The Portland daily press., 1893-02-11
Sect 7. This act shall take effect when
General sprague's Accounts.

approved.
General Sprague's Accounts.
In the hurry of the days business an
order went through the House this morn
ing, and few members apparently knew
what it was about. 1t was not joint
order requiring concurrent action in the
Senate simply provided for something to
be done by the House alone. Mr.. Parker
of Danforth put in the order which was
as follows:
''That a committee of seven be ap-
pointed by the speaker to examine into
the accounts of the adjutant general for
the current years of 1891 and 1892, and
that the committee be authorized to send
for persons and report the same in an
itemized form to the House as soon as
may be-"
Mr.. IParker's order was, of course,
prompted by rumors which have been
set af1oat concerning the cause of the
deficiency in the Adjutant Generals de-
partment. The deficiency when the ac-
counts of General Sprague were audited
| at the close of last year amounted to
about $4,000, but there was a deficiency
of $4,000 when Gen. Sprague took charge
of the Office. When the muster ground
was bought in this city, in addition to
+
chase, Gen. Sprague expended money
money from the ordinary militia appro-
priation in order to make improvements
there. Tine demands on his department
were heavy and the appropriation was
not sufficient to meet them.
AS bills came in they were paid and
Gov. Burleigh and his council found no
reason to diepute the correctness of the
accounts. The vague rumors which
have been ahoat have been to the effect
that there had been carelessness in the
administration of affairs. That question
will now be the subject of le, is ative in
vestigation, conducted as it should be by
committee from both branches of the
legislature.
Later in the forenoon Mr.. Harris of
East Machias, called attention to MI.
Parker's order and the House found
itself in the midest of lively debate.
There was no objection to ordering an
overhauling Of the accounts in the de-
partment in question where a deficiency
has been made the basis of considerable
gossip, but there developed decided
objection to going about it in the way
Mr.. Parker had mapped out.
Mr.. Harris moved that the order be
reconsidered with a view to referring it
to the joint committee of the Senate and
House on military affairs
Mr.. Parker atonce came to the defense
of his order. He said that this matter
should not be covered UP or white
washed. 1t had been common talk on
the streets and in the railroad cars that
money had been squandered in this de-
partment.
Mr.. Parker's allusition to covering up
the matter brought the members of the
committee on military affairs to the front
at double quick. Mr.. Lane of Augusta
decidedly objected to the idea that that
committee wonld whitewash anything
He was not personally anxious to be con-
cerned in this work but the committee
had now little before it and would give
the matter proper attention. He believed
that the committee was the proper one
to act.
Mr.. Sprague of Monson, said that
| charges had been made in the newspapers
against this department and they should
be Investigated. He supported the order.
Col. Shaw came to the support of Mr..
Lane of the military committee. As a
member of that committee he resented
the insinuation that anything would be
whitewashed. That committee was not
in the habit of whitewashing anything.
If the gentleman from Danforth for any
personal reason wanted to serve on the
committee in charge of this matter that
was another question, but it did not
warrant his insinuations against the COM
mittee on military affairs.
Mr.. Parker said it seemed to him that
| if the investigation was to be impartial it
should be in the hands of committee on
which the minority party should be rep
resented by more than one member. He
had no doubt, perhaps, that the military
affairs committee would report according
to the facts, but wanted special COM
mittee for the reason he had stated.
Mr.. Brackett of Limington said that as
member of the Council of the last Gov
ernor of the state he should perhaps say
something in regard to this matter. Dur
ing the year mentioned in the order
muster grounds and equipments had
been bought at good trade. In auditing
the adjutant generals accounts, the
Governor and members of his council
examined the bills and vouchers and
those were now properly filed and were
matters of reference. Mr.. Brackett OBJ
iected to the insinuations which had
been made here against the fairness of
the majority party. They had heard
similar remarks when the contested
election case was under discussion. 1t till
UOCdIllC SCIOlOlldA VI uAO LAlihOlioy Pe1i "
to indulge in snch insinuations when
there was now a member of this House
who held his seat only by the magnani-
nifty of the dominant party. Mr..
Rrackett believed the matter should go
to the military affairs committee.
Mr.. Harris disdained any intention of
covering anything up when he made his
motion. He only wanted the proceed
ings conducted through what he be-
lieved was the proper channel
Mr. Sprague said he had no idea of re-
fecting on the military affairs commit
tee. but it was useless to deny that
charges had been made. So far as he
was concerned, it was satisfactory to him
to have the military committee conduct
the investigation.
Mr.. Powers of Houlton said that he
had been listening to the debate trying
to get at the true inwardness of the mat
ter. 1t seemed to him that there had
been vague rumors and charges concern
ing the administration of the adjutant
generals department, but it did not ap-
pear that the military committee had
ever refused to do its duty or that it had
ever been directed to investigate this