The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-01-17
STATE HIGHWAY FUNDS
WILL Be INVESTIGATED.
GOVERNOR SEEKING EXCUSE FOR
NOT REAPPolNTiNG VAN
slcKLEN ON BOARD.

no forthcoming akin to the document
nut out after an examination of the
hooks Of the state penitentiary This
,;ma II is the state highway depart
n,ant which will suffer, and it is I'M
aorstood that grave mismanagement
and wasteful expenditure of the
s,ate,s funds will be charged, says the
poise Statesman of the Sth.
The highway report will probably
no similar in motive to the report on
the audit of the books of the state
nanitentiary which alleged funds "un-
accounted for" and sought to smirch
the reputation Of John w. Shook, the
former warden. The state has never
pressed charges against Shook, nor
has It sought to collect on his bond
for alleged irregularities, even though
the report placed them at more than
$4,000, and though Shook has re-
peatedly pressed for some action that
would either clear his name or sub
stantiate the charges.
No Shortage Alleged.
No charge of shortages or of funds
"unaccounted for" will be made in the
highway report, according to the best
forecasts, but the document is under
stood to have an important political
bearing. The Shook report sought to
dscredit republican and group of
republican officials. The highway
department on the other hand. will
seek to discredit democratic officials
hostile to the governor and has been
ordered and timed by Governor Alex
ander so that he may have some ex-
cuse for not Responding E. A. Van
Sicklen of Weiser as state highway
commissioner.
Van Sicklens term expires January
15 w. A. Broadhead of Mackay
holds over for year. and the third
member of the board is w. T. Dough-
erty, secretary of state. Van Sicklen
and Broadhead, though both demo-
Gratis, have been at outs with Alex
ander and the administration, as has
Eugene M. Booth former state high
way engineer, who is now in the army.
Have Defied Governor.
And thereby hangs a tale. Van
Sicklen, Broadhead and Booth have
refused to be three per cent demo-
Gratis" that is, they have defied the
governor and have not allowed en-
ployes of the state highway depart
ment to be assessed three per cent of
their monthly salaries for the bene-
fit of the Alexander campaign fund.
And Booth firmly refused to have his
department made over into political
machine. Nice jobs as road foremen
were not given to deserving support
ers" of Alexander, and in all the hir-
ing, firing and contracting for sup
plies politics was ignored.
The independence of the highway
department did not end there. the
engineer and Van Sicklen and Broad
head refused to use the state FUNDS
for building mountain roads with III
and is per cent grades merely be-
cause the construction of roads won
votes in the districts reached. In
stead, they insisted on roads with a
maximum of five per cent In the
grades because they wanted to save
the state money in the long run ana
to have chain Of highways that
would facilitate motor truck handling
OF freight for districts to which the
railroads do not penetrate.
Candidate for Governor?
All of this was enough to make the
governor want some excuse for re-
fusing to reappoint Van Sicklen, pu'
now there come disturbing rumors
from the northern part Of the state
The break between Alexander ane
the Days has been complete since the
governor snubbed the recommends
tions Of the old state council or, de'
tense and thereby caused Harry l.
Days resignation from the chairman
ship of that body
Now come rumors that Tuesdays arr
going to back Van Sicklen for COVER
nor next fall as against any man Wnoh
the Alexander faction may put W
The north approves of Van Sicklel
because ofEhis stand on the grace
and construction Of the north an
south highway and on the muc
fought over Fourth of July canyo
road, which will give the Coeu
d'Alenes a highway outlet to Spokane
When Booth resigned H. A. AAei
north Idaho man, formerly In III
employ of the Days. was appointed
the place of state highway enginee
This appointment, which was thoi
oughly satisfactory to Booth, did nc
please the governor. He is said
have had a man of his own in min'
and insult was added to injury VINE
the place was given to man WIZ
had been associated with the Day II
terests.
Order to "Show EN- Up"
This Van Sicklen candidacy rumo
coupled with the desirability OF col
trolling the jobs in the highway o'
partment and assessing the per ce'
campaign contribution on all ell
ployes, has made the governor desi
Gus of some good excuse for appoh
ing more pliable and more "reaso'
able" man in Van Sicklen's plae