secretary is practically the man
accr of the board. as he tranSactS
most of the business and receives all
the funds He is under heavy bonds
and is personally responsible for all
moneys paid in. There has never
at any time been any hint OF dishon-
esty against any OF the secretaries,
Tough there have 5cen lnles when
clerks and even members of the board
have been under suspicion.
Whose Foot is Plnched7
1t has always been generally known
that the affairs OF the land board were
badly administered, but that the state
has been so unbusinesslike as to go
for years without an audit of the
books Will astound everyone.
The question naturally suggests it.
self. what hue and cry the federal
bunch would raise if the American
city administration let one of its
money spending bodies run on for
even one year without auditing Its ac-
counts?
Yet the state land board handles
more money than any other institution
In state. county and city governments,
and In thirteen years has never had
an audit Of its accounts
The results OF the audit will be
awaited with more than usual interest,
and Governor Spry has promised that
the public shall be informed OF what
Mr.. Edwards shall discover.