Milford chronicle., 1952-10-17
Dan EnterIine, COP
Candidate For
Auditor, Gives Views

/ am Dan Enterline of Dover,
candidate for reelection to the
office of State Auditor. The term
of the Office Of Auditor is for only
two years, and I am presently
completing my first term.
This opportunity to talk with
you briefly about the duties and
responsibilities of the State Audi
tor is much appreciated. This is
so not only because 1 seek your
support in the election on Novem-
ber 4th, but also because nv ex-
perience in that office has made me
realize more than ever before what
ia responsibility the Auditor has
to the people of this state. 1t is
Ia responsibility to you, the Della
ware taxpayers, because it is your
money which is being expended
each and every time a state check
lis drawn.
When we stop to think in those
terms, we see with sudden clarity
why, for your own protection, you
should exercise the greatest pos
sible care in selecting the State
Auditor He is, in effect, the watch
dog of all the money which you
and your fellow taxpayers have
contributed to the public purse.
Not only is he responsible for
keeping a close watch on the day
to-day expenditure of public funds,
but IN addition he is, by law, a
member of the Permanent Budget
Commission. | mention his posi-
ton on the Budget Commission
for q very specific reason. 1t is as
a member of that Commission that
the State Auditor, exercising his
good financial judgement. business
experience and legal authority, is
able to keep to a necessary mini
mum the sums of public money
which will later be recommended
to the General Assembly for the
purpose of making appropriations
In other words, it is equally as
important to be sure that the re-
quests for funds received from the
various executive and administra-
tive agencies are held to a mini
mum consistent with good govern
mental services at their inception
as it is to see that such funds are
legally spent after they have been
appropriated.
| hope that you will not forget
that the funds about which 7 am
speaking are the public funds
which you have contributed. For
my part, assure you that in full
filling my duties as State Auditor.
! shall never forget that they are
public funds.
Let me Tor a moment just give
you an example of what / mean
when l say that as your State Audi
tor / am constantly the guardian
of public funds-and as this cam
paign proceeds, I shall continue TO
give you from time to time. addi-
tiOnal examples.
Not too long ago. a direct re-
quest was made to me to approve
and authorize an increase of sew
eral hundred dollars in the annual
salary of one of our state employ
ees. l promptly rejected this re-
quest. not because the employee
may not have been worth more
salary. but because the proposed
salary, increase was illegal-as the
member of the present administra-
tiOn making this recommendation
should have known. The fact is
that that employees salary was
established by law. Consequently,
as you will understand. no one aU-
thOrized to increase it except the
General Assembly.
Whether it was done willfully
or in ignorance of the law. the re-
quest made to me in this case was
to approve an illegal act. THAT is
a single example of how l, as your
State Auditor, have protected the
expenditure of your public funds
by ascertaining that every legal
requirement is first complied with
before a single dollar is spent,
Let me say again that I have
certainly appreciated this oppor-
tunity to talk with you and to ask
for your support in my candidacy
for reelection as State Auditor of
Delaware on the Republican ticket.
Thank you very much.