Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1904-09-29
THOSE VOUCHERS.

.
That lively parsonage, p. w. Glen
ent. is once more before the lime.
light Now he is after State Auditor
| Graham. who has refused him access
to the records and vouchers Of the
auditors office. lie viii compel Mr..
Graham by legal process to let him
inspect them. Mr. Clement suspects
ere has been graft in the manage
ment Of the insane hospitals. He
wants to get at the auditors records
in order to investigate. The auditor
bars the way to him. Mr.. Graham
informs Mr.. Clement that the records
OF his Office are not public. He says
he is prepared TO show up before the
legally constituted investigators-the
legislative committee on claims.
Mr.. Clement holds that the records
of the auditors Office are public. and
that he is entitled to inspect them.
under the eye OF the auditor or his
agent, to safeguard them. Mr.. Glenn
ent tells Mr. Graham that the vouchers
covering the state expenditures are
as much his property as they are Mr..
Graham's, and that in the interest of
the public good he has right to see
them lie win hale Mr. State Auditor
before the supreme court and see
what's what
At first thought, the sympathy OF
the average citizen win be with Mr.
Clement, Quick judgment would say
that all records of the auditors Office
are public; that the vouchers cannot
be locked up and the key placed in
the auditors pocket, who may or may
not unlock it, according as he iah-
cies the applicant for information;
that records of so general an interest
10 every taxpayer should not be with
held from any taxpayer who wants to
see how the money he helps furnish
is expended that such a ruling opens
the way to grave public abuses which
cannot even be traced, If the auditor
can hide the records at his pleasure;
that the auditors refusal in the present
case has a sinister look, as if he were
afraid of what might develop under
such probing as Mr.. Clement would
administer.
Yet there may be another view of
this matter. The vouchers in the
auditors Office are the property of
the state of Vermont, placed in the
custody OF the state auditor They
are the receipted bills of persons who
have held claims against the state
that have been allowed by the auditor
and paid under his approval by the
state treasurer. They tell in detail
what sums have been expended and
what for. They are documents the
preservation of which is of the ut
most Importance to the state. To
lay them open tor anyone and every
one to ransack at will. with liberty
to quote their findings as the con-
elusive record OF the state auditor
might well be considered both unsafe
and unwise, ifit should develop that
the auditor has discretionary power
to withhold them. He might prefer
to submit them only to the legislative
committee on claims, which the
statute plainly directs to examine
them.
Mr.. Clements view evidently is
that these vouchers are public the
same as a town clerks records are.
and that in refusing to give access
TO them Mr.. Graham fails to perform
his duty as state official, hence the
mandamus proceedings requiring him
to show cause why he does not do
that duty. 1t may he found that
whereas the statute plainly requires
town clerks to show their records and