The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1901-03-21
Full Report of Agricultural
Committee

Wis referred ne IollD"IhR ofuer,
"Ordered, that, the House concurring,
the committee on agriculture be, and
hereby is authorized to make com
pleie investigation INTO the management
of the office of the board of agriculture
as conducted by the secretary, examine
all accounts pertaining to the Office;
summon witnesses to appear and present
evidence; employ such counsel as may be
necessary, also stenographer, ascertain
the amount of all outstanding bills of
whatever kind or nature, and present to
this Legislature complete and itemiZed
account of the result of SAID investi-
gation,n have attended to work so order
ed, and make the following report:
We have made as complete an investi.
CATION under this order into the manage
ment of the board of agriculture as con
Quoted by the secretary as the time and
circumstances would permit. Although
the time to be devoted To this investiga-
ton WAS not limited by the Legislature
your committee 3idSnot tel that long
delays for the purpose ofinqairy, should
be taken unless such delays were war
ranted by the belief that new and i'm
portant testimony could be found for or
against this department, and, although
the secretary of the board of agriculture
has very courteously furnished all facts
and data of his department and of his
official work when called for, still the
committee has felt that outside of his
public examination, where Mr.. MeKeen
in the presence of his counsel and acting
under his advice answered questions,
the right accorded to every person not
to be obliged to give testimony against
himself should not be infringed upon by
private and personal inquiry from Sec
rotary McKeen, and that they should
depend entirely upon the States books,
papers and records pertaining to this
Office and the testimony of witne SEES
other than MIR. McKeen. To make a
a complete and exhaustive inquiry into
the work of this department by such a
course of procedure would have taken
much time, and as we believe, would
not have produced material changes in
the result.
Acting under the legislative order we
procured the services of George w.
Heseltine of Gardiner as attorney to
procure the evidence for this investiga-
ton, and conduct the examination of
witnesses at the hearing We also
employed S. Estes, the official repor-
ter of the House, as stenographer to
take the testimony and employed John
O. Rice of Portland, an expert account
ant, to examine the books and accounts
of this department. We caused various
witnesses to be summoned to give evi.
dence at the hearing whose evidence
we thought would aid us in our inves
tigaton
During the afternoons of February
both and 27th, we listened to all the
witnesses who were called to testify
for or against Secretary MeKeen, and
examine such documentary evidence
as was then presented, and herewith
append detailed report of same.
BY the admitted testimony of b
Walker McKeen, secretary of the board
of agriculture, we fin1 that
First, from January, 1892, to the LIST
day of October, 1897, no sufficient books
of account were kept by MIR. McKeen as
secretary that would in themselves or
by reference give a history in detail
for what purposes the states appro-
priation to this department were dis
bursed.
Second, from January, 1892, to the
first day of February, 1896, Secretary
McKeen deposited in his own name in
the Traders National Bank of Portland
the moneys received from the State
through the several appropriations
for this department; and mingled them
with his private funds and drew these
moneys from this bank on personal
checks.
Third, since the first day of February,
1896, Secretary McKeen has deposited
in the Augusta Safe Deposit and Trust
Company, of Augusta, Maine, on the
account of b. Walker McKeen, secre-
tary, his private funds with the funds
received from the State, through the
various appropriations for this depart
ment, and drawn the same out of this
trust company on checks signed by him.
self as secretary for both public and
private purposes.
Fourth, at no time since he became
secretary of The board of agriculture
has Mr.. McKeen kept any books of
account or personal account whereby
he could know or distinguish what
balances, if any, in the banks belonged
to him personally, and what belonged
to the State.
Fifth, secretary McKeen has received
a salary of $500 and an appropriation
ment For institute work he has been
allowed to take from the institute APP
the expenses incurred in
this specific work, which were allowed
in addition to the $500 allowed for
department expenses. The stamps and
express charges fOl this department
were furnished by the State.
Sixth, Secretary McKeen has not
personally filed vouchers of creditors
of his depal tment, when money has
been paid, but has filed in large mum
Der of instances, as vouchers, receipts
signed by the name of The payee per
b. " alker McKeen, Secretary, and on
such vouchers drawn on the appropri
ton for this department, and IN some
instances anticipated by payment of the
warrants by advances on the appropri
alton.
seventh, Secretary McKeen has de-
ferred for months the payments to
some of the creditors of his department
for debts and premiums although the
money had been advanced TO him by
the State.
Eighth, on January 10Th, 1898. he
received $7100 for the stipend due to
the various agricultural societies OF the
State, and deposited the same in the
Augusta Trust Company. No society
was paid before May of that year its
stipend, and some did not receive their
stipend for many months
Ninth, on May It'll, 1896 Secretary
McKeen drew the state stipend for the
State Pathological society of $1,000 and
deposited the same in the Augusta
Trust Company and made payment to
the societies as follows: 500 May 18th,