Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1916-10-06
ALEXANDER
STOPS GRAFT
Governor Succeeds in Efforts
to Prevent Coffin from Graft
ing $4,000 from State in
Recovering on Allen Bond.

Boise, September, 70. Cover
nor Alexander won another point
in the strenuous effort he was
compelled to make to restore to
the state treasury the money
stolen by former State Treasurer
Allen and his deputy Fred Cole
man when Judge Mccarthy
handed down his decision in the
district court in this judicial dis
trict holding that the money ten
dered by the National Surety
company in payment of the
states judgement should be paid
into the state treasury anc could
not be held up by the efforts of
T. C. Coffin, assistant attorney
general of the state of Idaho. to
get possession of some $14, 900
under the claim of attorneys
fees.
When the attorneys of the
National Surety company of
Scranton, Pa. on last Friday ten
dered to the state a check repre-
senting the amount of the states
judgement of $155, O39. 10 against
the surety bond of o. V. Allen to
cover his defalcation and that of
his deputy Fred Coleman, pay
ment of the amount was stopped
by injunction from the district
court obtained by T. c. Coffin,
assistant attorney from the Office
of the attorney general claiming
some $4,000 due him as at
torney's fees in representing the
state in suit upon this bond and
in recovering the judgment.
When the original defalcation
of Allen was shown two years
ago through the activities of the
Democrats and progressives, as
surance was given to the people
of the state that the total short.
age of that Office was 500, 900.
Since that time certain small
payments have been made re-
ducing that shortage vouched fol
to $4,000. This was voucheC
for in formal statement by the
then Governor Haines; by E. H.
Dewey, the state treasurer ap.
pointed to succeed Allan; by the
republican state central com.
mittee; by the Boise Statesman,
the Republican organ of the state
and by every other republican
newspaper in the state. It was
again vouched for by Mr.. Glea.
son, the expert accountant
brought from Chicago by Haines,
whose chief duty as construed by
himself, seems to have been to
cover up the accounts rather thar
to expose them, and it was still
further vouched for by the spe-
cial republican legislative inves.
tigation committee. Shortly af.
ter Governor Alexander took hiG
Office there was a concerted
effort on the part of the Repub.
lican newspapers to force hin
to accept this 500, 900 from the
Surety Co., as full payment oil
the Allen charge. The governor
was forced at one time officially
to notify the Office Of the attor.
ney general not to bring suit fol-
the collection of that amount un.
til the full amount of the short.
age could be secured. The gov.
ernor was accused of playing
politics in the matter and he was
charged with losing the state
nearly 50 a day interest which il
was claimed this money would
earn, if collected and placed on
deposit in the banks at the
usual rate of 81 per cent.
The governor remained firm,
however, determined to show the
full shortage in the Office of the
state treasurer regardless of who
might be affected thereby. AS q
result of his determination in re-
sisting the opposition of the re-
publican party and its officials in
the state house associated with
him, judgment was secured
against the Surety Co. for over
$50, OO0.0O in excess of the short.
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