Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1920-11-10
GRAHAM PARDONED BIZ GLEN
ENT
CONTINUED from Page One).

(COnC1nu0Q from rage OuCJs
paign throughout the state of YER
mont, and On several occasions called
attention to the improper methods of
handling the states business which
existed at that time. Again in 1906
I went into the matter more in detail
| to my audiences that the system of
making of advances from the state
| treasury to numerous state officials
| was wrong and would bring disgrace
| and disaster upon the state.
.sDuring all the period, from 1902
] to 1917, you were the auditor of &C
/ counts of the state, and as auditor
/ you were continually making such ad-
vances. Your action, was, however,
well known to the chief executives of
! the state, and to all of the Legisla-
lures which convened during that per-
iod, and to those officials who made
examinations of your office, including
| Fred S. Platt, Luther A. Cobb and
Frank Williams.
'Under No. 20 of the Acts of 1906,
there was a commission appointed
which consisted of yourself, Joseph A.
DeBoer and Olin Merrill, authorized
to examine into and install system
/ of auditing State accounts That
commission made careful examina-
ton and report in approval of the
/ system in operation.
! 1.-The committee on claims of the
Senate of 1906 reported as follows:
/ GIVE have examined the biennial
report of the auditor of accounts and
find same to be substantially correct
as shown by the books of his depart
| ment. We have examined report
| sheets and vouchers and we find he
has receipted vouchers for all bills
paid, as the law demands. Personal
| expense accounts are subscribed to
under oath and are accompanied by
proper vouchers.
"'We find that the books are kept
in a most intelligent and up-to-date
form, and much credit is due to the
| auditor of accounts and his assistants
for the improved methods in use'
/ "A report of a joint special COM
mittee to investigate the method of ac-
/ counting used in your office is as fol-
lows:
"'Your committee believes that
this report shows a very satisfactory
method OF transacting the work of
the auditors office and that the audi
tor is to be highly commended for the
| improvements, which he has made in
the methods used
"That report is signed by w. j. Van
Patten, chairman on the part of the
Senate, and John A. Mead, chairman
on the part of the House.
Again in the campaign of 1918, at
tention of the voters was called to
this system of making advances; and
the Legislature of 1919 authorized a
change, which was made effective
July l OF that year, whereby no adj
vances are made from the State
treasury to State officials, doing away
with the plan of conducting the
States business which has caused
trouble in the past
when you finished your term of
office as auditor of accounts in 1917,
there was a balance of money, due
from you to the State of Vermont, as
appeared by the record upon the
books of the auditor, which record, ]
understand, has not been questioned
and which balance has since been
paid by you.
81 have briefly called attention to
the conditions which existed during
your term of Office as auditor of ac-
counts of the State, because the
knowledge of what was going on by
the public, by the Legislatures and
by State officials generally has a
bearing upon the question of your in
tent and upon the action which / am
now taking.
en- the fall of 1916 you were elect
ed governor, the highest office in the
gift of the people of Vermont A few
weeks after you assumed the duties of
that office, Vermont, with the other
States of the Federal Union was en-
gagged in the great World War. In
cident to the part which Vermont
played in the war, tremendous bur-
den of duties came upon you, but you
were interchangeable in the. perform
ance of those duties. You enrolled
$4,000 of our boys who went into the
service of the federal government to
fight our battles. You were in con-
slant touch with our soldiers.
"In addition to the war work which
you accomplished, you advocated and
secured budget system, and board
of control, whereby the business of
the State is better handled than ever
before. You brought to Montpelier
State offices which previously were
permitted to be scattered about the
State. Your services to the State of
Vermont during the two years of your
governorshlp were second to those of
no other government since the days of
Thomas Chittenden.
"Whereas / accept the action of the
honorable court, nevertheless on ac-
count of the great and valuable serv-
ice which you have rendered to the
State of Vermont and the suffering
which you have endured by reason
of your Indictment and trial, I grant
you an unconditional pardon, and
restore you to full citizenship in this
State, which has in the past so high
ly honored YOU"