State ex rel. Barr v. Atkinson
State ex rel. Barr v. Atkinson
Dissenting Opinion
(dissenting). — I dissent for the reason that the whole act should be construed together. The term “proper vouchers,” as used in § 3 thereof, means vouchers approved by the president and secretary of the commission, as required by § 9. Until such voucher, so approved, is presented to the state auditor, no writ should issue against him.
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
This cause was instituted in the superior court of Thurston county upon. relator’s petition praying for a writ of mandamus against the respondent, who is appellant herd. The petition avers that the appellant is the duly elected, qualified, and acting state auditor of the state of Washington; that the legislature of the state of Washington duly passed an act entitled “An act to provide for the collection, exhibition and maintenance of the products of the state of Washington at the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo, Hew York, and making an appropriation therefor,” which act became a law on the 15th day of March, 1901 (Laws 1901, p. 129) ; that the relator and one M. L. T. Hidden were, on or about the 25th day of May, 1900, appointed as honorary members of the board of women managers of said Pan-American Exposition, which appointments were duly made by one'William I. Buchanan, director general of said Pan-American Exposition, and said appointments were made upon the designation and recommendation of John B. Sogers, who was then the duly qualified and acting governor of the state of Washington; and that the relator and said Hidden then became, and ever since have been, and now are, duly appointed, qualified, and acting honorary members of the board of women managers of said exposition. It is further
“On motion duly made, seconded and carried, the executive commissioner was instructed to inform the lady man*286 agers heretofore referred to and mentioned in the Pan-American act that there is no space set aside or made available at Buffalo for the ladies’ art and needle work exhibit, and therefore that it is the decision of the commission that it dispense with any and all efforts to make a distinctive art and .needle work exhibit from the state of Washington at said exposition. And, after a full presentation and discussion of the matter, it was regularly moved, seconded and carried that it is the sense of the commission that no sum of money be permitted to be expended or appropriated for the use of the honorary members of the board of women managers for expenses from the state of Washington to Buffalo in attendance upon the Pan-American exposition.”
That under the provisons -of said law, and under the appointment, of the petitioner, she is required to attend the said exposition in person in the city of Buffalo, which exposition is now open, and will be kept open and continue in carrying out the purposes for which it was created until the 1st day of November, 1901; that the duties of petitioner in connection therewith are and will be to represent the state of Washington, and to work in conjunction with the commissioners hereinbefore mentioned, in collecting and caring for and exhibiting the exhibits from said state of Washington to be displayed at said Pan-American exposition, and to represent the state upon the board of women managers thereof, so that the provisions of the law hereinbefore referred to may be carried into effect; that bn the 25th day of April, 1901, the petitioner presented to the appellant a proper voucher for her necessary and reasonable expenses for transportation from Olympia, Washington, to Buffalo, New York, the amount thereof being the sum of $67.75, which amount is the correct amount required to purchase a ticket by railroad from the petitioner’s city and residence to the point where said exposition will be held, and is a reasonable and necessary item of expense incurred and
Section 3 of the act approved March 15, 1901, includes the following provision:
“The expenses incurred by the two honorary members of the board of women managers, who have been appointed from this state to attend said exposition, and who will work in conjunction with the commissioners to be appointed in collecting and caring for art in needlework, etc., and other exhibits to be displayed at said Pan-American exposition be paid out of said fund to be hereafter appropriated, and the auditor is hereby instructed to draw his warrant upon the treasurer for all expenses actually incurred upon the presentation of the proper vouchers therefor.”
Appellant contends, — and, indeed, not Avithout force,— that money can be draAvn from said appropriated fund in three Avays only, viz., under the provisions of §§ 2, 8, and 9 of the act of March loth. Said sections are, respectively, as folloAvs:
“Sec. 2. Each of the said commissioners hereby appointed shall serve Avithout salary but is alloAved his actual necessary expenses incurred in attending meetings of said board in the discharge of his duties to be paid out of the money hereby appropriated, upon vouchers approved by the commissioners.”
“Sec. 8. Such commission may issue certificates of in*289 debtedness with sworn vouchers attached thereto. All such certificates shall be presented to the auditor of the state, who shall issue warrants upon the treasurer of the state for the same providing that the certificates and warrants so drawn shall in no case exceed the amount hereafter appropriated.”
