The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-02-29
OWEN REPLIES TO
EX-GOV. HASKELL
says Haskell Was Compelled to Work
For the Initiative And the
Referendum.


.mer Governor C. N. Haskell, Monday
and asked if he would make reply, Sen.
ator R. L. Owen this evening said
Did you expect me to reply?o Yes, j
the interviewer said, "of course. lie
claims in his letter to be the original
defender Of the mandatory primary
and claims that you protested agains,
the right of the constitutional con.
vention to require a primary for state
and United States senatorial nomina.
tons to be made in the summer OF
1907 What have you to say to that o.
The senator said: Il 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 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: q 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 letter to his person repre-
sentative in Denver asking that it go
into the platform and it was done. |
have letter from Mr. Bryan in recog-
milton of my action in the matter
Mr. Haskell denies having anything
to do with machine politics and says
in his letter: 'T have never taken
part in the organization of any kind of
political body except straight out
democratic clubs and he intimates
that you have done so.
Senator Owens said; Il am not sur
prised at Mr.. Haskell's denial, but
nearly the entire state believes he
multiplied offices and public institu-
tons at the expense of the taxpayers
to build up a machine, and that he un-
dertook to use his old appointees and
political henchmen to organize every
democratic county precinct caucus in
the state with a view of having him
self indorsed by the county conven-
items and by the state convention for
the United States senate. His old
friends were boasting that sixty coun-
ty conventions would indorse him on
February II, 1912. Certainly in Mus
togee county the best citizens believe
that he had his strikers pack the pre-
cinet causes, hold some of them be-
lore time and some of them after time
md that he had the Muskogee county
convention packed with his supporters
for the purpose of extracting from the
democratic county convention of my
home county a prearranged indors9-
ment of himself for United States SEN
ator while / was absent from home
attending to the business of the peo-
pie of Oklahoma. His disclaimer ol
machine politics is more emphatic
than convicing."
Mr.. Haskell says the democratic
national committee sat down on your
clubs at Washington
The senator said: THAT reminds
me Of Mr. Haskell's lieutenant, Brady
OF Tulsa, and the calumny against me
and the federatio nof democratic pre-
cinct clubs fathered by poor Charles
Il Peters of Hominy, and circulated
wholesale through the state of Mr.
Haskell. The printed record Of the
democratic national committee shows
the facts. William J. Bryan, Champ
Gaik Woodrow Wilson and other
great democrats indorse the fedora
tior Of democratic precinct clubs,
Nhiie Mr. Haskell. Tate Brady, Tom
faggert, Roger Sullivan and James NJ
seffy condemn this movement.