Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1902-10-31
TRAIL OF THE GRAFT.

The trail of grating under the
present state administration is found
everywhere. On of the worse cases is
the famous code job. 1t smells to heav-
en-. The job has cost the state. first
| and last, more than $50, 900. 1t was
bad enough when the present admin
listration came into power. The worth
less codes were a heritage from the for
| mer. The field seemed to be an es-
| pecially inviting one to the new hands
at the helm and they proceeded to cr-
ganize grand raid.
| The original effort had been to Sc
cure codes, but it failed miserably. The
second effort was not to secure any
thing but graft" An act was passed
providing that the worthless codes
should be gone over by a new COM
mission to make expurgations and to
replace matter that had been dropped.
The bill further provided that the
codes so doctored should be printed
and issued as evidence of the law. For
this purpose an appropriation of $4,000
was made. That was the sole purpose of
the measurable appropriation of state
money for the aid of a party paper. 1t
was not supposed the codes would be
of any value-it was not intended they
should be. The only thought was to get
that $4,000 out of the public treasury
into the Golfers of the organ.
The original project was to secure
codification of the laws of the state
The project failed. and on the ruins the
Hunt administration founded a raid
upon the public treasury for the pur-
pose of aiding the party organ. The
plan of having the laws codified was
dropped. and something to be regarded
as evidence of law was to be palmed
off on the public in return for the I
$4,000 or so of additional money taken !
from the state funds.
1t was a wretched piece of business. |
AT the time. 1t was denounced. but !
those managing the steal were case
hardened. They were arrogant and |
determined. thinking they could do
anything without being called to ac-
count. The spirit was manifested then
that has been shown ever since. But
the people were not so easily lulled to
sleep respecting the wrong-doing of
those placed In authority. and. now
when the administration Is before the
public for reelection. II makes them
howl with impotent rage because these
things are talked of by the people when
they give their reasons for believing
the governor should not be reelected.
In their confusion the Democrats
adopt the rogue's method of defense
somebody else with having
lone wrong. In connection with this :
natter of the code steal. they seek to :
Justify themselves by charging that 4,
Mart Patrie. while secretary OF state, :
rave out a great printing job. Speci- !
ically the charge is that he had so J.
many envelopes printed for the use OF :
he legislature that 20 600 were left ov- :
r. If he had done anything OF that :
ind It would not be a justification for
he Hunt administration in making this
reat steal for the benefit of the state
Ryan, but the fact is that Patrie Or
cred only $4,000 envelopes for the leg
stature. about the usual proportion.
ome fellow with more zeal than 81
onesty got into the storeroom and o.
,und a collection of legislatiove en- u
eiopes left over from the legislature of nj
dozen years or so ago and counted ST
lem all as having been ordered by Pa ia
lie. He made the number out as TO- n
%. and now these baffed, enraged to
charge that the former sec III
tary of state ordered that many in &c
,cess OF the requirements. II their at
Try had not added their brains they di
ould take little care to find out more hi
,out the envelope business before a
shing into such defense Of their oh