The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1906-12-11
FULLER C. SMITH
is ALSO CENSURED
Bingham Freed From BIame--
Committee Recommends
That Action Be Brought
To Recover Money From
Commissioner Howard.

pected report Of the legislative inves
tigation committee on the accounts 81
the railroad commission and others, on
which the fate Of the railroad commits
sion was supposed to rest, was made
public to the legislature today The ac-
counts Of 1t. G. Thomas Of Stowe, fish
and game commissioner, as well as those
Of Fuller q. Smith Of st, Albans, George
7 Howard Of Craftsbry and Henry s.
Bingham Of Bennington, railroad COM
missioners, were examined Greater
stress is laid on the latter commission,
as the accounts Of Commissioner Thorn.
as are found to be correct although The
investigators admit that in the hands
Of a CRATER the Office might be made 10
pay well,
OF the railroad commission Henry 81
bingham is exonerated from personal
blame although as o member Of d costly
commission he necessarily shares in Il
general criticism. Fuller G. Smith, the
chairman, presented correct accounts Of
his per diem and expenses, but he De-
serves, say the investigators, severest
eensurc for appearing as attorney for q
possible litigant before the other two
members Of his own commission, that
taking place at Milton.
AZ d legislative hearing, finds the
committee, Chairman Smith made a
false statement (Which he subsequently
retracted1 that no accounts Of bis had
ever been questioned by the auditor.
The specific instance referred to was for
nine days service ts5a) and expenses
of $3.50 while attending the conven
tion Of the National Association Of Rail
road Commissioners at Birmingham, AL.
ALBANIA. in November 1904. "This ac-
count was properly disaIlowed,s fluids
the investigators, An apparent over
charge by Mr.. Smith in April Of the
CURRENT year was satisfactorily explain.
ed. Further in relation to Chairman
Smith questionable charge il made
against the state for five days while In
Wilmington preparing his biennial re-
port.
Commissioner Howard Scored.
Commissioner Howard docs not fare
SO well as his eonfreres. II IS found.
That he charged for no Office work.
but that for work away from home he
charged for 4t4 davs. willie Mr. Smith
charged for a3i and Mr. Bingham 2s2,
whereas the investigators can find no
reason why he should have done more
Of this kind Of work than his co-work
ers.
That Mr. Iouafds home Is in Crafts
bury and that Hardwick Is The nearest
railroad station, Ten miles away. Com.
missioner Howard has made iinneces
sary expense charges TO the state BY
leaving home IN the evening instead of
starting in the following morning as
he might have done and matle his rail
road connections. lie therefore charg-
Cd for en- extra days salary and ex-
penses which was unnecessary
Commissioner Howard CHARGED The
state $3.50 for the use Of his own team
in carving him 20 and from Hard
wick. Whether this il 4 legal charge Il
not definite, but ii Is found that on Gs
occasions he took receipts from his hire4
men, his children and his brother-m.
law, and filed them under oath as money
necessarily paid out when in fact no.
thing was paid out.
On three occasions ComAissioner How
ard visited Springfield, Mass, and was
paid by the state for salary and expen.
ses. ON December 4 1905, he went from
Springfield to Boston and charged the
state two days time and his expenses.
He made st least one trip 10 Hanover.
n. IT,, from Burlington and stayed over
Sunday with his son, charging the state
with two dav'H time. On June 20. 1906
he attended The Republican state con.
vention nj Montpelier and charged the
atate. 4 visit to Burlington with his
family was charged to the state. tt Is
further found that il was his custom
10 telephone home on his private bnsi-
ness and charge the state.
May Demand Recovery Of Money
In conclusion it is recommended that
action be brought to recover money
from Commissioner Howard, the inyesti-
gators using The following words
sFrom the evidence before MS we find
that In All these specific instances Com