The Yale expositor., 1899-12-22
HOW STATE TAXES
WERE SPENT.
$4,000 Worth Of Military Sup
plies Sold for SlO,500 and
Bought Again for
S6O,8OO.

During the last campaign and
throughout the last session of the leg
islature much was heard of "Pingree's
Military Push" This included the
State Military Board appointed by the
Governor. The board is composed of
Brig. Gen. Fred II. Case, of Three Riv-
ers; Brig. Gen. VIM. l.. White, of Grand
Rapids; Brig. Gen. Arthur S. Marsh, of
Allegan. Marsh is the Pingree Chair
man of the Republican State Central
Committee and general manager of the
State machine. They were so much in
evidence that it was claimed that they
so monopoliZed the running of the Gov
ernor's political machine that the civil
contingent of his political family be-
came jealous aud the two divisions fire.
quently made faces at each other. But
| PingTee never lost faith in his military
! family and they seem TO have been
given free rein in the matter of dis
posing of State property.
1t will be remembered that the Grand
Jury recently returned indictments
against Speaker Adams, Attorney Gen
eral Maynard, and Land Commissioner
! Billy French as well as others.
1t is claimed by Adams, Maynard and
others that their indictment was
brought about for political effect and
that 1t has been followed by the calling
of Special Session as part of a pol
itical program to again get Pingree and
his crowd of office seekers back into
popular favor. 1t is also claimed by
these that the state has been flooded
with circular letters and pamphlets
bearing on military matters, taxation,
etc, all to the effect that all efforts and
the management of the State affairs
have been attempted III the interests of
the dear people.
But if this was the object of the in
dictments the pendulum has swung
back. There had been much gossip
concerning the eXtravagant expendi-
ture of money by the military board in
buying supplies and committee was
appointed by the house of representa-
tives to investigate the matter. a ma
jority of the committee brought in q
report that savored much of whitewash
although two members insisted that
there had been either carelessness or q
criminal use OF the State funds.
So when, about two weeks ago, the
grand jury began to reach out for fur
ther investigation, they took up the
minority report Of the committee that
had investigated the military board
and the Whitewash is all wiped off.
The jury are liable to find that careless
ness or criminality, as the case may be,
is not confined to the antis by any
means. While there may be many
transactions connected with the boards
expenditure of the 100000 of State
4 funds raised for war purposes that the
jury can never reach they have now
unearthed the greatest scandal in the
history of the State.
AT the close of the war there were
left on hand new clothing, overeoats,
tents, etc which inventoried at cost
price at something over $4,000. The
investigation shows that the board sold
this $4,000 worth of new goods to the
illinois Supply Co." claimed to be q
dummy concern, for Sl0,500. 1t also
shows that at the very same meeting of
the board they made a purchase of
identically the same class and amount
Of goods with few additional, from
Henderson-Ames Co., of kalamazoo,
for $60,S00.
1t was further developed that the
goods sold to the Chicago concern were
shipped TO Chicago; that they were
llGNGi ltihtl Ollb Vi lilt iildJ Itity
were Immediately shipped back to
Ilenderson-Ames Co, at Kalamazoo:
that this Company unloaded them and
set large force Of men and girls to
take off the tags and placing others ia
their place; that as soon as this was
done the Company shipped the S60S00
worth of goods back To the Military
Board at Lansing and were paid $50, 500
in cash raised by the tax payers of this
state. It was also shown that there
was no such firm as the Illinois Supply
Co. and that Mr.. Cobb, who received
the goods and Immediately shipped
them back to Kalamazoo, was an en-
ployee in an inferior hotel, working for
a small salary, and that he formerly
came from Kalamazoo. 1t is also
shown that the goods purchased are
in all probability the identical goods
that the Board sold, at direct loss TO
the taxpayers who foot the bills of
something over S42500 in this single