Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1898-12-19
TO THE PEOPLE OF VERMONT:

The report of the Special Committee to
! investigate expenses of state officers and
| states attorneys is officially promulgated
and making as it does, my expenses too
much by a very considerable. sum and
leaving certain matters, to say the least,
unfinished, I feel called upon to give all
! the facts ocvasIoning gubernatOrial expen-
ses within me period covered by the in
! vestigation, concerning which distinc-
ton has been made in the report between
different administrations in which similar
acts occurred.
| The omission of these facts from the re-
port having been presented to the atten-
ton of several memb ers of the committee,
including the chairman, and a correction
| of the report in this respect requested, and
| the legislature having adjourned without
making such correction, I am compelled,
either by silence to admit the report fair,
/, or make this statement.
+, The suggestions in this connection arise
| from the Washington Centennial in Gov
ernor DiIIingham's period, and the Nc
Kinley Inauguration, and dedication OF
| the Grant monument in my period; on
| each ofwhich occasions the Guard was used
as an escort to the Governor and under
similar, if not identical, circumstances in
| each case. The particular point is that the
allowance to the Guard by me. amounting
| to $19OS, is made by the report part of
my executive expenses and the allowance
to the Guard by Governor Dillingham; of
1892, is not made part of his executive
expenses nor does the fact that the Guard
acted as his escort in New York appear in
the report. I also wish to call attention to
the fact that my account is otherwise $22
too large, made SO by evident errors in
two items and that Governor Dillingham's
is $446 too small. also claim that the al
lowances to the Guard by both Governor
Dillingham; and myself are not executive
expenses and should be treated the same
in both instances.
Section 4417 V. S. gives the Governor
power to order each year three days pa
rade of the Guard, by regiment or compa-
ny, at such time and place he directs
and subject to such regulations as he pre-
scribes. Pursuant to this authority gave
eight companies parade in New York of
two days with allowance TO correspond. If
these companies had been given a parade
in Yer mont probably the committee would
not have thought of making the cost an
executive expense. The Governor having
a right to put the parade when and where
he pleased renders it much militia ex-
pense in one place as another.
Then protest that the cost of such a
parade is no more an executive expense
than was the cost of the Chester muster,
which was authorized by the same section
OF law and does not any more belong to
my official expenses than the balance OF
what the militia cost the state in the year
1897.
In connection with the Washington
Centennial in 1889. Governor Dillingham;
ordered a two days parade OF the
Guard in New York and it was
there used as his escort. On
account of this parade he allowed the
Guard two days pay out of the treasury,
amounting to 1882. I do not claim this
sum should be a part of his official ex-
penses but that the fact belongs in the re-
port and that the amount belongs as much
to his official expense account as the $190S
does to mine.
After stating the different items of Gov
ernor Dillingham's expenses the report has
the following paragraph: ''In addition to
the above functions Governor Dillingham;
attended the centennial anniversary of
Washington's Inauguration, in New York,
and some other official functions, within
and without the state, without expense to
the treasury" The committee could not
have intended this statement, after having
found an item of 1914 .38 as the governors
staff expenses in attending the centennial.
The report makes the entire executive ex-
penses of Governor Dillingham's period
$1774.14; while the auditors reports put
them as shown in my statement before the
committee at $1972.61; in this last named
sum there are two months and few days
of Governor Ormsbee's expenses which
were $175.45; deduct this sum and the
amount remains at $179716; also three
months and few days of Governor Dill
ingham's expenses, amounting to $423.72
went into Governor Pages period; add
this sum to the $1797.16 above remaining
and you have $222O.88 the exact. sum total
of Governor Dillingham's executive ex-
penses, which sum is $446.A larger than
given in the committees report. This dis
crepency rests entirely between the audi
tors and committees classifcations and
since some of Governor Dillingham's
vouchers are for salary and executive ex
penses in one gross sum the auditors had
the best chance to know how much was
for salary and how much for expense.
Nothing need be said about the expenses
of the other governors, unless to say that
the total of Governor Pages period as
given in my statement to the committee,
after deducting the 1923, carried to Gov
ernor Dillingham's expenses, drops to the
amount stated in the report.
1t is however fair to say that Governor
Page practically had no expense at theBen-