Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-11-18
WASTING THE STATES MONEY.

The Randolph Herald and News, I'M
der the above caption, thus speaks of the
investigation being made by the legisla-
tive committee of expenses made without
warrant of law by our recent state gov
ernments, especially that of Gov Grout:
AT the banquet of the Sons of the
Revolution at Montpelier last Thursday
evening eXGov. Dillingham; boosted that
| there had never been scandal in the
government of Vermont. His words
were recalled next morning when it be-
came known that the legislature had APP
pointed committee to investigate the
expenses of the state officers for ten
years back, and that exposures were
promised that would be anything but
creditable to those who have had the
handling of the states funds, as well as
its fair name.
1t does not require more than a cur
sorry examination of the auditors re-
ports to show that system of extrava-
gancies wholly without warrant has
been carried on whereby in the past two
years in the state has expended several
thousand dollars. 1t is probable that
the practices are not of recent inception,
but have been conducted to a greater or
less degree for several years. just what
legal warrant any part OF these eXpendi-
lures can be justified by we are not
prepared to say, but it is certain that
both the letter and the spirit of the law
have been exceeded and official privileges
abused most shamefully. What Gov.
Grout and his military subordinates
could have been thinking of we cannot
conceive, but the thing furthest from
their minds must have been the voters
and taXDaVerS of the state.
1t has been customary, whenever the
governor and his gold-braided satellites
have taken part in outside functions, to
charge the expenses incurred up to the
state. Judging from the size of the
| items of this account, the participants in
these junkets did not live on crackers
and cheese or sleep In fifteen-cent lodg-
ing houses. The best that the town
afforded and plenty of it was the rule,
and the state footed the bills. Gen.
Peck especially rode the free horse so
thoroughly that the expenses of his
last term were $4,000, or more than his
salary for the two years. If the expense
account included only the ordinary
items in the usual amount it would af-
ford no reason for complaint, but when
Peck has made the state pay $40 for his
expenses to a swell ball In New York
city and for maple sugar and photo
graphs and In fact numerous things of
this sort it is little peculiar to say the
least.
The three junkets INDUCED in by Gov.
Grout and parties, to New York at the
Grant monument dedication, to Washing
ington at the Inauguration and to Nash
vile at the exposition, cost the state
over $4,000. The most scandalous of
these was the Nashville affair. The state
made no appropriation for the Tennessee
exposition and even declined to pay the
expenses of the commission which it
authorized to arrange for an exhibit. Ii
was known that the then governor and
party of VermonteTs went 10 Nashville
by special train and heartily enjoyed the
pleasures of the trip. At the time, the
excursion rate was advertised and 1t was
generally understood that each one paid
for his ticket. 1t now transpres that the
party went by invitation of the governor
and that the state paid for the trip of SO
persons at total cost of $3.50. More
would have gone probably, if this point
had been made clear in advance.
just to show the taxpayers where some
of their hard-earned money has gone we
append few extracts from the auditors
report:
The Grant memorial excursion expense
account submitted by Gen. Gilmore is
this:
Fifth Avenue hotel expense, 9O.iO
| Horses in parade, 1896
Telegraph, carriage, sleeper, etc, and
- palace car for governors party, S0.3S
| W. Gilmore's expense, $50