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Show Former Attorney General, Gen-eral, as Representative of Land Board Secretary Secre-tary W. J. Lynch, Says Officials Under Cloud Will Welcome Audit of Department. DOUBTS POWER OF SUSPENSION Denies That There Has Been Any Disposition on Part of Client to Interfere In-terfere With or Bar Way to Investigators Who Have Been Put to Work in His Office. Expressing doubt as to the authority of Governor Bamberger to suspend William Wil-liam J. Lynch, secretary of the state land board, and branding as wicked the charge by inference that irregularities existed in Mr. Lynch 's department, former for-mer Attorney General A. E. Barnes and his law parser, G. A.Vverson, as representatives repre-sentatives of Mr. Lynch and the members mem-bers of the land board, made the following follow-ing statement last night after a conference confer-ence with their clients: The state land board every- member mem-ber of tt is and has been willing and anxious for a thorough audit of Its books, covering: this, as well as former for-mer administrations. There was an audit at one time by an outsider former State Auditor J. A. Edwards but an audit at this time from the beginning, be-ginning, which was . statehood, would take the time of the most reliable and dependent men for a period of several sev-eral years. Welcome Audit. I speak for myself and all past state officials when I say that we would bo glad to have a thorough audit of every department of the state government. There is and has been no disposition disposi-tion upon the part of Mr. Lynch to interfere with or to balk a thorough Investigation. Two accountants, Erown & Brown, were sent to the office of-fice some time ago to audit the books. They were given access to everything every-thing in the office during business hours, but Secretary Lynch deebned to permit them to work In the office when he was absent. This was perfectly per-fectly proper. Mr. Lynch Is under two bonds, one of $500,000 and another anoth-er of tin. Oon, and a number of the most prominent business men in HIt Lake City are his sureties Mr Lynch was simply protecting himself and his bondsmen when he refused to lee Brown & Brown work in the office of-fice In his absence. He could do nothing noth-ing else and do his duty to his bondsmen. bonds-men. Lynch's Big Bond. When a board Is appointed bv proper prop-er authority to take charge "of the office I mean by that appointed by the governor and confirmed bv the senate and that board has appointed appoint-ed a secretary, who has given a goo,! and sufficient bond, everything will be turned over. All the present board members want is I protection, and each Is under a bond of J10.000. with Mr. Lynch, the secretary, being under un-der 5iin.(ino additional bond. So t"2r as the present board is concerned. con-cerned. I have had close personal acquaintance ac-quaintance with eacii of tho members during the past eio-lit years and I am positive teat everything connected with the oftice is as straight as a siring. Says Charge Is Wicked. The charge by inference that the members of this board are crooked is wicked, libelous and vicious in the extreme and I do not believe ti e peo-pie peo-pie of the state will take any such view. William J. Lynch is known as (Contir.ucd on Paze N!b BRANDED AS LIBELOUS (Contluued from Page One.) a higti-minded. honorable man, and so are the other members, Y. D. Candland, A. G. Giauquc, J. K Chi-dester Chi-dester and T. 11. Merrill, and I am confident that the decent citizens of the state t will not uphold any such charges and insinuations. I am positive posi-tive that 'there lias been no loss to the state through the land board within the past eight years and I do not Relieve there ever has been. Doubts Authority. Mr. Lynch, as secretary of the land board, will be on the job at the usual hour Friday. He has millions of dollars dol-lars of state property under his charge and he is responsible for it not the governor. Mr. Barnes also expressed doubt as to the authority of the governor to suspend a state official, as he has ordered in the case of Mr. Lynch. |