The Harrison times., 1915-07-24

/ sentence OF not less than ttve years in
the state penitentiary However, 1t is
not within our authority to interpret
or enforce the criminal statute of the
state, but merely call your attention
to the conditions as they are and
quote you the law bearing on these
violations, leaving the public to de.
mand Of the proper authority such ac.
ton as the law demands.
This committee having learned
early in its labor that it was the Gus.
tom of some of the state officials to
be very careless in keeping a correct
accounting of all the moneys received,
1t took the precaution to go beyond
the records in the Office where the ac.
countants were at work and find from
the sources of revenue whether or not
a record of all such receipts was made
in the respective Offices. This com.
mittee has obtained from the probate
records of each county Of the state,
with the exception OF some seven or
eight who failed to reply to our in
quiry, the amount of the inheritance
tax settlements, as shown by the pro
bate records and given us by the re-
spective county and probate clerks.
$9,ee5 Not Accounted For.
1--WE find from the probate records
that the attorney general has failed to
turn into the treasury $23,63997 that
has been decreed by the said court.
Upon calling the attorney generals at
tention to this fact, and to the fact
that his special counsel in the collec-
tion OF these taxes in Garland county
had failed to turn In $1,214.99 Of this
amount, the attorney general yester-
day sent for this attorney and col
lected the entire amount due from
that county and turned 1t into the
treasury, The attorney general also
informs US that $40, 100 that has been
decreed in Sebastian county and
should have been paid into the treas
ury some months ago. has not yet
been collected, because they are in.
sisting upon him taking state war
rants for the amount. Deducting the
amount paid from Garland coun-
ty and the $10,190 from Sebastian
county, that has not yet been received,
there is still balance Of $12,23198
not accounted for As previously stat.
ed, the attorney general has to his
credit in the Southern Trust Company
S2,236,96, which he thought an over
plus, or more than he really needed
to square himself with the treasury.
DeduCting this from the amount not
accounted for leaves $9,995,02 due the
state of Arkansas, for which he has
no accounting in his office and which
shortage he has been unable to ex.
plain,
Employed Counsel Unnecessarily.
I'VE further note that the attorney
general employed special counsel to
collect the franchise taxes against the
ST. Louis Southwestern Railway Com.
pany for 1911, We find from the de.
cree from the Pulaski Chancery Court
that It was agreed by counsel for the
railroad and state that the railroad
would abide by the result OF this suit
for the 1911 and subsequent taxes.
The case was carried to the Supreme
Court Of the United States and was
decided to be constitutional, and the
20 per cent attorbay fee allowed by
law in said suit amounted to $2,03356,
yet the attorney general Of the state
allowed special counsel to file similar
suit for the taxes of 1912, 1913 and
1914, which were paid by order OF the
Chanoery Court under agreement by
the counsel for the railroad and spe.
cial counsel for the state, and without
any contest whatever, and the same
20 per cent attorney fee was allowed
said special counsel amounting to the
sum Of $729Si6, While II was abso
lutoly unnecessary to file the aubse
quent suit, az the railroad had agreed
TO abide by the results of the former
suit In the collection OF all Bubse
quent taxes, yet II the attorney gen
erol insisted that suits must be fllcd
we say that he should have done this
himself ~ It would have been but a
few hours work at most TO do all that
was done, and he could have saved
the state the lawyers fees, amounting
to S72OSdG, Truly the love Of money
seems 70 be the root OF all oyil'
Dealings In State Warrants,
There seems TO be no law against
state officials dealing In state war.
rants, yet II Is unqucatlonably a rep.
rohcnaIblc practice and detrimental to
the states welfare, because II has 4
tendency TO keep down the price OF
warrants, The attorney general Ad'
mits TO us that he has purchased and
furnished to the Iron Mountain rail.
road $4,000 In state warrants, II
should be- borne In mind that while
the attorney general was helping the
Iron Mountain railroad TO get cheap
state paper 10 pay their tAXea, he IN