Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-01-17

lalnants Aimed
+ Allowed.
Des MoiAo 14-(special.)
State mine 4miners testified
before Governor Cummins that
they changed the questions pre-
pared by d. O. Phillips, a former
member, and that therefore his
friend, T. T. Isaac, Of Hiteman,
failed. Phillips Is a witness
against the board. Governor
Cummins ended the hearing today
and will decide next week.
Des Moines, Jan. 14.-D. G. Phillips,
until recently a member of the state
board of examiners of mine inspectors,
made several sensational charges in
his testimony before Governor Cum.
minis yesterday in the hearing relative
to the claim Of persons who failed in
the examination in March, 1904, that
the board was prejudiced, incompetent
and unfairly rated the candidates.
Mr.. Phillips testified that former
Mine Inspector John Werner had asked
= w lawn liC uSSuduSO W I'LL IN
to Mine Inspector James e. Miller,
now in Illinois, of a certificate without
compelling them to take an examina.
ton.
President H. Booth Of the mine ex.
aiming board said afterward that
Werner and Miller had asked for a
resolution which he regarded as equiv.
alent to a certificate, reciting their
perfect competency to pass an exam.
ination. He opposed 1t, with Mr.. Phil.
lips.
Ed Gray, Of the board, said that he
had proposed the resolution, and 1t
was not more than a declaration that
the two men had once passed an exam.
ination. The question of the power
OF the board to do this was taken to
the attorney general and he decided
that men who had once received Ger.
t~iflcates did not have to be re-exam;
ined.
Governor Cummins took occasion to
ask Mr.. Phillips If he understood that
Mr.. Werner had asked him to do a cor.
rupt thing, declaring that he had al.
ways believed Mr.. Werner to be an
honest man. Mr.. Phillips said he did
not knnW-the motive.
5 OtheF CTdF9eSs
MI. Phillips said that Mr.. Werner
had told him that mine inspector exam
nations in Iowa had always been
open to suspicion.
John Price, attorney for the per-
sons who failed at the examination and
now attacking the examining board,
asked MI. Phillips if he did not know
that they always had been farces. Mr..
Phillips said he did not.
IF / were summoned / should testify
to that fact myself" said Mr.. Price,
respecting past boards,
The inquiry had nothing to do with
past boards, so that the testimony is
not taken.
This point was brought out when
Mr.. Phillips had said that the ques'
tions in the examination of 1902 had
been furnished beforehand to certain
candidates. Mr.. Phillips said in sub
stance:
Before the examination of 1902, had
gone very far we had reason to be
lieve that the questions had gotten
away from us. And since it has been
said by the man who had them, Floyd
Davis, that he did have the questions
and there were men here studying
these questions. I have reason to be
hece that a mine inspector of the state
of lowe was one of them.
| helped examine the candidate or
the oral questions. He had his les
son well learned. For I was looking
out at the monument, reprehensible
as that may be. and after he had an
swered a question he inquired if there
was not a second part of the question
Nothing had been said to indicate that
there was a second division to the
question. l take it from that he had
been under special instruction AND
knew our questions.
Mr.. Phillips referred to Mine In
Epector Ed. Sweeney, who denies the
charges, of course.
Defeated candi6ates' Stories.
Each Of the three complaining wit.
nesses presented their stories to the
governor in detail.
William Abram of Hiteman said
that he began to suspect they were
not receiving a square deal the third
day Of the 1904 examination, when
Examiner Owen told his nephew, one
Of the candidates, that not one of them
would pass, though but eighteen Of
forty questions had been looked over
When asked why, he is alleged to have
said that it was on account of a new
rule adopted by the board, providing
) that not more that fifty per cent should
be given on an answer which contained
any error, however trivial, whereas The
old rule had been to give whatever pei
cent the candidates real knowledge
indicated he should have. Then thu
examiners refused to show them thei,
ratings. Examiner Phillips had salt
that three or four would have passei