The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1913-04-20


the main purpose of which was al
effort to discredit the governor
charging that disgruntled member!
of the legislature, disappointed be.
cause they could not foist upon the
taxpayers 'iniquitous and outrage.
GUS" legislation, were seeking every
means to injure his administration
and ultimately start Impeachment
proceedings, Governor Lee Cruce
fired the hottest shot of the season
into the camp of the lawmakers
i Thursday in the form Of an excori-
ating message, which dealt boldly
with personalities and criticised what
is termed the lavish expenditure Of
the extra session.
Notwithstanding the governor with
held his judgment as to the charges
against Warden Reed and his as
; sistant, he declared that if one-halt
, OF the report be true, they should
be summarily dealt with. But he
said that if the committee has mis-
stated facts with reference to the
warden as it did in regard to the
board of control, no credence could
be placed in the report. The percent
of certain diseases in that institu-
ton. he. declares is grossly misrep-
resented, the committee reporting
1O4 while the report made to the
department OF health shows only sev-
enty-eight.
From time to time, the governor
sets forth in his message that COM
plants were made to him concern
ing the institution, and the matter
referred to the commissioner of char
tiles and correction who made Il
thorough investigation and reported
the general condition of the prison.
On January l. he declares, the chap
lain, whose testimony is greatly re-
lied on by the house committee,
wrote that considerable good work
had been carried on by him and that
the institution was III excellent shape.
No Complaint From Solons.
The message asserts that there Is
q representative and senator in the
legislature who live near the inl-
stitution and yet they have made
legislature who live near the III
the retormatory. If the condition is
as bad as the house committee re-
ports, these gentlemen, declares the
governor, should know something Of
the state OF affairs.
Governor Cruce asserts that if he
had signed the Muskogee fair bill
and the redistricting bill, which
would allow some ambitious men,
bers to go to congress, there would
have been no such report as that
returned by the house committee
which compared the reformatory to
the Black Hole of Calcutta and to-
'TSodom and Gomorrah.
The governor declares that the
question of the reformatory was
brought before the attention of the
legislature in November, 1912, when
it was urged that it be definitely de-
termined if there should be a re-
formatory in the state. The recon-
mendation further sets forth that If
the legislators felt that 1t was too
extensive that the institution at Gran
ite be abandoned and the prisoners
be removed to McAlester where the
facilities were better for handling
the convicts. 4
The governor declares that Speak
er Maxey in urging the special ses-
sion promised that it would not last
more than thirty days and that in
fairness to the legislators they should
draw their $6 per diem. Upon TINS
stipulation, the governor says, he
called the special session, that the
chairman of the investigating COM
mittee has broken faith with him
and that che is now seeking to JUS
tify the money spent and the time
lost by making fictitious and sensa-
tional charges against state Off
cials, 10 detract the attention of the
public from his lack of official duty
Text of the Message.
The complete text of the message,
together with reports of the institu-
tion made by the commissioner OF
charities and corrections, follows:
ITO the House of Representatives of
the Fourth Legislature in ENtraor-
binary Session Assembled:
81 have just finished reading the
report filed yesterday by
the central investigating committee
dealing with the Oklahoma state re-
formatory at Granite and its manage
ment.
"I confess my surprise that such a
report could emanate from any body
of men entrusted with official hon
ors by the people of Oklahoma, and
in dealing with this report | shall
be just as plain in my statements as
has been the committee in its report.
In what | shall say shall deal di-
rectly with the members of the com
mittee who are responsible for that
report, and | want to exonerate the
house of representatives which, in
the midst of excitement and passion.
voted upon this report without ever
having seen any of the testimony
upon which the report is based.
can we'll understand how any body ;
of men listening to the reading OF a
report filled with as much sensation ;
alism as this report bear could be {
Induced to vote in way that in a
measure condemned those referred 10
In the report without first having
taken the time to investigate the ,
accuracy of the report. s
II know that | have friends in the ]
legislature and | thought that | had |