Cheyenne record., 1918-10-24
SHORT SHORTAGE
! TALE and SEQUEL.
HOW AUDITOR LEcKENnY GOT At
Z FIGURES AFTER HIS oPPoN.
EMIT HAD "APPRovED"
+, ERRORS.
(Ey George NJ. <imball.)

ton OF the public services of an Off
cial who has kept faith with the peo-
ple-Chas. H. Leckenby, present state
auditor, Democratic candidate for
state treasurer.
Two years ago by majority Of
nearly $4,000 the people of Colorado
commissioned Charlie Leckeaby to
take charge of one OF the most import
ant branches of the state government,
to look after the expenditures of the
vast sums that the people pay to keep
up the machinery of government.
That he has performed this duty
well is conceded by everybody. Con-
fronted by vast increase of work oc-
casioned by the mobilization OF the
state troops and other war activities,
there has been no increase in the ey-
pense and the business OF the state
has been performed promptly, eco
nomically, courteously.
We who knew this quiet, unassum-
ing, but capable business man, took
all of this as a matter OF course. It
was part of his training to be thor
ough, economical, prompt and straight
forward.
But there are two. kinds OF public
officials.
One kind takes the line of least re.
sistance, performs his duties we'll, pos.
sibly, but gets by with the least ef-
fort, contenting himself to follow we'll
marked lines laid down by his prede-
cessors. If work has always been
done in a certain way, he does not
take the trouble to make changes or
improve methods.
The other kind is ambitious to do
little more than his routine duty,
wants to improve methods, to inquire
into past transactions, to stop leaks
and be of real value to the people who
elected him.
OF this latter class is Charlie Lock-
enby.
For at least two years before his of.
ficial duties began it was generally
known that there was false entry Gil
the books CT the state treasurer, that
there wG5 Il forced balance, that
foru7or en,ploy6 had gotten away with
.,G.-.c Of tie ,-cS"y which belonged to
the people-EOUR money.
Nobody seemed to be clear as 10
how it had boca done or the exact
amount Of the shortage. Some ot
your money lad disappeared. There
was. OF course, something faulty WIN
tie system of handling the money but
former officials had not made the et-
fort or taken the trouble to sift it TO
the bottom.
If you vera running a business and
were coHfrcntcd with such a condi-
ton, if you know some OF your money
had gene bat was not sure of the
amCunt or the method employed,
wouldn't you think it worth while 10
make thorough examination and pGt
forth an effort 10 recover what had
been taken from you?
with Charlie Lockenby It was simp-
ly case of making the peoples bust.
ness his business. 1t did not occur to
him to get by the easy way. lie want
ed to know the whole story. to find
out the amount, to remedy faulty
method which would allow such thefts
and to make an effort to recover the
money which had been stolen from
the people.
No superficial examination would
satisfy this official. He went back for
a period of twenty years and checked
every item on the financial books OF
the state It required five months to
do the job and there was individual
handling OF over 100000 warrants as
well as checking of hooks that had
grown musty with age. covering en-
penditures of more than sC0,000.000.
But when the task was finished the
whole matter was like an open book,
the dates, the amount, the method.
For period of nearly seventeen
years a trusted eC?ploy6 Of the state
had been taking YOUR money, the
aggregate amount being nearly $780,
OC0.
How could all this happen?
Loose business methods. primarily.
and ensy-soing examiners who wanted
to get by with the minimum OF trou-
bic and effort Not the Lcckenby kind
of officials.
High salaried certified public &C
countants had checked the books an
certified to them as correct while tt'
thefts were going on. Let one OK
ample suffice for many:
In June, 1903. following the custcr,
then in vogue. Governor Peabody a;'-
pointed a committee Of experts" to
examine. the state trcasurer's books
for the previous six months. and on
page 1GG OF :he cash book Of that year
appears this notation:
Examined and found correct,
II. f. MULNIX.
B. F. RICHARDSON.
+ p RERTSCHY