The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1908-07-25
An Ecclesiastical WhiteWash.

About half year ago the discovery was made
that trusted officials of the Oneida irrigation dis
trict, in the county of Oneida Idaho had been using
the funds of the district for their personal ad-
vantage. In other words these officials had en-
bezzled considerable of money belonging to the
water of the district.
The treasurer of the company was George c.
Parkinson, president of the Oneida stake of the
church of the Latter Day Saints, and the secretary
of the company was Arthur w. Hart bishop of
of the Latter Day Saints church and state senator
under the deal made between the church and the
republican party
The prosecuting attorney of the county made an
effort to bring the parties to justice after their
crimes discovered, but was unable to procure
the testimony of the officers of a Mormon bank
in time to make the prosecution hold under the
statute of limitation
In May last by a meeting of the taxpayers of the
water district committee appointed to nvest-
gate the charges against Parkinson and Hart and
that committee has recently made public its report
1t finds that the secretary and treasurer were
fully as guilty the investigations of bookkeeping
expert had previously found them to be- Yet it
assumes that
the taxpayers interested in the financial
and physical of the canal than they in the
criticism of any person, whoever he may be, of
any methods that past and gone, except that
such methods must not be repeated in the future.
This lets the president and the bishop down with
tender regard for their holy calling, and as the
church has made to separate them from
their sphere of holy usefulness, it is presumed that
they will continue to represent the Lord, even
though they may be deprived of the perquisites of
civil office.
That the persons caught in the act of defrauding
the taxpayers of the district may not escape en-
trely the committee became quite severe at one
stage of its recommendations saying:
Every person having in his possession money be-
longing to the district any debts owing to the dis
tr1ct must Immediately return such money to the
treasurer and pay such debts. And in the event
of failure to do either of these things, steps should
Immediately be taken to compel such action.
Money proceeds received by any person from
district funds obtained contrary to statutory pro-
vision, whereby losses have been caused to the dis
trict, must be refunded by such person.
While the district should not take advantage of
technical violations of the law, such as the
issuance of warrants beyond the debt limit, the
issuance OF them not III strict conformity of law
that advantage should be taken of the mere
lack of judgment, want of competency, mistaken
Interpretation of law; yet wherever such action has
been financially detrimental to the district where
the district has not received actual value for the
amount OF such warrants obligations incurred
or where such violations have resulted to the adj
vantage of the individual then we think the guilty
person should recompense the district
In the findings the committee says that Secretary
Hart and Treasurer Parkinson were both wrong in
assuming that they had right to treat money of
the district their personal funds, clear enough
proposition under the law, if not under the code
of the church.
The committee found that Mr.. Hart usually had
in his possession from several hundred dollars to
several thousand dollars that belonged to the irrga-
ton district and that he in the habit of oanng
thousands of dollars to contractors and others at
high rate of interest and pocketing the proceeds.
The secretary also went into the land business, using