The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1908-09-28
TORE EVIDENCE
INTO SHREDS
A Telegram Figures in the
Charges Made by the
oklahoman

Russell Is the e01tOr OF. the Demo-
crat at Ardmore, one of the leading
daily Democratic newspapers Of Okla
hona. He was an active supporter
Of Lee Cruce of Ardmore for the DEM
ocratic gubernatorial nomination
against G.. N. Haskell. That contest
was one Of the bitteress known. In
Oklahoma. In his newspaper. the
Muskogee Tribune, Haskell assailed
Cruce personally. Russell publicly
denounced Haskell many times and
ever since has been opposed to him.
Several years ago Russell fought a
street duel at Lawton with Colonel
Hawkins, a. Democratic politician, and
killed. him. Their quarrel arose over
articles In Russell's newspaper Rus
sell never hesitates In backing ND his
newspaper statements. Hers iB the
statement he gave out In Kansas City
in the form of an open letter to Mr..
Bryan: 80
Bryan Tore Them Up, He Says.
william ]. Bryan, Lincoln. Neb.:
kansas City, Sept. %. 190s-Dear
Sir: I notice that in your reply to
President Roosevelt's attack on Gov
ernor Haskell you say you were en-
tirely ignorant Of there ever having
been any charges made against Mr..
Haskell. If you were ignorant of such
charges, 1t is because you refused to
read them when presented to you
when you visited Oklahoma last fall
In the interest Of Candidate Haskell.
At that time personally presented to
you ten typewriter pages Of charges
against Mr.. Haskell, covering his op-
erations in Ohio, New York, Arkansas,
Texas and Oklahoma. You did me the
courtesy of tearing them up and
throwing. them out Of the train win
dow without reading them. The charg-
es recently made by Mr.. Hearst were
all made by me at that time.
Fix Il Up with Haskell7
II now offer you the following In
formation concerning his relations
with the Standard OIL subsidiary
companies in Oklahoma since he be-
came governor:
"Last spring, before the Prairie OH
and Gas company began operations
IN. pipe line construction in violation
Of law made visit to Guthrie. While
standing in the statehouse lobby, w.
A .Iedbetter, attorney for the Waters
Pierce Oil company In Oklahoma,
came out of Governor Haskell's pri-
vate office and asked me TO accompany
him to the telegraph office, aA he had
very important telegram to send.
On the way to the telegraph station
he explained that he had been in con-
ference with Governor Haskell on
some oil matters When we reached
the telegraph, ONCE Mr.. Ledbetter
wrote this telegram to Colonel J.. D.
Johnson Of st. Louis, general attorney
for the Waters Pierce Oil company:
4 have just finished q conference with
Governor Haskell and everything is
satisfactorily arranged In a very
short time the Prairie Oil and Gas
company began preparations for con-
structing their pipe hne without be-
coming domestic corporation.
Then Came the Suits. II
Attorney General West began
threatening suit. Haskell protested
against West. However. West did in
stitute the suit. Haskell fought the
suit through all the courts to the state
supreme court with hired private
attorney on the ground that the gov
ernor alone could institute suit. A
few days before the supreme court
handed down its decision Haskell pre-
pared lengthy document, covering
nearly two pages In his weekly paper,
the New State Tribune. l personally
saw, the letter from Colonel ). D.