The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-08-03
GOVERNOR HASKELL SHOWS UP ATTORNEY AMES

The Governor further states that
the text book law OF Okiahama con-
tains the following psovisi6i9
The members of me board must
swear that they have no interest.
directly or indirectly, in any contract
that may be made under this act and
will receive no personal benefit there
FROM
Also:
mo person shall be appointed to
serve on said commission who has
been in the employ, directly or indi-
reetly as travelling salesman or other
wise for any publisher of school text
books"
Also:
THAT nc member of the commits
sion is in any manner interested
directly or indirectly in such firm or
corporation submitting said bid"
Also,
"That the member of the commits
sion is not and has not been directly
or indirectly interested in or related
to any publishing house, person. firm
or corporation, submitting any book.
register. record, manuscript or school
apparatus. for adoption; or in any
book. register, record, manuscript or
nor is he related to any person or
agent representing such hopse 7perra
son, firm or corporation M. ,4s.,, a.p
and that he is not related to any per-
son or agent representing srch
house, firm, or corporation. iAe 1a
In view of these several provisions
of the law and numerous other pro-
visions showing that the law, as we'll
es the spirit of the law, entities the
ssople of this state to be represented
by a state board absolutely and en-
firely disinterested in every way i'm
the school book companies that seek
the state patronage, | did not believe
that | would be warranted in permit
ting the wife Of one of the members
of the law firm of Flynn e. Ames TO
continue as n member of this board,
and I therefore declared the position
held by Mrs. Chambers vacant
Readers. we will refer you particu-
larIv TO the first telephone talk re-
peated by the chairman TO Mr. Ames
while he was on the witness stand.
and to which Mr. Ames responded:
We also call your attention to the
second telephone talk between the
chairman and Mr.. Ames and which
Mr.. Ames also admitted was sub
stantially correct.
We also call your attention to the
Flynn & Ames' contract and ask you
If it would have been better under the
circumstances for Mrs. Chambers 10
continue as a member OF the poard
when the Maynari-Merrill company
was trying to sell books to the state
We do not think so.
Believing that Mrs Chambers was
~, oil
next morning to decide as TO whether
she would resign from the board. we
are informed that upon the advice OF
Mr. Ames and others she finally, the
next morning. declined to resign and
the Governor removed her, not Oe-
cause of any guilt on the part OF Mrs.
Chambers. but because Of the attitude
of the Flynn & Ames law firm, OF
witch Mr.. Chambers is a member.
There are two or three remarhaDie
things in Mr.. Ames' statement.
First: He assumes that the Cover
nor should take his statement as the
unqualified truth. Let us ask MI
Ames which statement he wants the
Governor TO take as the truth, as MS
statement over the telephone and
later in his interview are entirely
contradictory to one another. Inc
Governor prefers to believe MT
Ames FIRST statement.
Second: He says that the bribe-
givers OF the American Book company
we're very busy. OF course we VIII
have to take the statement OF MT
Ames for this, as we do not know VINO
the bribe-givers of the American
Book Co. are: in fact we did not know
they had any bribe-givers, but II Mr..
Ames knows and is well acquainted
with them, we are bound TO take ms
statement for 1t.
Third: III Mr.. Ames has no inter-
est whatever in this matter, why did
he become so angry and SO persist
ent in his opposition to the position
taken by the Governor? He was
merely called as a witness to testiiy
To facts. although he tried to force
his opinion of law and policy on the
Governor which il will be noted above
was an utter failure, but Ames is yet
mad about the results although ne
saws he has no interest in the matter
The facts are that the Governor OF
! Oklahoma, whether as a delegate In
the constitutional conyention or as
the governor of the state never has
been able to satisfy Mr.. Ames and
probably never will be. Certainly not
until Mir. Ames changes his idea OF
! government.
Mr.. Ames is entirely correct In ms
statement that re did not appear pc
| fore the constitutional convention Tor
| his book company client The pnblc
will remember that Haskell had
rule adopted by the constitutional
convention prohibiting lobbying SO
that Mr.. Ames corll not have come
except in limitcl way according 10
that anti-lobbying rule, even II he
had wanted TO.
PAY Your OWN BILLS.