The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1915-05-07

every endeavor made respecting such
proposed investigation" and later.
clearly evinced a Discrimination to in
any manne aid or assist in the probe
Of state affairs" the senate commit
tee also makes the following remark
able statement:
although the purpose of the joint
committee has been heralded in the
press Of this state and is a matter of
daily discussion at the state capitol,
and in the city of Helena. no officer
or employe of the state has come for
ward to offer aid or assistance to the
committee to justify the necessity of
any particular office or the necessity
expense incident thereto. save and ex-
cept J. NJ. Kennedy. the secretary of
the bureau of publicity"
Officers Were Ready.
Touching the conduct of the mem
bers Of your committee, in addition to
pleading ignorance of how to evince
a disinclination. we call you attention
~ ~ AoSI lAoS VIC ottO4lOCO AL d WY
every meeting which the committee
held, and at all times declared our
readiness to proceed. If such action
on our part evinced a Discrimination to
engage in the work Of the committee.
what shall be said of the conduct Of
the members of the senate committee
who did not attend at all? With ref
erence to the statement that no Of
ficer Or employe, save one, attended
with barred breast to submit to the
dread ordeal, we need only call atten-
ton to the message of the governor,
read in the senate on January 10, and
personally, as we are advised, told
Senator Dwight that all Of the officers
stood ready to give all Of the infor-
nation within their possession. These
officers were all here within this
building, and within asy reach. In
the face Of these facts we submit that
the members Of Jour committee were
fully justified in refusing to aid in
spending the states money in hiring
the former attorney general to inves-
tigate his successor, Or to pay a form
er clerk to the board of examiners
to tell how he did things. Either of
as a witness, and the members of your
anticipated with a great
deal of pleasure, revelations which
were denied, when the senate men,
bers learned that the cross-examiner
and the public reporter would lend
willing hands.
A Joke in Figures.
mitted disclose the "extravagance of
the present administration" is equal
~ without foundation. The figures
are those found in the printed reports
and are taken at random and set forth
without reference to the purposes for
which they were complied. AS they
stand in the report they mean Moth
ing, even assuming them to be true.
report states that the clerk CON-
piling them has been paid for his
out Of the private funds Of
members Of the senate committee.
page, with a keen pair of shears,
have done as a pastime a more
job. Tedious and need
less would be the task of refuting in
detail the MEASUREMENTS. Denial In
detail should not be reanired Hh1ae@.ts
maintenance Of the state government
by over 100000 {.
What Are Expenditures?
The totals as were given by
the senate committee. besides in
GLIDING several hundred thousand dol
lars of transfers and investments
which represent no receipt or payment
of cash, include the receipts and dis
which the state handles as agent or
trustee under laws over which the
state administration has no control.
Such for instance, as the land grant
funds, which are held inviolate for the
institutions for which the land grants
were made. So too, the stock bounty
fund, stock inspection and detection
fund, stock indemnity fund and sheep
inspection and indemnity fund are
trust funds collected from the live
stock interests of the state. and ex'
pended for the protection Of the live
stock industry by boards composed
largely of the persons paying the tax
The state estray fund is collected by
the state as agent and trustee for the
owners of the stock sold as estrays
The actual expenses of the state art
shown only by the issuance Of war
rants by the state auditor. These war
rants are only issued upon specific
appropriations by the state legislature
and as to the a%dvisability Of such ap
propriations the legislature must shar'
equally with the executive in respon
sibility as to the question of extrava
gance Or otherwise.
Giving the Correct Figures.
The following figures are carried II
the Dwight report and labeled ~
comparison Of receipts and disburse
ments for the years 1911 to 1914, In
elusive"
Received. Paid out
1911...... $3.404. 609.56 04s.6 S2.9
1912........ 4,~046.691.22 3.568,131.2
1913........ 4~,562.92o.44 4.924.s12.4
1914........ $3.50, 909.70 5,207,011.9
Not only do these totals include nu
merous tr. nsfers, but they also in
clude all of the trust funds admins
tered by the tate. The receipts an
disbursements from the permanen
land grant funds during these year
(these funds not being available fo
general state expenses. but being use
exclusively for school and similar pun
poses) were as follows:
Received. Paid GU
49,. - z