The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1912-03-01
OWEN REPLIES TO
EX-GOV. HASKELL
Says Haskell Was Compelled to Work
For the Initiative And the
Referendum.

and asked II he would make reply, sen
ator r. L. owen this evening said.
did you expect me to reply?" Eyes,
the interviewer said, "of course. He
claims in his letter to be the original
defender q the mandatory primary
and claims taat you protested against
the right oil the constitutional con-
yention TO require primary for state
and United States senatorial nomina-
tons to be made in the summer OF
1907. What have you to say to that"
The senator said: 81 shall not trou
BILE myself to deny anything that Mr..
Haskell has said about me, but will
leave his accusations to rest upon the
reputation for veracity and accuracy
he has already made for himself.
Haskell was compelled to agree and
did agree to work for the initiative
and referendum and the mandatory
primary as a condition of his election
to the constitutional convention.
"This demand was made upon him
when candidate for membership of
the constitutional convention in a cir
cular letter from the joint legislative
committee of the American Fedora
tion of Labor. OF the Farmers Union
and of the railroad brotherhoods. In
order to be elected he agreed to sup
port these demands. This step of
questioning candidates was brought
about upon the instance of Samuel
Gompers, upon suggestion made by
me, through George H. Sibley, presi-
dent of the Peoples Rule league, with
which have long been associated"
what have yo uto say about Mr.,
Haskell denying that you had any
thing to do with putting the Peoples
hule' issue in the national platform
and claiming that he and the sub-com
mittee of seven formulated the entire
platform?"
The senator said: Il went to Lin
coin for the express purpose of get
ting Mr.. Bryan to ask that this issue
be put in the national platform. He
gave me a letter to his person repre-
sentative in Denver asking that it &c
into the platform and it was done.
have a letter from Mr.. Bryan in recog
milton of my action in the matter"
Mr.. Haskell denies having anything
to do with machine politics and say
in his letter: Il have never takel
part in the organization of any kind 0
a political body except straight on
democratic clubs and he intimate
that you have done SO.
Senator Owens said Il am not SUI
prised at Mr.. Haskell's denial, bu
nearly the entire state believes h
multiplied offices and public institl
tions at the expense of the taxpayer
to build up ma Aine, and that he VI
dertook to use his old appointees an
mlitlcal henchmen to organize ever
democratic county precinct caucus !
the state with a view of having hin
self indorsed by the county conyel
tions and by the state convention tt
the United States senate. His ol
friends were boasting that sixty coul
ty conventions would indorse him Q
February II, 1912. Certainly in Mlt
koeee county the best citizens belieN
that he had his strikers pack the pr
cinct causes, hold some of them b
fore time and some of them after tin
and that he had the Muskogee count
convention packed with his supporte
for the purpose of extracting from II
democratic county convention of n
home county a prearranged indors
ment of himself for United States sc
ator while | was absent from hon
attending to the business of the pc
ple of Oklahoma. His disclaimer
machine politics is more emphat
than convicing."
"Nlr. Haskell says the democrat
national committee sat down on yo
clubs at Washington"
The senator said: That remin
ne of Mr.. Haskell's lieutenant, Bra
Of Tulsa, and the calumny against !
and the federatio nof democratic p
cinct clubs fathered by poor Charl
r Peters of Hominy and eirculat
wholesale through the state OF .
Haskell. The printed record OF
democratic national committee sho
tile facts William J. Bryan, Char
Clark, Woodrow Wilson and otf
great democrats indorse the fede
tioE of democratic precinct clu
while Mr. Haskell, Tate Brady, II
raggert, Roger Sullivan and James
Guffy condemn this movement.