The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1919-03-06
Adjutant General Moody and Governor
Alexander Accused of Reckless and
Illegal Expenditure of Public Funds

of DIR. C. s. Moody, authorized by th'
legislature upon the recommendation
Of Governor Davis, has disclosed &
condition that will probably result II
Scriminal proceedings against DR.
Moody and possibly against ex-Gov-
ernor Alexander as well. The investi-
cation was conducted by a legislative
committee, of which Hon. A. Fl Fea-
therstone, of Shoshone county, was
chairman. The report was adopted
by both houses. The document is toe
long to publish in full, but the fol-
lowing extracts will give an insight
to the reckless extravaganza that pre-
vailed for which the adjutant general
and governor were responsible. They
also show an astonishing disregard
for the law on the part of the former
state auditor, Clarence VanDeusen
and former attorney general, IT, A.
Walters;
illegal Expenditures.
I'VE find from investigation of the
records in the adjutant generals Of
fee that beginning about the month
Of April, 1917, certain salaries and
expense accounts, which will be more
particularly set out hereafter, were
paid and allowed out Of the adjutant
generals fund without any warrant
of law or any other fact or circum-
stance that in any manner justified
such expense; that subsequent to
said date, salaries of officers, to-wit:
the ex-adjutant general, himself, and
his assistants, were allowed and paid
in excess of that allowed by law with
out any legal warrant or Justification;
that various and sundry expense &C
counts were allowed and paid out of
the fund of the adjutant generals Of
flee which were not incurred in any
necessary exercise of the official du-
ties, or otherwise, by those to whom
said expense accounts were allowed,
as will more particularly hereafter
appear.
"In coming to the conclusions
reached in making our findings, as set
out herein, we have taken into con-
sideration and made full allowance
for the fact that our country was at
war and that the state was called up
on through the adjutant generals Of
flee to assist in handling a novel sit
uation. Notwithstanding this fact,
however, we find that the ex-adjutant
general, in assisting in the handling
of matters connected with Idaho's
participation in the war was grossly
extravagant and careless, and he
made and sanctioned large expendi-
lures of moneys that We're in no way
connected with his office or with war
activities.
Board of Examiners a Farce.
"Mr. Clarence Van Deusen, former
state auditor, when shown the various
vouchers for items that he admitted
were questionable charges against the
state of Idaho excused himself by
saying that the certificate on the
vouchers had been signed at his re-
quest by the stenographer who had
full authority to make such certifi-
cate and to sign his name thereto and
that owing to the. large number OF
vouchers that We're presented that 1t
vas impossible for him to personally
examine them, and when shown the
warrants on which the money was
paid out from the funds of the ad-
jrtant generals Office, he admitted
that he had signed the same and ex-
eused himself on the ground that
they must have been presented with
numerous other warrants and he had
signed them without examining them.
Former attorney general IT, A. Wal
ters excused the questionable pay
ment of funds from the adjutant gen.
erals office practically on the same
grounds that is that so many claims
were presented that the board Of ex-
aminers approved and allowed them
and in many cases did not even re-
auire the receipts that are provided
by the statutes to accompany the
vouchers. He also attempted to JUS
tify the expenditures of money from
the adjutant generals fund for trip
t. Wallace Idaho, on the ground that
he was the personal representative of
ex- Governor Moses Alexander, and
although he admitted that he had no
commission and no order was made
him to go to Wallace, but
that he made the trip solely at the
request of the ex-governor and charg-
ed the same to the adjutant generals
fund as he did not consider 1t law
full charge against the funds of his
own office. The testimony of these
two gentlemen conclusively shows
that during the past administration
the state board Of examiners has been
nothing but a farce and no protection
whatever against the unlawful ex-
penditure Of the money of the people
of the state Of Idaho.
Salary Raised illegally.
1--WE find that Mr.. Moody's salary
was fixed by law at $4,000 per year,
which was drawn in monthly INSTALL
ments We find that from October 1,
1917, to January 6, 1919, Mr. Moody
authorized the payment to himself
a. - H. A.A4 80