“Sec. 9. To carry out the purposes and provisions of this act the. sum of twenty-five thousand ($25,000) dollars is hereby appropriated out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated. The state treasurer is hereby directed to pay the money to the executive commissioner from time to time upon the requisition of the state commission by its president and secretary and approved by the state auditor.”
It will be observed that each of said sections requires the authority of the commission itself for payments from the fund appropriated, and there can be no doubt that all payments made for expenses incurred by the commission itself or the members thereof must be with the authority and approval of the commission. It becomes our duty, however, to interpret the statute so as to give force to all of its provisions, if the same can be made to consist one with the other. These so-called “honorary members” are not members of this commission.. They were appointed by the director general of the Pan-American exposition, upon the recommendation of the governor of this state, as honorary members of the board of women managers of said exposition. Presumably, this was an honor and recognition extended to all the states, and, inasmuch as the members from this state had been appointed before the passage of the law above mentioned, the legislature clearly intended, by the provision of § 3 above set forth, to provide for payment of their expenses out of the fund appropriated by that act. The manner of payment is specificially outlined in the section, which provides that payments shall be made. It is a method restricted to the one purpose, and is
“And the auditor is hereby instructed to draw his warrant upon the treasurer for all expenses actually incurred upon the presentation of proper vouchers therefor.”
Appellant contends that the words “proper vouchers” must mean vouchers audited and approved by the commission. We believe, however, that the words refer only to such vouchers as shall satisfy the auditor that legitimate expenditure has been made, within the scope of the purpose stated in § 3, in relation to said honorary members. The auditor is left to exercise the same discretion with which he is vested when auditing claims against the state not required by law to be audited by other officers or persons. The auditor is given this general authority under § 134, subd. 1, Bal. Code. In the exercise of the auditor’s discretion it is not to be presumed that any extravagant or unlawful expenditure will be approved by him. The vouchei presented to him in this case was a railroad ticket from Olympia to Buffalo, accompanied by the affidavit of petitioner that she had purchased and paid the sum of $67.75 for it, for the purpose of providing her passage to Buffalo that she might attend the exposition as such honorary member. Her attendance at such exposition is expressly made a part of her duties in the law, and, if she acts in conjunction with the commission from this state, the reasonable expenses of such attendance are to be paid. The petition shows that she is endeavoring to act in conjunction with the commission by preparing to go to Buffalo for that purpose, and, since the expense of transportation is a necessary incident to her attendance, she is entitled to a warrant for the amount shown.
Since this cause was submitted in this court, the legisla
The judgment of the lower court is affirmed, with costs taxed against appellant.
Reavis, O. J., and Anders, Dunbar and White, JJ., concur.
Fullerton, J., dissents.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- The State of Washington on the Relation of S. E. Barr v. John D. Atkinson, as State Auditor
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- STATES AND STATE OFFICERS — -PAN-AMERICAN EXPOSITION COMMISSION -BOARD OF WOMEN MANAGERS-DUTIES-RIGHT TO SHARE IN APPROPRIATION. Under Laws 19ul, p. 129, § 3, which provides that the expenses incurred by the honorary members of the board of women managers of the Pan-American Exposition, “appointed from this state to attend said exposition, and who will work in conjunction with the commissioners to be appointed in collecting and caring for art in needlework, etc., and other exhibits to be displayed at said Pan-American exposition,” be paid out of the fund appropriated by said act, the commissioners appointed to prepare an exhibit for this state cannot by dispensing with an exhibit of art in needlework deprive said honorary members of the right to work in conjunction with the commissioners in regard to “other exhibits,” nor of the right to share in the appropriation therefor. SAME-EXPENDITURE OF APPROPRIATION-VOUCHERS. Section 3 of the act of March 15, 1901, which provides that the expenses incurred by the two honorary members of the board of women managers of the Pan-American Exposition appointed from this state shall “be paid out of said fund to be hereafter appropriated, and the auditor is hereby instructed to draw his warrant upon the treasurer for all expenses actually incurred upon the presentation of the proper vouchers therefor,” is a complete provision in itself for the payment of such expenses, and the other sections of said act which provide that the appropriation shall be expended for expenses incurred by the commissioners “upon vouchers approved by the commissioners,” or “upon the requisition of the state commission,” approved by the state auditor, are inapplicable to the expenses of said members of the hoard of women managers. (Mount, J., dissents).