Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-12-15
INTERNATIONAL EXPENSES.
Stat, mont From Ex-Gov. Josiah Grou
on the Subject.

state mont From Ex-Gov. Josiah Grou
on the Subject.
The following letter from ex-Gov. 10
siah Grout has been sent to US for pub
lication:
TO the People OF Vermont:
/ The report of the special committee [,
investigate expenses of State officers an,
States attorneys is officially promulgated
and making, as ii does, my expenses to,
much by Il very considerable sum, an,
leaving certain matters, to say the least
unfinished; | feel called upon to give al
the facts occasioning subernatorial ex
penses within the period covered by tn
investigation concerning which a distnc
ton has been made in the report bet weci
different administrations in which simila
acts occurred.
The omission of these facts from the re
port having been presented to the atten
ton of several members of the commltte,
including the chairman and a correction
of the report in this respect requested
and the Legislature having adjourned
without making such correction, / an
compelled either by silence to admit thu
report fair or make this statement.
. The suggestions in this connection arise
from the Washington centennial in Gov
Dillinsham's period, and the Mckinley in
auguration and dedication of the Gram
monument in my period; on each of which
occasions the Guard was used as an es
cort to the governor and under similar
If not identical circumstances. In each
case. Tho particular point is that the al
lowance to the guard by me, amounting
to sl,90s Is made by the report a part oil
my executive expenses and the allowance
to the guard by Gov. Dillingham; of 1912
Is not made a part of his executive ex.
penses nor does the fact tina, the guart
acted as his escort in Now York appear
in the report. / also wish to call atten.
ton to the fact that my account Is other.
wise $500 too large made so by evident
error in two items and that Gov. Dilliny-
hams is St4s.OO too small. also claim
that the allowances to the guard by both
Gov. Dillingham; and myself are not exec
utive expenses and should be treated the
same in both instances.
Section 44l7 " S. gives the governor
power to order each year three days par
AIDE of the guard, by regiment or COM
pany, at such time and place, as he di-
reefs and subject to such regula tons as
he prescribes. Pursuant to this authori-
~ | gave eight companies a parade IN
New YORK of two days with allowance 10
correspond. If these companies had been
given parade in Vermont probab bly, the
committee would not have thought OF
making the cost an executive expense.
The governor having a right to put the
ders 1t as much a militia expense in one
plac as another.
Then l 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 CEN
tennial in 1882 Gov. Dillingham; ordered
two days parade of the guard in New
York and II was there used as hs escort.
On account of this parade he allowed the
guard two days pay out of the treasury
amounting to s3,l9200. | do not claim this
sum should be Il part of his official ex-
penses but that the fact belongs IN the
report and that the amount belongs as
much to his official expense account as
the SlsOS does to mine
After stating the different items of Gov.
Dillinsham's expenses the report has the
following paragraph: in addition to the
above functions Gov. Dillingham; attended
the centennial anniversary Of Washing
tons 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 Ssl4,5S as the governors
stan expenses in attending the centen-
NAL
The report makes the entire executive
expenses of Gov. Dillinghath's period 81
Ti.li; whilo the auditors reports put Them
as shown in my statement before the com
mittee at $,e12.6l; in this last named sum
there ara two months and few days o.
GOV Ormsbees expenses which were $40 =
%; deduct this sum and the amount re-
mains at I,ITlS; also three months and
a few days of Gov. Dillingham's expenses
amounting to si23,72 went into Gov. Pages
pc Rod, add this sum to the Sl7g7. is above
and you have g. 22osS. the ex-
act sum total of Gov. Dllingham's execu-
tive expenses, which sum is $ii674 larger
tGan given in the committees report. This
discrepancy rests entirely between the au-
ditors and committees classifications and
since some of Gov. Dilingham's vouchers
are for salary and executive expenses IN
ono gross sum the auditors had the best
chance to know how much was for larry
ana how much for expense.
Nothing need be said about the expenses
or the other governors, unless 10 say that
the total of Gov. Pages period as given
IN my statement to the committee, after
deducIing the A2S carried to Gov Dilling-
hams expenses, drops to the amount stat
ed in the report.
II is however fair to say that Gov. Page
practically had no expense at the Ben
nington celebration, because it was in
connection with the muster, and the STAFF
expenses were merged in the muster ac-
count; had he executed the function out
SIDE the state, or not in connection with
the muster. very considerable executive
expense would have been unavoidable
ltfore tho committee | gave my stan
and executive expenses except the Nash
vile trip. at $l,O67.37. and my other execu-
tive expenses at Sl,0i4.60, both sums
amounting to 2,ll1,N and to these items
should be added s22Lsl coming from two
of Gen. Pecks bills as necessary expenses
incidental to the Washington and New
York trips. making s2,3397s; TO which
amount add &, $50, 80 for the Nashville trim
and you have s5.l69.7S as the sum total Of
my executive expenses and in no possible
view or the case can they be made ST. =
SO. as the report gives them
The sum of 81, CO mentioned in the re-
port as National Guard expense on the
trips to New York and Washington and
as a pending claim against the State to
cover which House bill No. Si5 was intro
duced can have no possible relation to tho
executive expenses of my term and 1 can
not see why II is mentioned in this con-
nection. unless intended as an intimntion
that my expenses should be 1861 %, which
sum Is already seized upon by some of
the state papers as the correct amount
For whatever reason however this allu-
sion may have found a place In the report
let 1t be known that nothing can make
the sum any larger; at this high water
mark, innuendo and inauguration arc
exhausted and Josiah Grout as an expense
maker Is unavodabiy allowed rest
However creating militia expense as Of
fetal and applying to Gov. DILLINGHAM;
the same rule given by the committee for
me, you must add to 81, 220,00, his actual
official expenses the sum of IS, 1890, be-
Ing what he allowed the guard In New
York, making S.4l2.00 and also add the