The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1918-11-26

settlement over the funds that wei
lost and reported by the auditor.
II all agreements are kept the count
will receive $28,496. 40 out Of a t
tai OF about $4,000 embezzles
The representative of the Nationa
Surity company of Baltimore ha
made q draft on its principals TO
$l3,754.69 as its share of the losse
that were not outlawed.
G. v, Fisher has entered into a.
agreement to pay the county So,
645.31 and j. T.. Carruth agrees t
pay $1,096.40. Mr.. Fisher under
takes to make all of his payment
by the first Of January next and TIL,
others<will probably be made imme
diately. The particular amounts
making up the total in the Carrutl
shortage are for auditors fee
$376.90, recorders fees $462.5O
clerks fees $237.00 and licenses $40
This closes the incident SO far a,
the financial considerations go. 1
there is any basis left on which tt
prosecute, the fact that the money
has been paid does not release any
one from prosecution. Under ths
laws of this state all crimes except.
ing murder are outlawed within
three years after the crime is com
mitted. In some states the crime OF
embezzlement by a. public official
never outlaws. In some states they
are Outlawed three years from the
time the embezzlement Is discovered.
A written contr4ct is outlawed in
thic toto in fuo voor, opd ~ ryoc ~
first supposed that a bond for pub
lie officials being written contract,
was good for five years, but this mat
ter has been tried out in courts of
other states and a contract of this
kind merely makes the surety an as
sistant to the public official and
nothing binds the surety any longer
than the law binds the official for
whom he stands sponsor. Therefore
If the people of this state do not care
to have their books audited before
the expiration of three years they
must revise the laws or be content
to stand such losses as these when
they occur.
Bingham county has been conduct
ing its official accounts very loosely
and leaving the way open for just
such theft as this. Tt has been an
open temptation to the county Of
ficials, and people know now that
men yield to temptation. Embezzle-
ments in the county treasury have
been going on for several years and
then there are near-embezzlement
dating back for twelve years. What
rxyn y,nA hry ~ hnu IL .k<, ID,
this: When there was money in the
county treasury and warrants were
presented the money should have
been used to pay the warrants. Or
If no warrants were presented war
rant call should be made indicating
which warrants to present and those
first issued would be presented and
paid and the interest stopped il they
were bearing interest. That is the
course laid down by the statute to be
followed, but custom has displaced
the statute and this is the way the
matter was handled in fact: There
might be twenty-five or fifty thou
sand dollars in the treasury and $50,
900 in warrants outstading drawing
z per cent interest or about 5000 per
month. If the county treasurer me-
elected his duty for one month the
county would Jose about $500 in in
terest and the person holding the
warrant would receive 5000 from the
people, but the holder of warrants
would not necessarily gain the $500
because the money was worth that
much or more in the open money
market, but II in. the meantime the
county treasurer loaned the money
or part Of 1t and collected the inter-
est himself he became the beneficiary
and whatever interest he collected,
then the county still lost the 5000.
Under the same circumstances sup
posing that 100000 worth Of war
rants were actually presented for
payment and the treasurer should
stamp them Presented, but not paid
for lack Of funds" and hand them
back to the owners, then the owners
would sell them In the open market |
and they would draw interest from
the time they were stamped. Sup |
posing that the treasurer himself |
after handing the war;
r-nts back should say to the owner |
or owners Now IL you want to sell |
those warrants ! will buy them Of |
you," and he would pay for them out |
Of the county money, but nobody but
himself would know he was using
county money for the purchase. The
treasurer would have none Of his
own capital invested, but he would
be making over $100 a month and at
The end of the month or at the end
of six months, or whenever he chose, /
he could make another transaction
with himself and sell his own war
rants, bought with county money,
70 the county and collect the prin-
,ipal and interest, put the principal
nto the county treasury and put the
interest into his pocket That would
% q breach Of trust and an embezzle-
nent, but so long as nobody looked
,ver the accounts or made an audit
o see what he was doing, nobody
,ut himself would know about the
rhine