The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1910-02-10
PROBE INTO PUBLIC ExPENDl-
TUREs RESUMED.
WEST IS AMONG WITNESSES
investigation is Causing Little Worry
to Governor, Who is Conducting
Own Defense.
BY Associated Press.


Guthrie, Okla, Feb. 1O.-State Ac.
countant Charles Taylor, whose off.
cial reports contained the information
leading to the legislative investigation
Of alleged Irregularities in expending
the state funds, was the first witness
called today, when the hearing before
the legislative investigating commit
tee was resumed. Governor Haskell
is cross examining the witnesses in
troduced to establish the charges
against the state officials and it is not
believed that he will take the stand
in his own behalf before all of the
charges have been brought out in
the evidence.
Attorney General West is among the
witnesses summoned to testify before
the committee.
Governor Haskell was not greatly
troubled yesterday at the hearing of
the legislative investigating commit
tee with which charges were filed
that Governor Haskell used state
funds for purposes other than those
for which they were appropriated. A
majority of the committee are demo-
Gratis. When the inquiries of the
counsel for the prosecution were close
to uncovering the details of certain
transactions the witnesses were told
by the committee not to answer them
This was true in the case OF 0, t.
Smith, private law secretary to Gov
ernor Haskell, who went to Ohio and
other states in 1909 supposedly in the
service of the state, and while there
took dispositions for Haskell in his
suit against William r. Hearst, follow
ing the attack by the Hearst news
papers when Governor Haskell was
removed as chairman of the demo-
cratic national committee. Smith told
the committee that for such time as he
devoted to private matters he gave
the state credit by proportionate
reduction in his monthly salary of
$3.50. The month he returned from the
east does not show reduction in his
salary. Smith said that probably the
reduction was made in some later
month.
Governor Haskell took Smith i'll
hand and asked him if he did not re-
member that George Risser, a lawyer
at Lima, o. had rendered valuable
service to the state while working
privately for Governor Haskell, that
Governor Haskell had paid Riser by
private check for his service, and then
told Smith that this ought to be a fair
offset for the time taken by Smith
from the service of the state in his
private work for Governor Haskell.
Smith said that he remembered the
conversation, but was unable to say
whether this Offset had been applied
in April, 1909, or whether his monthly
salary payment had been reduced in
some subsequent month. The COM
mittee ordered Smith to produce the
records of all his financial transac-
tions with the state
The testimony of w. T. Hutchings,
Muskogee lawyer, jointly indicted
with the governor for the alleged Mus
kogee townsite frauds, disclosed that
he had been paid fee of $500 by Has
kell in January, 1909, for giving his
legal opinion as to what the legisla-
ture lawfully might do in employing
the grand father" clause. the educa-
tional test, and the poll tax require
ment, in determining the oualifca-
tions of voters and in buying a tract