Omaha daily bee., 1915-11-03
Nebraska
STATES CASH HELD
IN PECULIAR WAYS
Number of Instances Cited by State
Treasurer Where Letter of
Law Not Followed.
SOME LAWS UTTERLY IGNORED
(From staff Correspondent

CFrom staff Correspondent
LINCOLN, Nov. 2 80 Especially - The
handling of funds OF the state. on which
even the present stateofficers could not
agree and has resulted in the matter be-
ing put up to the supreme court, appears
to be still long ways from settlement.
The amount turned over by the govern
ment for the care OF old soldiers this
year amounted to sS.SOl.2O, This was
divided between the two old soldiers
homes, so that Grand Island received
s5,s7276 and Milford S2.42S4 The warrant
for this amount was sent by the gov
eminent to the governor and by him
turned over to the state treasurer who
in turn issued to the homes the amount
due them and this was placed in the gen.
eral fund.- from which commandants draw
when needed.
Money to the Governor.
Just why the money should be sent to
the governor is not known. when the
treasurer is the CUSTODIAN of funds be-
longing to the state, but that has always
been done and has been continued. Why
this fund should be placed In the general
fund 20 be drawn on in the way it is
when 1t is a specific fund for specific
purpose is another mystery Suppose the
general fund of the state should become
depleted. 1t would simply mean that in
stead Of the money being there for the
purpose Of relief for the old soldiers
warrants would have to be turned down
or registered and cashed in at a dis
count and the fund given for the pur-
pose would be insufficient to cover the
purpose because it had been used for
eli N J,n a.,
of the opinion that the fund has not right
in the general fund and should not be di-
verified for any other purpose that that
for which it is intended.
other Peculiarities.
A fund which is paid into the Institute
for the Feeble Minded at Beatrice is also
handled peculiarly. The statutes cover
ing the disposition of funds to state in
situations say that it shall be unlawful
for any official of a state institution to
receive any fees or any money belonging
to the state without paying the same
into the state treasury, but provides that
'the head of any institution receiving
from any source funds to be held in
trust ana expended for the benefit of any
inmate thereof, shall not be required to
pay such trust funds into the state treas
ury as provSed herein, but shall at the
end OF each month file with the state
auditor q detailed and attested statement
OF all such moneys received and expended
by him or her."
The Beatrice institute receives from the
different counties Of the state which have
inmates in the institution certain
amount of money each year for the sup
ply OF clothing, etc, to the inmates This
amounts to a considerable sum, but, ac-
cording to the state auditor, the superin-
tendent of the Beatrice institution has
made no report on this fund, and neiths,,
has the State Board of Control required
the superintendent to make any report
to them, according to information given
out at the office of the secretary of
the board.
Why ia Law Disregarded.
Just why the law, so plainly written
should be ignored and the superintendent
of an institution given money to handle
without reporting the amount received
or ex ded, as the law requires, is not
known and while democratic state Of
ficials are quarrelling over how thew
shall get money they think they ought
to have, their attention is called to an
other official who has money to burn
and does not take the trouble to report
NNhow much he burns it. The statutes in
the case gives clear instruction, but IL
is utterly ignored.
1t would appear that what is required
of one institution is not of another. The
Soldiers Home people are required to
put their trust fund in the general fund
of the state. but the superintendent of
another institution takes his and spends
1t a he pleases and makes no report.