Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1916-10-12
GIVE HIM $3.50 FOR SERVICES AS
SPECIAL ATToRNEY OF STATE
ONLY WAY AZ GET $4,000
MORE.

Boise, Oct. lit is only just now
the republican organization is beginning
to realize that the purpose of the
majority of the Republican Land Board
in allowing the Coffin claim of $4,000
was to furnish the evidence that 7. G.
Coffin had to have to give him any
standing in pushing his greater claim
of $l4,000.OO as fee for the recovery
of the money stolen by Allen and Cole
man.
Must Show Not Assistant Attorney.
| Before Coffin could hope to recover
any fee whatever for his services as
Assistant Attorney General for the
State-a service by the way which re.
quired no greater legal acumen than to
put o. V. Allen and Fred Coleman on
the stand and to allow them to tell their
story--he must have some evidence to
show he was not an assistant attorney
general but that he was employed as n
special attorney in the case AS mat
TER of fact, he was not employed as a
Special attorney as there is no authority
in law for such employment and no such
employment was undertaken but in or
der to give him an opportunity to estab
lish some presumption that he was EN-
plcyed as a special attorney. the Repub
lican members of the State Land Board,
deliberately voted to strike out that
portion of his claim certifying that he
aced as assistant attorney general and
substituted therefor the statement thai
he swas a special attorney for the state.
This furnished the presumptive
evidence that Coffin absolutely had to
have before he would have any stand
ing whatever in his effort to recover
the $14,000.00 fee out of the recovery
of the O. V. Allen loot.
When Coffin was drawing a regular
salary from the Attorney General IS
office, he received $4,000 a month and
as soon as the Allen case came up, he
announced his resignation as Assistant
Attorney General and the formation of
a partnership to practice law with the
chief in his office, Attorney General
Peterson, and that the two of them
would open an office in Pocatello at the
conclusion of Peterson's s term.
Friend of Barker.
While he was drawing this regular
salary, he performed special services
for Secretary of State Barker who is 8
candidate for reelection, and who still
further materially aided Coffin by at
taching his signature to the check il
payment of the $4,000 attorneys fee
which was allowed. These services
! consisted in compiling and indexing tn,
, Session Laws, Road Laws and Corpora
! ton Laws of the State, a service per
. formed during the months from April t,
July, 1915, and for which service he re
! ceived an additional compensation o
$4,000 which together with his 500
salary gave him an income from tn
9 State from these three months of $lo5o
4 besides his two claims for $3.50, and TO
= $l4,000.00.
!. = Purpose of Resignation.
+ Apparently, his resignation as Assis
4 tant Attorney General was made for tn
purpose of giving the Attorney Genera
y y an opportunity for his claim OF $14,00
f in prosecuting the case against 0. '
o Allen. At any rate such claim wa
: . made and an injunction secured whic
> has tied up that amount of judgment 0
), the $4,000 secured against the ALE
n bond.
i May Not be Pushed Now.
. That claim is still pending before tn
:. Board of Examiners and it is understoo
! that it will not be pushed until afte
i election, whereupon if Barker is reelec
+ ed to succeed himself as Secretary c
} State, and member of that Board, b
,r and Attorney General Peterson wi
,s override the opposition of Governc
Alexander just the same as Barker, Hu
ton and Miss Mccoy overrode his opp'
~ siton in allowing the $4,000 claim an
% will transfer the $4,000 now held
?. the State Treasury under suspense a
# count to Coffin IS personal account.
% Republicans Alarmed,
,s Because of the realization on the pa
i. of the Republican organization OF til
il real intent of the majority of the Ian
m Board in overriding Governor Alexal
N der's objections, they are grealy alarm
5 ed. They understand the people al
,s beginning to see clearly that this actio
N was laying the basis for an additions
raid upon the treasury, which has arou
ed even greater indignation than Il
=, theft of Allen and Coleman. Every e
~ fort is being made to relieve the rest I
u the Republican ticket and the Repu
y, ~ lican party from any odium by claimir
~ that it was the act of individual Repu
- lican officials and in no wise represents
= 4. the wishes of the Republican party WI
oo |