Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1898-11-10
Wasting the States Honey.

Gu lndU tilcie iidu HcNSi Dcoh q 'Sss'i''N'
in the government of Vermont. Ills
words were recalled next morning
when it became known that the legis-
lature had appointed 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 rs its fair name.
1t does not require more than cur
sorry examination of the auditors re-
ports to show that system of extraya-
gancies wholly without warrant has
been carried on whereby in the past
two years the state has expended sew
eral thousand dollars. 1t is probable
ltfnt the practices are not of recent in
ception, but have been conducted to a
greater or less degree for several years.
Just what legal warrant any part of
these expenditures can be justified by
we are not prepared to say, but il 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 taxpay-
ers of'the state.
1t has been customary, whenever the
governor and his gold-braided satel-
ltes have taken part in outside func-
tions, to charge the expenses incurred
up to the state. Judging from the size
of the items of this account, the par
Elephants in these junkets did not live
on crackers and cheese or sleep in fif-
teen-cent lodging 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 ex-
penses of his last term were $500, or
more than his salary for the two years.
If the expense account included only
the ordinary items in the usual amount
it would afford no reason for complaint,
but when Peck has made the state pay
so for his expenses TO swell ball in
New York city and for maple sugar
and photographs and in fact numerous
things of this sort it is little peculiar,
to say the least.
The three junkcts INDUCED in by
Gov. Grout and parties. to New York
at the Grant monument dedication, to
Washington at the Inauguration and to
Nashville at the exposition, cost the
state over $4,000. The most scandal
Gus of these was the Nashville affair.
The state made no appropriation for
the Tennessee exposition and even de-
clined to pay the expenses of the COM
mission which it authorized to arrange ,
for an exhibit. 1t was known that the
then governor and party OF Vermont
ers went to Nashville by special train
and heartily enjoyed the pleasures of ,
the trip. At the time, the excursion
rate was advertised and it was gener-
ally understood that each one paid for b
his ticket. 1t now transpires that the
party went by invitation of the gov 4
ernor and that the state paid for the '
trip of So persons at a total cost of
$3.50. More would have gone, prob
badly, if this point had been made clear s
In advance.
just to show the taxpayers where b
some of their hard-carned money has c
gone, we append few extracts from :
The auditors report:
The Grant memorial excursion ex-
pense account submitted by Gen. Gil 4
more is this.
9Th Avenue hotel expense, : 90.4O
Horses in parade, 1926
Telegraph, carriage, sleeper. L
etc, and palace car for GOV
ernor's party. 3O.3S q
W. Gilmore's expense. $50
S579.49
New York expense paid GOV. q
Grout, : ZOO =,
Militia to New York, 1927. 23 y
Coincident with the trip to New
FORK was this bill of Gen. L. S. Peck. b
lated May 10, 1897:
10 strctcher u. S. Army. mes A
sengers. porters, meals, sol Isl
diers carrying flags and order :
" duty, Sl5.5O
Hacks and car fares. u.5O 2
Telegraph and telephone in NY. 7.76
special delivery stamp. 10 s
Jennie A. Wood, stenographer. 5000 =
Maple sugar, $40
!. II. Chapman, (hospitaD 1925
ietta Ellis, stenographer. 4.75
ieo. IL. Bond. tclegraphing and
telephoning, 4.25
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