The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1915-04-08
DEVIOUS WAYS OF THE CAPITAL
NEWS.

The Boise Capital News. which dur
ed to reform" all of the known poll
teal parties, always, of course. when 1t
was in one OF the opposition parties
and 1t has been in all of them at some
time-was recently investigated" by
the legislative committee in connection
with its dealings with James ii. Wal
lis. the now discredited pure food in
spector. and was found to have false
ly designated" certain transactions
entered on its cash book for the pur-
pose Of covering up the tracks of Wal
lis and assisting him in defrauding
the state out OF small amounts. Az
ter being exposed by the investigation,
the Capital News, with its usual dis
regard for the truth, undertakes to
lay the whole matter onto the shoulders
OF Wallis and thus clear its skirts.
The Statesman, however. quotes its
untruthful explanation and then COM
pares II with the exact language OF
the investigating committee In Its
report OF Its findings. Following Is
the article:
Because Wallis took some re-
ceipts given him by the Capital
News for money that he owed this
paper upon his personal account
and attached those receipts to
bills against the state whereby he
secured repayment from the state
for his personal expenses, 1t was
dishonesty. falsely and maliciously
sought to make 1t appear that the
Capital News had done something
dishonest.-Capital News.
That refers TO the evidence before
the legislative committee and that
committees report.
The evidence and the report do not
tally with the foregoing statement. II
II were correct no one would have
thought OF making the Capital News
the object OF legislative investiga-
ton because of alleged collision with
a state official OF dishonest char
acter. Certainly 1t could not be
blamed IL Wallis attached receipts
from It for personal accounts to state
vouchers In order to secure payment
from the state for his own debts. He
might do that with the most honor
able concern in the world-and with
out Its knowledge-but that was not
exactly the way 1t happened in this
case according to the evidence adduced
before the committee.
Wallis had sent a dispatch to the
Capital News from New York about
his speech there and that paper. af-
ter printing II, sent a collector to
Wallis office to collect the amount
of the telegraph tolls. It was paid
and an official receipt given--offi-
cial. mind you, a state receipt, moi
to Wallis. the individual. but to wal
lis, the state official
Now, either Wallis or the state had
to pay that telegraph bill, and It /.
evident neither should have paid il
The dispatch, being worth printing
should have been paid for by tn,
newspaper printing it.
There is another aspect--was Il
morally right for the Capital News
which has held itself up as a mode
OF purity righteousness and virtue, ant
which has required impeccability OF al
officials and others whom It opposed
TO make demand on Wallis for pay.
ment OF that telegraph billion Wal.
lis, poor man with a large famil,
and with heavy expenses? Could hi,
salary stand that sort of drain? Die
not the Capital News know it coult
not; and did It not realize that by III
action II possibly tempted him?
Diminishing the ethical point, let u,
read from the report OF the iegisla,
tive committee:
1t thus appears, and your COM
mittee finds that Mr.. Wallis in
his claim for reimbursement from
the state for the tolls paid for
this telegram (including Herewith
the Eastern Idaho Press associa-
tion item) falsely designated the
same as printing circular letters"
and the Capital News In giving It's
receipt to Wallis FAILED TO
SPECIFY WHAT THE PAYMENT
WAS FOR AND IN ITS CASH
BOOK FALSELY DESIGNATED
THE SAME AS PAPER. JAMES
III. WALLIS"
Falsely designated" The committe,
did not find from the evidence, which
was uncontradicted. that 1t was merel,
a case OF attaching receipts to bill
against the state In order TO embarrasl
an innocent concern.
The committee could hardly find tina
these items were personal accounts
against Wallis. WHEN THE CAPITAL
NEWS OWN BOoKKEEPER TEST
FLED THERE HAD BEEN Nc
CHARGE ON THE CAPITAL NEWS
BOOKS AGAINST WALLIS SINCE 1919
Evidence was also taken by the com
mittee as to a charge of $40 for "rules
paper" This charge was made by tn,
Capital News. In voucher sworn I,
by II, against the pure food inspector
department, according to the commit
tees report. Now read the following
from that report:
Mr.. C. Lee French, the book
keeper In the pure food department
at the time. testified that the pure
food department did not receive an
order Of ruled paper from the Cap
ital News at this time or any
other time: that THE VOUCHER
WAS MADE UP TO COVER SOME
OTHER ITEM; that the voucher was
made up by Mr. Fleharty; that
he (dr. French) presented the
voucher to Mr.. Wallis and told him
that mo ruled paper had been re-
ceived but that Mr.. Wallis order
ed the voucher filed for payment.
We would not bother our readers Il