Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1914-04-11

to ascertain, there has been no r,
port made, or record kept, that woul
dlsprove that charge, and in ou
opinion the law provides that such
report be furnished, and further, r,
: gardless of the law, there is amora
obligation on the part of anyon
spending another's money, to SO RI
port it, that anyone interested may
at the minimum amount of labor an
expense, ascertain that it has bee
honestly spent, or visa-versa.
AT the annual school meeting thre
years ago, the attention of the boar,
was called to the fact that including
snb-teachers in ''incidentals, etc
Sl9o3.30' was not a report as con
templated by the statutes, nor dit
it contain the information to which
the taxpayers were entitled, and W.
asked for the name of each teacher
and the amount he or she received
AT that meeting, Prof /. B. Warmer
took upon himself the job OF defend
Ing the school board as to the man
ner of making reports, etc, and said
in regard to substitutes, that it was
matter of which he had had charge
and that he was glad the matter had
been brought up; he knew what we
referred to, it was the trouble about
the young lady who went to Mon
tana, etc, and he was glad of an op-
portunity to explain.
Had that pretended spirit of fair
ness been half way carried out, this
communication would never have been
written. Instead, there has never
been an attempt at an explanation.
On the contrary, Prof. Warner claims
chat as he drew the money out of the
treasury for the purpose of paying it
to sub-teachers, that that information
Is all-sufficient for the taxpayers. If
that contention were true, all that
would be necessary, in way of report,
in any department or in all depart.
ments, would be something as follows:
|. B. Warner, for School Supplies
9louS.OS
|. B. Warner, for Kindergarten
supplies - 1904
|. B. Warner, Sub-teachers - 1875
and, if that were sufficient, it would
be still shorter, and convey about
as much accurate information to say
Il. B. Warner, for all expenses of
running the school for 1913, $25, ,0O0"
But our legislature differs with Mr..
Warner in this matter, and seems to
think that the interests of the tax
payers would be better safeguarded
by having them know just WHO, FOR
WHAT, and HOW MUCH each per
son gets of the public money. The
legislature may be wrong, and Mr..
Warner may be right, and it might
be better for the taxpayers to let
Mr.. Warner draw the money from the
treasury and disburse 1t as he sees
fit without giving any account, ex-
cepting that he drew it out, but the
taxpayers do not see it in that light, !
and the legislature is still of their
belief. If there is any doubt as 20
the view of the taxpayers it should
be dispelled by the fact tina: they
have voted down, by majority of
about 2 to every tax submitted to
them for the past three years.
We are fully aware that there is no
egal obligation on Mr.. Warmers
part to tell what he has done with
my of the peoples money that he
las been allowed by the Board to
lraw out of the school treasury, but
It the same time, We are Just as
WI oWoiV Vi IuC ldNL tudL WI. war
ler's drawing our money out Of tn.
reasury does not make it HIS money.
Tor does it relieve him from the
moral obligation of accounting to us
low he spent it, especially as
S willing to be used by the Board as
heir excuse for not making the re- ,
'ort.
There is no question In the mind
4 anyone that In this particular s
natter it Is, by statute, the duty of
he Board to give the taxpayers the /
ame and amount paid to each sub {
titute teacher, and the Board can +,
My relieve themselves from the maL- I
ate of that law by complying with t
!, but at the annual meeting three {
ears ago, Prof. Warner assumed |
he responsibility of the manner of {
eporting sub-teachers, and al The q
rial, the Board, under oath, UNI |
oaded the whole sub-teacher matter
nto him, and he, under oath, &C