Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1909-02-23

and make something of it more than !
merely the headquarters of the Indian
agent and his no-de of assistants and
clerks that were making an easy living
at the expense of the indians. Some of
the members of this investment COM
pany, finding it inconvenient to pay
their portions of the railway bonus in
cash, turned over some of their lots to
Mr. Haskell's company. And, by the
way, Chief Porter of the Greek Indian
nation, was stockholder in the Terri
torial Trust company. 1t Is declared
that Mr.. Haskell never was an officer
or director in this company, and took
no active interest in its affairs, being
occupied with the building of his com
panys railroad A few years later,
this investment company, which had
gotten considerable holding of town
lots, in the names of the stockholders
and different relatives and friends al 8
meeting, at which Mr.. Haskell was not
even present, elected him trustee, and
signed all the lots over to him, and
through him as such trustee, the lots
were all sold aud the affairs of the COM
pany wound up.
No question was raised as to the
regularity of the proceedings in con-
nection with the disposal of lots in the
Muskogee townsite until about two
years ago, when Nj l.. Mott, attorney
for the Greek Indian nation, and whom
Governor Haskell has publicly charged
with being gambler, drunkard and
dope fend, started some suits on a
few lots, to have some excuse for draw
ing his salary, it is said. These suits
were permitted to rest until recently,
and knowing ones hereabout declare
they would never have reached hear
ing had it not been for the row Govern
or Haskell got into with President
Roosevelt and w. r. Hearst, during
the political campaign last fall, and
that these two are back of the present
federal prosecution. This is street
corner talk here, and finds very few in
ueeO TO question IL.
Last week, Wednesday, a federal
grand jury, selected by a federal court
clerk, and prompted by an array of
federal attorneys, returned indictments
against Governor Haskell and six other
prominent business men of Muskogee;
and strange to say, five of those are
dan, TO and fhn ut har fUn orr 70
publicans, who voted for and supported
Mr.. Haskell, for governor; and there
were fifty others just as culpable, and
many of them members of the same in
vestment company.
Within thirty minutes of the jury
Indictment of Governor Haskell, his
bond of So 900 had been filed with the
court by friends, democrats and repub-
licans, and fifty prominent business
men asked the privilege of going on
his bond. Forty prominent law firms,
democrats and republicans, through.
out the state, offered their services to
the governor, free of charge to defend
him in the suit to be brought by the
federal government This case may
look trivial from way up in Wisconsin,
but it has assumed alarming proper
tions here in Oklahoma, and citizens,
regardless of party, resent the action of
the government at Washington, which
is considered an uncalied for insult to
the state, and which is working great
injury by discouraging investment of
outside capital here.
AS sample of the opinions expressed,
let it suffice to cite that of Attorney
Bigelow, a former Boston man, and
who, by the way, received his educa-
ton in the Wisconsin university and
law school, where he formed the ac-
quaintance of several Wausau Students.
MIR. Bigelow, after declaring that he
was an orthodox Massachusetts repub-
lican, said he was sorry to have to adj
NIT it, but it certainly looked as if it
were an effort of President Roosevelt to
discredit Governor Haskell; and Mr.
Bigelow said the worst feature of it,
from republican standpoint, was that
the effort is sure to prove dismal fail
ure, as no attorney in Muskogee at all
familiar with the case, believed there
was the slightest possibility of convict
ing Mr.. Haskell of any irregular or
questionable proceeding in connection
with this townsite transaction. In fact,
he said it would simply place Haskell in
the light of a martyr, and add to his
strength with the people of Oklahoma.
He said Haskell no doubt welcomed the
Indictment as golden promise of re-
newed political life.
Another prominent attorney put it
this way; "The federal government has
spent $3.50, 900 of the Indians money to
get Governor Haskell's scalp, when all
the town lots his company got hold of
would not sell for S25 900, and were not
worth So, 500, when they were appraised
by the townsite commission"
Governor Haskell has asked that the
suit against him be the first one tried,
and it is expected that the trial will
take place in April, in the federal court
on .Ttilca r. POwrpc