Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1916-08-17
A Dangerous system.

| not instituted.
A Dangerous System.
Soon after the city commission as
sumed government. a dangerous ,sys-
TEN arose with regard to paying the
iahoring men It was not through
this system that Mr.. Lane got away
| with the bulk of his .stealings, but he
used it to secure several thousand
dollars.
| Heretofore warrants were drawn
to each individual workman, who got
his warrant cashed at the city treas
TRY or at some bank or elsewhere
To save labor and ink, SO to speak,
cash s.in bulk'' would be drawn from
the city treasury on one large warrant
| for labor bills. This cash was then
| paid to each of the laboring men, In
proportion to the work done by each.
Mr.. Lane frequently drew war
| rant for a sum In excess of the pay
| roll and pocketed the difference.
More than two years ago a pronli-
| nent local banker, discussing this
system with the editor of The satnr-
day News, said. In substance '.The
particular objection to it is that it
opers the way for stuffing the rolls.
So long as an absolutely honest man
has charge of it, it will be all right,
but. in the hands Of a rogue, it would
bring trouble for both him and the
city Some day, unless this system is
lehanged. some one is going to beat
the city out Of some money
sspurio GUS tarrants.
But the larger portion of his known
stealings was through spurious war
rants. After the commission had aud
tied the bills and ordered warrants
drawn for their payment, the city
auditor would draw an additional
4 warrant in the name Of firm having
no bill against the city, place 1t with
the others for the mayors signature
and, having had itAsigned, would cash
FIT at the city treasury and pocket the
amount.
Another system adopted by him was
/ to stuff" the warrants is te
say. as an ILLUSTRATION, a bill was pre-
sented for 1921 for a transit for the
city engineer, and was duly allowed;
the auditor, in drawing the warrant
made it for 1881; it was. signed by
the mayor, the money drawn, S231
sent to the firm furnishing the transit
and sl00 put into Mr.. Lanes pocket
4 The Bondsmen. j
/ One may say of the bondsmen
something like the little boy said 81
the apple core when another little
boy asked If he could have 1t: there
ain't going to be no core.
IT ISN'T strictly applicable 81
course, tor two bonds have been
found, one for $1,000 and another fol
$1,000. These bonds ran up to Nav
1914. General Sheafe. Dr.. Campbell
and J. n. Mahowald are three Of the
bond dsmen They are liable only for
1.-The sum ~ the bonds up to May, 1914
and not thereafter
The records show that bond fol
/ 1914 was presented to the commission
and approved, but fails to state the
] name Of the bondsmen or whether 3
personal or a surety bond. This bond
cannot be found by the examiner and
City Auditor II ii Wood, although
they have made q diligent search.
| There are bonds, therefore, aggre
/ eating 5000 for q known shortage soi
l$1s. 900 to Sill. 900. 81
| Csty's Comp mpIIcatiors.
" There are several complex situa;
tions confronting the city. ii view 81
Lanes transactions
One relates to the Liability of the
ttreasurers who casked the spurious
warrants. or rather the warrants fof
which there we're no true accounts
against the city
Reference d not made to what mar
be termed the laofal pbli ations, for
IS assumed Fiat tie city treasurer
Kould accept - genuine any warrant
Dtinned 81 Page