The Dermott news. (Dermott, Ark.) 1910-1977, 1915-07-22
LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE
ENTER into CONTROVERSY

y UUVlEAV VIHAOI
| torney general, and as It stands this
amount is clear loss to the state
! We further find that in the delinquent
stances to collect the penalty, but il
his letter to the delinquents demand
! ing payment, he states, however, the
! law does not permit me. under any cir
! Cumstances, to remit or waive the
penalty assessed in any instance A
| list of these delinquent taxes will be
| found by reference to the accountants
report, exhibit c, now on file in me
! governors office. We find that the
attorney general has paid into the
treasury during his term of Office up tc
June %, 1915. inheritance taxes e
the amount of S93. 1879 He has paid
! into the treasury from sand and gravel
and other miscellaneous sources, S42
00015.
His Contingent Expenses.
I'VE note the following expenditures
from his contingent expenses, to cover
expenses of himself and others
"Trip of attorney general TO Charles
ton. s. c.. SS2.S5.
"Trip of Moose and Downie to Jack.
son. Miss. $3.50.
"Trip OF Moose to Washington. D.
c. 1929.
"Trip of Streepey to Washington. d
C. 1929.
"Trip of Streepey to Jackson. Miss,
$3.50
"Trip OF Moose TO Des Moines. la.
S547o.
"Trip of Moose to Chicago. sos. so.
"Trip of Streepey to St Paul, SI20
''As to just what benefit the state
of Arkansas derived from these trips
we are not informed. In this connec-
ton, We note the attorney general on
June %, 1914 drew from the public
funds in the Southern Trust Company
his check for SIS to pay the expenses
of himself and Downie to Jackson,
Miss. We note also that on July !.
1911. state warrant was issued and
charged to his contingent expenses,
for himself and Downie to Jackson.
Miss. for S65.5O. We have no explain
alton Of these transactions.
Stf.431 For Special Counsel
We further find that no has paid
out for special counsel S2.0S9 in add
ton to the amount paid in railroad lit
,F = N l.;
total of s11.f31O2 of special counsel
fees.
Just here We desire to call atten-
ton to the well-known fact that the
work of an expert accountant is to
take the records in an Office or 10.
partment and from those records
alone try 10 make up balance of the
books
From the records in the attorney
generals office and the Southern Trust
Company. the accountants found that.
as stated above the attorney general
had to his credit In the Southern
Trust Company s2.e369G more money
than he could account for with his
The attorney general being unable to
tell what fund this should be credited
to in the treasurers Office he was un.
ablo to turn il over TO the treasurer
and he informed us that he had placed
it in the savings department OF the
Southern Trust Company TO the ac-
count of w l.. Moose. attorney gen
eral, marked public funds where II
is now drawing 4 per cent Interest.
We feel the attorney general deserves
the seyerest criticism and condemna-
ton for using the Southern Trust
Company for depository for public
funds.
Violation Made a Felony
The criminal statute OF the state OF
Arkansas, Kirby's Digest, section 1890.
reads as follows:
Here the report quotes from the fol-
lowing sections OF kirby's Digest:
Section No 1890. which makes II
violation OF the law for a state official
TO have in his possession public funds;
Section No. 1891. which makes ii I'M
lawful for any person 10 receive pub
lie funds from an official for the pur-
pose of applying them for personal use
or for the benefit of other persons or a
corporation. section No. 1892. which
provides that the penalty OF the above
sections shall be from five to 81 years
imprisonment. section No. 1872. which
provides that any officer who shall fail
or omit to pay the amount found due
him on settlement shall be guilty OF
felony and be imprisoned for from
five to y years.
Bad Business Practice.
ut is certainly very bad practice
from a business standpoint. for the
states interest, that a private bank
ing corporation should be used as a
sub-treasury or depository for public
funds without warrant or authority OF
law. and to the average citizen il will
na ri t,,I,.