Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1914-03-05
We Can't Believe Ii
on Our Little Stitzel

- SASeSS -
Argus-Leader: Il notice. said DIR.
M. II. Egan, chairman of the min
ority' antimachine committee in this
county, that Governor Byrne has fir
ed Emil Guenther who swore to the
famous candy and theater' voucher,
but that he did not remove Guenther
until the newspapers had exposed the
attempted graft. Governor Byrne has
given out a statement that these
items were all cut out before they,
got to the Office of the state auditor
This is not true The insurance de-
partment cut out the charge for press
ing the suit of clothes, for candy and
theater tickets. but left in the equally
Objectionable graft items of laundry,
of valet service, and of extras" in
connection with Guenther's official
work. Those items were cut out in.
the state auditors office. The text
of the Guenther voucher shows how
brazen some of the state officials have
become
But now that Governor Byrne has
started to firing officials, Just on the
eve Of the primaries. L wonder where
he is going to stop. j want to give
the voters the facts about the voucher
of George R. Lanning, of Egan, a
member of the board of charities and
corrections. Governor Byrne of course
knows all about this voucher. Mr..
Lanning was called to Pierre by Gov
enor Vessey to see if he would play
ball with the bunch if appointed a
member of the board. Mr.. LaGning
said he would. He was appointed and
he tried to charge up to the state the
expense of his trip to Pierre when he
was seeking the Office and before he
was appointed. Lanning's bond was
not filed until March il, 1911, but on
March 9 he charged up $1.66 of rail-
road fare to the state, SO cents for
supper, $4.83 railroad fare, and ko-.
tel bill at Pierre of So. These items
amounted to $11.99, which was duly
sworn to by MIR. Lanning as money
expended for the benefit of South Da-
kota when he was not even ;G public.
official, the oath was duly attested
by w. H. King, "a Byrne employe, and
was passed by the president Of the
board of charities and corrections. On
April 8, 1911, State Auditor Ander-
son wrote a letter to Mr.. Lanning tell
ing him that the bill had been cut by
$1199. am wondering whether Gov
ernor Byrne will also fire Lanning.
Chairman S. X. Way Also.
81 have also in my possession three
bills which S. X Way of Watertown,
sent to the state for job work done
under a contract with the state. Mr..
Way is the candidate of the machine
for state chairman. He is the pub
Usher of the WatertoWn Public Opin-
ion. He sent to the state bill for
5000 on work for which his bid was
$1.90. On another piece of work his
bid which was accepted was SASS
and he charged the state $16.12. On
another item his bid was $500 and he
charged the state $7.44. The three
bills aggregated 1886, while Mr..
Ways actual bid for the work was
$22.98. Here was an attempted graft
of $10.SS, or about so per cent more
than the contract he had with the
state. am wondering whether Gov
ernor Byrne will fire. Mr.. Way off
the ticket as a candidate for state
chairman or whether he will try to
defend the graft which Mr.. Way at
tempted.
"Let me drop hint that there is
plenty more of such matter available.
1t shows what the people are up
against as long as this machine is in
power, and how important it has been
to have watchdog Of the treasury
on the job. 1t is declared that State
Auditor Anderson has saved the tax
payers of this state $1o0,G00 during
the three years that he has been state
auditor. It strikes me that it would
be a mighty good thing for the tax
payers of the state to have a man
like that in the governors chair"
II, VT. frlsll VIII