Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1906-08-17
wII Mr. clement Retraet7

viii Mr.. Clement Retract7
p w. Clements severest structures
against the Republican administration in
Vermont have been directed against the
house Of correction. He devoted a long
section Of his speech Of acceptance before
the fusionist convention at Burlington to
denunciatory criticism of this institution,
charging that the fact that the state Of
Vermont was engaged in the marble bus
mess through the labor Of the house Of
correction inmates was kept a secret
from the people, and that no state au-
ditor had ever examined the accounts Of
this state marble business until after he
| (ClemenD made his demand on Mr..
Graham to examine the vouchers Of the
state institutions-the plain intimation
being that this had stirred up the au-
ditor to look over the marble business
| accounts. Mr.. Clements distinct charge
was that: THE state has been kept abb
solutely in the dark in regard to the de-
! tails of that business. . Why this
concealment?" He then went on to say:
We'll, there is one thing about it that
is stranger yet More than SO per cent.
of this marble which has been bought
down there has been bought of the YER
mont Marble company and several thou
| sand dollars worth Of that marble has
i been cut into proper shape and polished
and resold to the Vermont Marble COM
pany. / assume that Mr.. Proctor
has known all about this transaction
Why has he kept the fact con-
cealed? l don't know and no one
can ever know whether that business has
been honestly conducted or not.
| What i claim is this: That for Is years
the state OF Vermont has been carrying
4~r.N
known anything about or examined or
been asked to examine; that more than
so per cent. of that business has been
transacted with the Vermont Marble
company, and that Fletcher D. Proctor,
by virtue of his position, must have
known all about 1t all the time and has
carefully concealed that knowledge"
Now what does the report Of the state
investigating committee say about this
state marble business in the house Of
correction? 1t says that this business
has been done by the state because, un-
der the circumstances (Which are fully
explained), it is not expedient to do it by
contract; that the state auditors did not
audit the accounts of this business until
the year 1905, because the law did not
require them to do so until the passage
of Act No. 160 of the laws of 1904, which
provides "tnat an vouchers, bills of ac-
count, ETC., be sent every three months
to the office of that official 1.-THE state au-
ditor1 at Montpelier and audited there"
The committee further say that this
business has been honestly conducted in
every respect and they introduce the de-
tailed report of their expert accountant,
! F. S. Pratt of Brattleboro. to show that
} 1t has been so conducted
With regard to the connection of this
state marble business with the Vermont
Marble company, of which Fletcher d.
Proctor is president, the report says:
I'VE find that the large purchases OF
marble from the Vermont Marble COM
| pany have been made because of the
availability Of these products and the in
: ability of the state to procure elsewhere
the grade of marble specified in their
contracts, that many job lots of marble
suitable for their use have been bought
at very low figures, that all marble from
1 whomsoever bought, has been purchased
I at regular standard list prices, that the
state has received all the discounts al
! lowed to the trade, and that, in ouI
] judgment, no favoritism has been shown
) in the purchase Of supplies Of marble, oI
, otherwise, to any company"
\ Here is complete answer from an au-
e thoritative source to each and every charge
g and insinuation made by Mr.. Clement
I including the charge. plainly intimated
d that Fletcher d. Proctor was guilty OF
h some practice in the connection Of his
{ company with the state marble business
s in the house of correction which he wisk.
s ed to conceal VIII Mr.. Clement per
3 form the part of man and confess tC
the people OF Vermont the unwarrantet
and untruthful charges which he hai
5 made? He has not done so yet, though
e the report has been public property sine,
. last Saturday.
Q OF the committee which made this in
: vestigation under authority OF the legis
: lature OF 1904, N. G. williams Of Bel
d lows Falls and G. H. A. STAFFORD Of Nor
; risville are Republicans. II. F. Brigham
a Of Bakersfield is a Democrat and at on,
time was the nominee Of his party To-
the governorship Of Vermont II. s.
: Pratt OF Brattleboro. the expert account
d ant. is a Democrat Does anybody doub
. the honesty OF this investigation or IL
= absolutely non-partisan charaeter7