Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-08-18 | Page 16 | Fraud Charged; Graham Silent

FRAUD CHKD; GiMLEf MONTPELIEK, Vt., An-. 17. Gov- i cruor Ilora.-e I', liraham, who whs askivl jesti'nlay in ri-Mihitions.ailoptt'J by the J Republican state committee to resign I immediately because of the discovery i of alleged irregularities in the handling i of his accounts while auditor, au- i nouneed through Ms private secretary I toduv that he would make no statement j until he had obtained a full report ot the committee 's. action. In his report to be presented to the j legislature and made public today. Hank j l oinmii-sioncr Williams said ho was compelled to disagree with the recently published statement of Governor Graham Gra-ham as to the facts shown by the auditor's audi-tor's books. On March 20. 191V said Mr. Williams Wil-liams in his report, "1 began the regular regu-lar elimination of the auditor's office and found that ex-Auditor Graham had drawn orders to himself since my last examination, which was made after the ciose of the fiscal year of 1916, to the amount of for which there were no receipts or vouchors showing expenditures, expen-ditures, and there appeared on the books at that time a balance which was not vbuehered, including the above, of "I called the attention of the governor gov-ernor to it, and he said it would be adjusted ad-justed immediately. I concluded to make a more extensive and complete examination, which extended over several sev-eral weeks. This examination disclosed the fact that there were orders drawn hv ex-Auditor Graham to himself during dur-ing his terms of office amounting to $17,000, and there were two orders amounting to $3000, the avails of which he had charged in two different highway high-way accounts for which no credit vouchers can be found. Orders were drawn bv him to himself during the term of office of my immediate predecessor prede-cessor to the amount of $6500, for which there are not now vouchers or receipts. The balance of the orders drawn to his order for w-hieh -there are no vouchers or receipts, was during my term of office." Mr. Williams said that Governor Graham, Gra-ham, while auditor, paid the expenses of his department by his own cheeks, and drew money in advance on his orders or-ders as auditor to be used for that purpose, pur-pose, so that there was a balance azainst him a good deal of the time during dur-ing his term of office.