The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-01-31
MORE POWER
FOR STATE
ATTORNEY
BILL TO MAKE OFFICE IN
DEPENDENT OF COVER
NOR'S DIRECTION
Special to Daily Leader.

OBCCIdi 10 lSitlN lAdOtEs
Oklahoma City, okla, Jan 30- The
attorney general viii be authorized
TO bring suits in the name OF the
state on his own authority without
waiting for directions from the gov
elnor, and the employment OF outside
counsel by the various stale officers
will be prohibited if favorable ac,lon
is taken ON :, bin introduced in the
senate Saturday by Senator j. b..
Thompson OF Pauls valley.
The Oklahoma constitution tails ~
define the duties and power OF the
attorney general, ANA in consequence
of its silence on that question the SUI
preme court decided in the famous
Prairie Oil and Gas company ease
that under an old territorial statute
stil remaining in lor2e the attorne'
general could bring suit in tine name
Of the state only when directed by the
governor In that case Attorney Gem
eral West had brought custer proceed
iugs against the Prairie company.
tut Governor Haskell iuteryaned and
asked the dismissal OF the case be-
cause il was not brought by his direc-
ton The court sustained his conten-
tion in the matter
The Thompson bill authorizes the
attorney general to institute, maintain
and prosecute all actions in which the
state at large, as distinguished from
A county or other subdivision is in
tercst2d, end 10 appear in any court
at any stage Of proceedings whenever
he considers that The interests OF the
state demand it.
1t also provided that the attorney
general shall be the regal adviser for
all state officers and the sole solicitor
or counsel for them in their official
capacity The employment Of any
other legal adviser for the state or
any OF its subdivisions is also pro-
hibited except that the attorney gen
elal may with the consent of the gov
'rnor employ additional counsel. Sim
liar exclusive control Of litigation al
iecting the county is given to the
county attorney
The senate on Saturday passed final
ly bills by Franklin, providing for at
taching deeds to the pleading in suits
to fix title by Mitchell, amending the
statute is regGrd to forfeiture of bonds
in criminal cases and by Stewart. cut
ting down the time allowed for ap-
peals in civil cases from one year. to
six months
The bill by Colville and McMech-
an, appropriating 100000 for new
building for the Central State Nor
NAL school at Edmond, and Sl5.000
for equipment, was advanced to taird
reading.
A resolution was passed by The
senate Withdrawing from the govern
or the Goulding bill in regard TO the
Garfield county fair, as the result OF
an opinion from the attorney general
hat one provision of the bill was un.
constitutional This was the last day
allowed to the governor for considera-
tion Of the bin and if not vetoed or
returned on Saturday it would have
become a law without his SIGNATURE.
A favorable report was made by the
senate committee on banks and bank
ing on the bad check bill, w1ich was
reported out some time ago but later
fe-referred for some corrections.
The senate granted license as
lobbyist to ] B. Tosh, of Hobart.
president of the school land lessees
organization, and granted the state
optical society permission TO place
literature concerning the optometry
bill on the desks Of members