Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-03-27
is 1T TO BE A WATCHDOG
OR A NEIGHBoRHooD PET
The Point for Governor Sproul to
Decide in Appointing a Successor
to Controller Walton

ne Polnt Tor Governor SprouI 10
Decide in Appointing a Successor
to Controller Walton
| NEXT to the Mayor. the controller
~ holds the most important Office in
the city government. Technically, the
controller is a county officer. He is
made so by the state constitution. 1t
is because he is a county officer that the
Governor has power to appoint con-
troller to fill the vacancy caused BY the
death of Captain Walton until a sue
ccssor can be elected in November.
This point was settled generation
ago when Robert +. Pattison was elected
Governor. He was city controller at
the time and he did not resign until
he was about to take the oath of Office
as Governor. The city solicitor of that
day wrote an opinion that the vacancy
caused by the promotion Of Pattison
should be filed by the Councils. Pat
tison, however. insisted on his right TO
appoint his own successor. and the
courts sustained him. There has been
no dispute of it since.
Two courses are open to Governor
Sproul in the present emergency. If
he is so disposed he can treat the ap-
pOintment as a question of faCtional
politics and name q man for the office
solely on account of his political rela-
tions. trusting TO luck that he will make
an efficient officer Or he can treat the
appointment as an opportunity to i'm
press upon the voters and the politi-
clans of this city the Importance of put.
ting into the Office man with q lively
appreciation of its relation to the honest
and efficient conduct of public business
If he should take the latter course he
would crafty every public spirited citi-
zen who is more interested in good gov
crnment than in the distribution of
political spoilS.
Few persons outside of the City Hall
understand or appreciate the functions
Of the controller. II is known that he
is one of the financial officers of the city
and that he is one of the sinking fund
commissioners. but the knowledge of few
goes beyond this.
The controller is the officer charged
with the duty of seeing that the revenues
Of the city are spent in accordance with
law. To put it in popular language. he
is the watchdog of the treasury. 1t is
impossible for the head of any of the
executive departments tn spend any
money unless the warrant for it is Coun-
tcrsignCd BY the controller And the
controller is forbidden 10 couutersign
any warrant for the expenditure Of
money unless an appropriation has been
g.. So, Co. ,..It t,h
it is to be- used And unless there is
money to the credit of the account which
is to be drawn on. he may not consent
to its expenditure.
But his power docs not stop with
merely the ministerial function of dis .
covering whether there is money enough
in an account to pay claim upon it.
He is authorized by law. whenever any
claim is presented TO him. TO require
evidence that the amount asked for is
Justly due To the claimant, and for this
purpose he may summon any officer or
cmployc Of any department Of the city
or any other person and examine him
under oath. If he finds that the service
for which payment is asked has not been
rendered. he may decline to Countersign
the warrant.
For example. il bill for cleaning the
streets were presented 10 him and if h."
we're convinced that the streets had not
been cleaned according to contract. hc
could make his own investigation into
the facts aud could refuse payment
until the contractor had fulfilled the
terms Of his agreement with the city.
This power has been conferred upou
him in order that there might be II
check upon favortism and to insure to
tho city n dollar worth NJ service for
cvory dollar spent.
The splendid record made by Robert
f.. PattSon in the office led many per-
Sous ia urge that the controller should
always belong to the party which was
not iu control of the other city offices.
Pattison was Democrat. The Mayor
in his time was Republican, Pattison
elected in year when tho Republicans
were of their guard instituted a system
of auditing that audited. The counter
signing Of warrants was not regarded
as u maitor Of routine like the signing
Of payroll checks, but he made his own
iuvCsiigaI ions and formed his own opin-
ions and held tho other departments to
n strict accountability. And hc pleased
the people 50 we'll that the Democrats
nominated him for the governorshp and
they. with tho assistance Of the iudc-
pendent Rcpublrans, elected him as the
first and only Democratic Governor Of
the state since The Civil War.
n there we're a vital Democratic party
in Philadelphia q strong argument could
be made in behalf Of the appointment
~ Democrat to succeed the late Cap
tain Walton. But the local Democracy
is lacking in leaders who commend them
selves to popular confidence. The Gov
crnor will not consider putting n Demo
rrat IN the controllers office TO watch
the Republicans,
But if he desires that his party should
proGt by the lesson OF tho pattison con
trollprship he will seek out the most
rapablc man in the city who can be
induced to accept the appointment. And
he will regard familiarity with problems
Of municipal finance as an indispensable
qualification.
What the city needs today Is con
troller who will magnify his office. We