Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-09-25
EDITOR HURLS
BROADS|DE
At BRYAN
CLAIMS NEBRASKAN TORE
UP HASKELL CHARGES
Candidates Ignorance of Gov
ernorS Connection With
Standard Oil Was Voluntary
According to Newspaper Man,
lBy Morning. journal Special IAnsed wIreI


Kansas City, Sept. 24.--L IT. Rus.
sell, editor of the Ardmore. Okla.
Morning Democrat, who is in this city
gave the Associated Press tonight au
open letter to w. j. Bryan, in which
ne calls attention to the fact that the
'harges made by William r. Hearst
against Governor Haskell relative Ia
ne governors connection with the
standard oil company had previously
oeen given to Mr. Bryan, who refused
% read them. Mr. Russell also gives
What he alleges to be proof of Gov
ernor Haskell's intimate relations with
me Prairie Oil and Gas company. The
letter follows:
Kansas City, Sept. "a, 1908.
william j. Bryan. Lincoln, Neb.
Dear Sir ] notice that in your re-
ply TO President Roosevelts attack on
ioVernor Haskell you say YOU were
ehtlrely ignorant OF there ever having
1een any charges made against Mr..
liaskell' II you were ignorant of such
elaises II Is because you refused to
eead them when presented to Won
when you visited Oklahoma last Soii
n tne interest of Candidate Haskell
At that time l personally presented
o you ten typewriter pages of
1narges against Mr., Haskell covering
MS operations in Ohio New York Arr
kahsas, Texas and Oklahoma. You did
me tne courtesy of tearing them mn
ana throwing them out of the train
WlhdoW without reading them. The
Iharges recently made by Mr.. Hearst
we're all made by me at that time.
now ofter you the following in
-ormation concerning his relations
with the standard Oil subsidiary com
panles in oklahoma, since he became
governor:
Last spring, before the Prairie oil
ana Gas company began operations in
pipe line construction in violation OF
law, | made a visit to Guthrie. While
standing in the state house lobby w
a: Ledbetter, attorney for the Waters
Plerce Oil company in Oklahoma
came out OF Governor HaskelFs pri-
Vate OFFICE and asked me to accom-
pany MIN to the telegraph office, as
ne mad very important telegram to
'end. On the way to the telegraph
station he explained that he had been
In conference with Governor Haskell
IN some oil matters. When we reach
ed the telegraph office Mr.. Ledbetter
wrote telegram to Colonel J. d.
johnson, of st. Louis, general attor-
ney for the Waters Pierce company.
have just finished a conference
with Governor Haskell and everything
5 satisfactorily arranged In a very
mort time the Prairie Oil company
began preparations for constructing
their pipe line without becoming a
domestic corporation. Attorney Cen
eral West began threatening suit. Has
kell protested against West However,
West did institute the suit. Haskell
fought the suit through all the courts
70 the state supreme court with hired
private attorney on the ground that
the governor alone could institute suit.
A few days before the supreme court
handed down its decision, Haskell pre-
pared a lengthy document covering
nearly two pages in his weekly paper,
he New State Tribune. | personally
read the letter from Colonel Johnson
70 w. A. Ledbetter, his Oklahoma at
.orney, agreeing to pay for and circu-
late $4,000 copies of Haskelfs paper
containing Haskell's attack on West
and his defense for refusing to prose-
cute the Prairie Oil and Gas COM
pany.
I'm the past Mr.. Haskell's answer
to all charges has been, You are a
liar | wish to say that the statements
made above can not be answered in
that way, for / will on an hours no
tlce go to Guthrie and appear before
board of inquiry and there testify
under oath with Mr.. Ledbetter, making
the telegraph records a part of the
nearing, the same to speak for itself,
he conditions to be that the telegraph
records be made public and Mr.. Led
better agree to testify under oath and
answer all questions tending to prove
or disprove my charges.
Il. I. RUSSELL
"Ardmore Morning Democrat"