The daily sentinel., 1914-01-31
KENEHAN AIRS
HIS VIEWS ON
MESA COUNTY
State Auditor In Controversy with
Rifle Editor Tries to Ex-
plain Charges Made.
TELLS HIM WHAT HE DID HERE

The following from the Rifle TeIs-
gram will prove of much interest in
Mesa county:
Editor Rifle Telegram. Rifle, Colo.
Dear Sir-The Denver Democrat
recently reproduced an article from
the Rifle Telegram, in which the
writer charged that my recent inves-
tlgation OF the official accounts of
Mesa, Garfield and Chaffee counties
were mere buncombe and resulted
only in piling expense upon the tax
payers without producing results. 1t
was charged that l was accompanied
from one place TO another by STE
| nographer who demanded big fees
or each county, but the county COM
Inissioners in every case refused to
pay.
| have no desire to notice this
article on my own account, but the
citizens of these counties should have
the truth set before them
| am in receipt of the following
letter from District Attorney Weiser
which is sufficient answer from Mesa
county:
Grand Junction, Colo,
Jan. S, 1914.
Auditor of the State of Colorado.
Denver, Colo:
Dear Sir-In answer TO your latter
OF the 9th inst, you are advised that
tne amount of Miss Perkins bill TO
the county commissioners for her
work In the investigation in Mesa
county was s446. This included the
reporting through the three weeks In
"hlch the testimony was being taken.
and the typewriter copies of this
testimony. 1t is well worth 1t in my
Judgment and saved the county a
whole lot more than II cost. but wa
have not been able to get the bill
through. Yours truly,
WILLIAM wEISER.
My investigation in Mesa county
revealed important evidence for tbe
consideration of the grand Jury. ont
OF which several indictments were re-
turned, and the indicted persons are
now awaiting trial, except one coun-
" commissioner, who has left for
parts unknown. The stenographer
was not employed by me. but by the
district attorney. She served only in
Mesa county. She Is a member of
the progressive party and an active
party worker. | think that since one
or the commissioners was indicted
and the other two are opposed 10
MISS Perkins in her political views.
1t can readily be understood why her
services have not been paid for.
1t would have cost the grand Jury
OF Mesa county not less than $4,000
TO secure the evidence which | laid
pare, and the grand jury would have
had to stay in session much longer
than 1t did. My services and the SER
vices of the state accountants were
furnished without charge, whereas
the grand jury would have had to
engage expert accountants. The grand
jurors also would be entitled to COM
pensation for the time given to the
! Investigation. 1t is noteworthy that
the grand jury did not find fault with
my investigation. but on the contrary
found indictments on the evidence OBJ
tained by District Attorney Weiser
and myself. The investigation cost
the county nothing except steno-
graphic services. One of the princi-
pal objects of the law passed a few
years ago authorizing the state audi
tor to make such Investigations was
to save the expense of grand Jury
services.
In Garfield county l asked the
county commissioners il they wished
to employ stenographer. Two vot-
ed in favor of 1t, and one refused to
vote because l had announced | was
going to investigate bridge con-
tracts in which his former colleagues
were involved. The total expense in
Garfield county for stenographic hire
was S125, and was paid by the coun-
ty commissioners. The stenographer
was resident of Garfield county,
and was selected by the county com
missioners and not by me. The re-
suit of the investigation was that the
county commissioners employed At
torneys Wheeler and Weiser to bring
suits for the recovery of several thou
sand dollars which l found the coun-
ty had been buncombed out Of
The charges as to Chaffee county
are equally false and groundless.
However, | should like to remind the
writer of the article referred to that
should have been better pleased il
the investigation had proved to be
only an expense and that the Off
cials were above reproach.
The Investigations were timely,
conducted economically and proved
OF great value to the counties.
Yours respectfully.
ROADY KENEHAN,
Auditor of Gtafo