The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-08-20

FARMERS NAllOn8l Bank, I0QCkA.. Z,VUVUV
Merchants National Bank, Law
Central National Bank, Topeka. 10.7ss.M
Total ~, 7z6.S1
Only the account Of the Central Ma
tional bank, Topeka. is an active check
ing account, it seems. Yet none Of these
inactive accounts have been paying in
terest to the state on either daily or
Semiannual balances. In all OF the
banks, except the Central National. 1t
is claimed that Valentine is either d.
rectly or Indirectly interested.
Valentine is q stockhOlder and d.
rector in the Clay Center bank. Rec
ords show that Valentine owns five
shares Of stock In both the Keates and
Ogden banks. So far as is known he
has no personal interest in the Milford
bank.
However, L. McChesney is cashier Of
the Keates bank, E. McChesney is cash.
Ter at Milford and r. McChesney Is
cashier of the Ogden bank. It il as
serted that Valentine is either directly
or indirectly interested in tine affairs of
the Farmers National Of Topeka, al
though the records Of the bank are not
on file in any state department. At the
bank today it was stated that Valentine
is shareholder in the institution.
At Lawrence Valentine has placed
deposit OF $1,000 with the Merchants
National. William Docking, formerly
connected with the Peoples National at
Clay Center, is now an officer OF the
Lawrence bank. Docking is a widely
known banker. It is asserted that after
Docking severed his connections with
the Clay Center bank that Valentine re-
dUced the deposits in his home town ins
stitution and has since kept an inactive
balance in the Lawrence bank.
Money Due Shef1ffS.
In addition to the matt-r Of the
deficiency in balances through the pre-
sumable issuance Of the Wilson check
and the question Of deposit of funds.
Accountant Kincaid calls the executive
councils attention to the fact that there
$500 and $1,000 which has been due
Kansas sheriffs for more than five
years.
Touching some Of these matters the
report says:
Exhibit C is a reconciliation Of
ledger balances with cash on hand
and in bank as Of July 1, 1914. This
funds on hand of $17O.32, which
amount was paid by d. A. Valentine
under date of August II. 1914. AS
stated in our report of January 26.
there seems never to have been a
reconciliation Of funds with ledger
balances and, through the lapse of
time, some Of the transactions are not
1899 and made q detailed examination
of the affairs of the office since d. A.
Valentine became clerk. We find at
the time of the transfer of the Office
to Mr.. Valentine, his predecessor was
considerably in arrears with his ac-
counts, which amounts. however, were
all made up in a few succeeding years
following the transfer. We also find
a number OF omissions and errors in
entries of the records, which we show
in Exhibit D..
Criticizes Banking Methods.
1--WE also find that on March %.
1905, one ..eck, No. S34, for $175, on
the Central National bank of Topeka,
was drawn from the funds of the clerk
Of the supreme court in favor Of Joe
w. Wilson. There is no entry made
supreme court to cover this SIS, and
the stub Of the check is marked per-
sonal. However, the later balances
would indicate that this $175 had not
been returned to the account. 1t GER
tainly is against good public policy to
draw personal checks. against public
funds and such practices, wherever
existing, should be discontinued.
1--WE also note that fees paid by the
West Publishing company, st. Paul
Mimi. for opinions, amounting ia
$1,74S.S3. were retained by the clerk
of the supreme court in his ONCE from
July 1, 1901, to October. 1905, inc1u-
sive, and that this amount was remit
ted to the state treasurer in a lump
sum October 81. 1905.
I'm our following this examination
through, we had observed that there
were deposits made with the Peoples
National bank of Clay Center totaline
$4,000 This led US to request the
bank books and Cancelled checks. etc
covering this amount from the time OF
| the first deposit, which was in 1901
This the clerk Of the supreme court
stated he was unable to do. We Their
made request Of the Peoples Nationa,
bank CT Clay Center for q complete
| transcript OF the account from tha
| first deposit up to the present time
| While this request was made q month
| ago, the information has not beer
| furnished us. In making this request
we have proceeded on the impression
that in any examination we had au-
thority to inquire in all phases Of any
subject relating thereto.
In~'Dead Accounts 5000.
! 81 observed also in this examination
THAT there are q great many account.
still carried on the books, especially IL
sheriffs fees accounts, that are prac
tically dead accounts. The task woul'
be too tedious to run this down item
Tive estimate would be that there ar'
Iron s3.50o to 5000 Of these 40