The Red Cloud chief., 1899-02-24
AIr. Lichty's Letter Of Charges.

am asked TO state the reasons that
led TO my discharge from the state
auditors office. In short, 4 am
bounced from the state capitol be
OF my continued protests
against free railroad passes in the
pockets OF popuiist officials and be-
cause OF my opposition 10 hold ups,
awleSsness anu stealing OF state
funds.
State Auditor Cornell has had a hard
road 20 travel for months. lie tells
INC that state officers have been pro-
lane and severe on him for t%o,eraring
. man 30 disloyal to our highly re-
speeted rulers. If an appointee of
mine ever opposed me AS | have op-
posed the state auditor / would not
tolerate 1t n day.
/ told Cornell long ago that | would
eheerfuIy walk out any day he ten
dered me q written discharge.
While i never asked for the Office,
Mr.. Cornell in December, 1896, insist
cd on my accepting the position. |
fet l should not resign; l don't be-
ueve In running away from a fight.
Boon after the populists entered the
state house the corruptors of mankind
came also. They distributed no end
OF railroad passes. Many had Pullman
passes and express and telegraph
franks laid on their desks. I protested
that this was an insinuation that pou.
ulists were base deceivers. / was as.
tonished to find that the gifts were
generally received and that l was
eone In protesting against this bad
Saith. i deserved to be fired thus early
In the game. A little later, and iust
before the railroads were assessed 70,
1897, with the auditor rs chairman O.
the assessing board, an elegant rail
road train was backed up TO one of the
dcpots OF this city. This train hat
Pullman sleepers, dining car and al
The luxuriant appointments hear.
could wish. Everything on this pal
ace on wheels was as free as the ali
and IL carried the state auditor ant
his family. with a number of hi,
friends and Deputy Auditor Pool anC
q long list OF others from the capito
. thousand miles into the resorts o
Che northwest. / unhesitatingly de
nounced such jaunts as suicide TO
our party leaders and SURE destruction
% the populist party. From this O,
4 saw the state house converted int
. great free pass broker shop wit
come OF II So, 1000 and So, 500 a yea
officials doing very little besides get
eng free passes for themselves an
friends. j saw populists well paid I
work for the state, but instead OF fee
Eng like hired men they felt like ruler
OF the people and were continual
seeking free jaunts from the Atlanti
20 the Pacific and from the gulf q
ar north aas il was comfortable I
20. I of course kept on protestin
and thus the feeling grew that / we
daAloyal to the gang and deserved [
be bounced. I said, "Bounce ava,
and ] will try TO find business anon
consistent honest people."
W. had been in Office at the capt.,
only n few monts when / discovere
that c. G.. Pool, deputy state audito
had drawn a warrant for S235 will
OUT authority of law. I spoke to Sens
tors Mutz and Beal OF the investiga
Ing committee, and they looked int
the ~fair. They entirely agreed wit
me and demanded that the money /
returned to the treasury. Mr.. Po,
refused and Auditor Cornell suporte
him. Mutz and Bsal referred the di
pute TO the attorney generals oHic
and both Smyth and Smith said II wa
unlawful and cannot be tolerated. TIL
state auditor and Deputy Pool strong
" resisted and l have never yet hear
that the money has been returned I
che treasury. This man Pool draws a
che state warrants and handles tn
appropriation ledgers. The S235 WI
OF t1e 1895 appropriation and II Pot