Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-03-15
How R. R. Passes are Made 10 Pay.


The following correspondence,
clipped from the La Crosse Leader,
was received from subscriber last
week, with request TO publish. We
hesitated but are again urged by a
friend of Mr.. Field, who says "he
can tpke care OF himselt."
Madison, March 2, 1877.
w. W. Field, secretary of the
State Agricultural Society, will find
il necessary 10 explain certain things
in regard 10 bis charges as secretary
of the Wisconsin Centennial Com
missioner. A select committee was
appointed tho frat part of the session
whose duty it was 10 investigate
and examine as TO tho manner in
which the Commissioners had exn
pended the money appropriated by
the State for Centennial purposes.
Last evening they made q report in
which they find about twelve huns
dred dollars now remaining to the
credit OF the Centennial fund, which
will be returned to the State Treas
ury. What | desire 10 mention is
the fact that Messrs. Atwood, Park.
inson and Field travelled on passes to
Phladelphia, but yet they charged
the State the full railroad fare to and
from that place. The committee in
their report say they made specific
inquiry of the above named gentle
men, the only members of the board
who appeared before them, as TO
neither in making up their accounts
for personal expense, they had
charged railroad fare in cases where
they bad travelled on passes. The
answer in all cases was that they had
done so Messrs. Atwood and Park
nson claiming that their passes had
come TO them In the course OF busl-
ness and were their own property,
and Mr.. Field claiming that this
charge was customary in other
Boards of the State and in the State
Agricultural Society. The committee
say they have no opinion to express
as to the right or wrong OF this ac
ton, but leave it to the Assembly
and Senate TO decide. have exam
aned the statement of disbursements
returned by the committee and / de-
sire to show what amount W. w.
Field received. He was allowed q
salary of $500; for services he was al
lowed another 500; be was also al
lowed $615 for personal expenses and
suniry bills; making in all S1,215,
manipulated by Field out of the
Cen tennial fund. H made five trips
to Philadelphia and return, on all of
which trips he travelled on passes,
aud yet he charged the State for his
railroad fare the same as if be had
paid out his money therefor. Mr.
Field has been ia the Assembly all
day trying TO convince the members
that be had done nothing wrong. SO
far l have not heard ANYBODY ex-
press themselves as satisfied with his
explanation. Several members told
him explanations only made matters
worse, and that the whole business
was fraud and swindle, and that
any man who would charge the
State for railroad fare where passes
had been used, ought to receive i'm
mediate attention.
The matter is being talked of extern
sively among the members and the
prospect is that Mr. Field will find
himself the object of good deal of
attention. The annual appropriation
which gives Mr.. Field $4,000 salary
as Secretary of the Agricultural Soci-
ETY. has not yet passed the Assembly,
and the prospect now is that it cannot
pass that body. Should the appro-
priaton fail Mr.. Field will pack up his
checked shirt and paper collar and go |
to Iowa, where all his interests are
centered. The only interest he has in
Wisconsin ceases when the 50 10000 |
salary is cut off.
THE ASSEMBLY.
Mr. Hubbard offered resolution
appropriating the sum of ten dollars |
to all members Of the Legislature SER
wing their first year, and five dollars
for each additional year for the pur.
pose of having pers NAL notices and |
pufis of services published in the Chi
cage lines at one dollar line. |
After dilatory motions, and call of
the House the resolutions were laid on
the table by vote OF fifty ayes to two |
noes. The resolutions were intended |
as drive at two young men who |
have been here all this winter writing |
puffs for one dollar line. The as
sembly eoncurred in the Senate bill ap
propriatlng S27 900 to the State Prison
tor current expenses and repairs. Al
so in the bill TO transfer tie Galesville
University from the control OF the |
Meihodists to the Presbyterians also |
IN the bill providing for the publica-
tion of 1000 copies of the proceedings |
of the Dairymen's Association each |
wear