Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1909-06-22
MR.. BROWN AT BOYDTON.
Candidate for Commissioner of Ag-
riculture Gives His Views


R'record, though it is known to many
Ewell informed persons that he is not
kanG never has been in cordial reia-
Elton with the loading spirits OF any
Esof the great institutions and organ
Fdzed forces working for agricultural
enhancement in the State on the most
BsoIid basis, and it is a matter Of gen
Epral nOtoriety that his record has been
kone of discord with the Board of Ag-
Ericuiture, his immediate sUperiors, re-
Responsibility for which state of affairs
Est would not be difficult to fix These
Eand similar facts have been known
Rao me for a long time and, as stated,
hI had no intention to make aHusion
ksto them during this canvas, but when
Fan official record is in evidence and
k1hat record is of a character such as
Ethe one | hold in my hand, however
LTeiuctant l am TO be the instrument
"a feel it is morally right and nay duty
TO lay that record before the people
lsof the State, who should have this in
iSformation to enable them to judge of
1.-THE fitness of the official making that
record when he comes before them for
laheir SURFACES, asking reelection at
their hands.
l hold in my hand an official docu-
tment. House Document No. VI, COM
Uprising the Report of the Auditing
ttCommittee, Appointed Under the Act
of March 18th, 1906. TO examine the
Books aud Accounts of officers at the
Seat of Government
This Committee sat during the re-
cess of the Legislature making its re-
mort. bearing date August 18th, 1907,
TO the following Legislature which
met January, 1908 This committee
examined into and made report upon
the following offices.-Auditor OF Pub
lic Accounts, Treasurer Second Aud
stor, Secretary of the Commonwealth,
CORPORATION Commission, State Farm,
Virginia Penitentiary, Laurel Reform
School and the Department Of Agri-
culture. With the latter alone we
have to deal. Il should be stated that
Mr.. Koiner was the Treasurer OF the
Board OF Agriculture and the execu-
tive officer Of the Department during
the whole period QS99-1906) covered
by this report.
The report is unanimous and is
signed by the joint committee Of the
House and Senate appointed to audit
tahese matters, and by the expert ac-
ecountants W. NICK. Evans and Geo.
rs. Crenshaw. whose reports the COM
kmittee adopts as its own.
- Under the heading DEPARTMENT
tor AGRICULTURE | read from the
kreport pages 5 and g.:
( eve regret 10 report that we Aid not
efnd the nfIairS of this Department i'm
In satisfactory condition. The book
tkeeping WIS Of such character thnt
ia did not properly show the trans.
trthe records show that the proper at
1tenaiOn had always been paid 20 the
Flaw regulating the conduct of the De-
apartment
And on page 43 of this report I find
,4bis statement from the expert ac-
kcountants:
eve began to audit with October,
E1o03 but found IL necessary to 20
3lacIS to January 1sf, 1893, the begin
fuing of the standardization OF Rr.
10. ". Koiner rs Commissioner of Ag-
iTicUi t"rc'
? A further analysis of the Commit
Hee's report shows:
FIRST. That as Treasurer of the
Beard OF Agriculture. the Commission
er did not obey the law.
As evidence, | cite the report, page
Is:
''Tbe Commissioner took the liberty
of depOsiting the funds derived from
tho. sale of fertilizer tags iu banks
in shls own name AK Commissioner I'M
tiF such time pleased him to cover
diem Into the TREASURY, instead OF de-
pOsiting such funds Immediately with
the state Treasurer, az directed by
law"
SECOND: That the Commissioner
did not enforce the law, but allowed
manufacturers of fertilizer violating
the law to 90 scot free when it was
his duty to report them to the Com
mcnweaiths Attorneys -thirty-siY
cases of violation detected by his In
spectOrs, one case reported to officers
of the law.
Ia evidence l cite the same report,
page g.
statement of FERTILIZERS seized at
tackled TO this report, that there had
been "a tong line of ViOIu lions by Vari-
Gus concerns manufacturing fertilizers.
Out Of a total OF thirty-siN violations,
only one case has been reported 10
1he courts"
This, in spite of the fact that the
whole revenue of the Department OF
Agriculture was derived from a ton
mage tax Of fifteen cents on each ton
of fertilizer sold in the State and the
Commissioner was, by statute, charged
with the administration of the law
and responsible for its rigid enforce
ment.
THIRD: That Mr.. Koiner rendered
jncorrect statements to the Auditor,
in order that he might retain certain
collections for use in the Department.
l.. l nfFg hn Nr.Vf
page 6.
"Under n former ruling of the Aud
ffOr, which we understand has since
been revised by him under the ad-
vice OF tho Attorney General, NIL I'M
expended funds to the credit of the
Department of Agriculture at the end
of fiscal year. lapsed into the gen
eraI treasury, aud were lost to that
department. To avoid the effect OF
The ruling and 10 maintain the efi-
cheney OF the Department by carrying
To completion the plans of the BOARD,
the COmnisSiODer, seemingly without
objection from the Board, formed the
practice of reporting I'm one year
funds which were, in fact, collected
the year preceding, and of reporting
nS dIsburScd certain sums of money
which were stili in his hands uneH-
pended. The most conspicuous case
of this Kind IL found Ia his report for
-I903-4. when he reported SS,173.F2 as
having been collected on October I'd,
1903. when, IN iact' teat sum was coz
lected between August 18th and Sept
9Th, IQ03 aud should have beeu COW
cred into the treasury on account Of
the fscRi year ending September 30th,
1909
while these practices may have re-
suited from excessive zeal for the
betferYacRt of the Department on che
part of the BOARD and the Commits
SiOner, they are, nevertheless, To be
most strongly discouraged
Whatever excuse may be offered,
this is clearly false accounting by q