The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-08-18
CFrom The OklahomanD


state board OF education was com
menced Thursday afternoon in a pub
lie hearing before Governor Cruce.
DIR. Henry Meier, deposed by the
board as head of the department of
German at the state university. who
Is now employed in the same depart
ment at Vanderbilt university, Nash
VILE. Tenn, was the only witness ex-
amined at the first session. His di-
, rect examination was concluded just
before adjournment He will be sub;
jccted to cross-eXamination when the
hearing is resumed Friday morning at
80 o'clock.
It is not expected that any of the
other Witnesses will take up as much
time as did Meier. as he is the chief
witness for the prosecution 1t was
he who made the Investigations and
obtained the affidavits on which the
opponents of the board are relying
primarily in the hearing. Meier tes-
tilted in regard to his own dismissal,
without a hearing and without charges
and also related the result of his in
vestigations in regard to Lynn Glover,
now president of the Tonkawa prep
aratory school and Paris Perswell,
selected financial agent of the state
university to succeed ". w. Williams.
Governor Cruce had stated at the
beginning of the hearing that this is
not to be Undertaking proposition.
and that he would not consider
charges against the character of any
employe of state school unles: 1t
could 3e shown that members OF the
board knew of conditions at the time
the appointment was made. Meiers
testimony was calculated to show
that such knowledge was in the pos
session of some members of the
board in both of those cases.
After Facts Only
The hearing was opened with n
statement from Governor Cruce. in
which he announced that he would
not he bound by technical rules OF
evidence. but would try to get at the
facts in any manner possible. so far
as they affect members of the board
He stated emphaticaliy that the hear
ing is not "to be whitewash;" that
if the charges We're sustained he
would not hesitate to say so, and il
not he would he equally ready to
give the board clean bill. He in
sisted that there should be no delays
and that the hearing should be push
ed to a conclusion as rapidly as ros-
sible. as he had suspended all bust
ness OF the state for it.
The governor stated that some of
the charges are frivolous in their
character. but that three of them in
his opinion are vital and fatal TO the
members of the board if proven. first,
that they had allowed political cOnsid-
erations to influence their actions,
meaning thereby not so much parti-
san politics as school politics. includ-
ing the alignment with one of two
factions in the schools of the state
and the antogonism of the other sec
ond. that men had been removed for
the purpose of giving their places to
personal tavorites of members of the
board. third. that men of unquestion'
ed reputation had been removed with
out charges or notice and with no
chance to be heard. In connection
with the last item the governor stat
&c that he would have no more iusti
fication for removing members of the
board on an eX-parte statement than
the board would fer such action, If
found.
He stated that the charges in re.
gard to the dominance OF the Ameri.
can Book company had very little
weight with him. although If proven
they would of course be sufficient
cause for the removal of the board
members so found guilty.
Meier's Testimony.
When Professor Meier was placed
on the stand he was sworn by w. 7.
Hunt, notary public employed in
the state superintendent office. He
stated that he had been recommended
for reappoiutment by both President
Evans and President-elect Monet,
submitting written Endorsements from
them and other educators and a tele
gram from Monett. He stated that
he had inquired as to whether there
were any charges against him. and
was told that there We're not, the
change being made merely because a
better man had been secured. He
also submitted a copy of a second
latter Seut 70 Suuerintendent Wilson