Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-06-27
PRESENT GOVERNOR As STATE
AUDITOR MADE POLITICAL
CAPITAL OF NOTHING.
cAMPAIGNED FOR GOVERNOR
ON ISSUE THAT WAS BOGUS
Ruling Of State Auditor on Payment OF
Bills Quarterly Rsvivss Campaign
History-ResuIar Army Officer for
State Militia NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Liability Commission.

Des Moines, June Eff B. F. Car
ROLL as state auditor, had audited the
accounts of the state with the care and
strictness Of his successor, ]. L. Bleak
ley, the almost sole argument he used
to catch the votes OF the people in the
primary for his nomination would have
had no force.
This fact was disclosed In ruling
made by State Auditor Bleakley to the
effect that, following the decision OF
Attorney General Mullan, it is not right
to issue warrants for the regular APP
propriations for the state institutions
until the close Of each quarter; in
other words the payment-ln-a advance
system will be abandoned.
It is recalled that when State Audi
tor Carroll started out on his campaign
for nomination he based his fight on
the cornerstone of state expenditures.
advertised that as things were going
then the state was going into debt and
| would soon be making warrants not
paid for lack Of funds. and thus vir-
tually indicted the administration OF
which he was then a part, OF extrava-
| gance and incompetency. In prof OF
| his intimation that the state was soon
| to be without funds for paying current
bills he cited the report on treasury
| balances which at one time ran down
low.
The state treasurer at this time In
| sisted that the state was not on the
verge Of bankruptcy at all and showed
that the sole trouble was that the state
was too free in paying its bills Inc
fact was that the state auditor hao
issued warrants before they were due
and in such enormous quantities that
the treasury could not keep pace.
Il At that time Auditor Carroll had just
audited the bills for the colleges and
had issued warrants for the next quar-
ter. It was customary for the college
treasurers to make requisition for the
full quarter on the very first day on
y each quarter, and State Auditor car
roll promptly issued the warrants. That
was why the treasury balances ran low
and why it was possible to make the
voters Of the state believe that the
financial MANAGEMENT Of the state was
terribly bad.
It seems from the ruling OF State
Auditor Bleakley that the proper thing
is for the state to pay quarterly but At
the end of the quarter This was de-
cided by Mr.. Mullan when he was at
torney general. II that system had
been followed three years ago it would
not have been possible to raise fake
scare about the deplorable condition
OF the state treasury The state was
collecting its bills after they were due
and paying bills long before they were
due. The responsibility rested solely
with the office Of state auditor.
The three state educational institu-
lions get over quarter million dollars
each quarter from the state.
| Hereafter the regular army will have
one man on detail with the Iowa Ma
| tional guard for instruction and to aid
the guard in attaining higher eff1ci-
ency. Capt. Robert McCleves has been
sent here for this work. He Will at
tend the encampments and make spe-
! cial examinations, etc. He VIII assist
the examining boards and may go to
any place In the state on direction from
| the commanding officer. II the bill mad
| passed congress last winter IN the form
in which it was started 1t would have
| meant at least four regular officers for
work In Iowa.
When the -.ployers' liability COM
have placed In their hands a vast
amount Of Information as to what has
been done elsewhere in the matter OF
establishing the system Of workmen's
compensation for inquiries without re-
sort to the courts. Curator Small. OF
the state law libraryln as been at work
gathering information and finds a vast
amount Of literature available. A great
many laws have been passed. courts
have rendered decisions and several
commissions have made exhaustive In
vestigation. The commission will meet
about July 10. Senator Clarkson was
elected chairman at the last meeting
but no secretary was chosen.
After nature had set the example the
custodian Of the state house yesterday
turned loose the hose upon the lawn
about the state house and proceeded to
make a show Of revfving the dead grass
which ornaments the property or the
state. The janitors believe that much
Of the grass can be saved from COM
plete destruction. Not even In the ex-
tremely dry years Of 1so1-o2 was the
stat, house lawn in SUCH desperate coz
dition "a A. nresent