Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1913-06-25
CONDEMN West
On RATE CASES
INVESTIGATING COMMITTED RE-
PORT sFlEREIN CRITICIIESN
ATTORNEY GENERAL.
EXPENSES TOO Liberal
Ccnsurc Ills EAWnding States Money
for Shoe shines aud unnuthor-
ICED Assistants.

OKLAHOMA CITY, June "a
(SpecialD That Attorney General
West may be nm extremely active and
energentIc officer and prompted by
what he thought best but that some
of his policies have not served the
best interests of the state nor are
hardly in keeping with the position
he holds as chief law officer ana ad-
wiser of the state government Is the
way the general investigating com
mlttce Of the house summarized their
opinion Of his official career IN re-
port filed Tuesday.
The attorney general is censured
for various expenditures from the
fund of his department., including
such wide range as shoe shines a.
unauthorized assistant attorney gen
erals, and Is particularly criticized
for his handling of the Oklahoma ,
cent rate cases. The stipulation filed
IN 1871 which stopped all action II
the oklahoma cases, says the commit.
tee, will cost the travelling public OF
Oklahoma approximately $2,5O0.OI
and has put oklahoma two years be
hind neighhoring states in fighting
such litigation.
Anticipate Action.
The report OF the committee antici
pated the action of the attorney gen
eral Tuesday in fling a motion to dis
solve the Hook injunctions, and eX
presses little confidence in such pro
ccedure "Of course, the committee
is not unmindful OF the fact tina
should the attorney general be abl'
to secure the dissolution Of this tenn
porary injunction in the circui
court" says the injunction and tn
railway companies should accept The
decision Of that court without appeal
ing therelrom, that a large amount o
this loss would be saved, and Will,
this might happen, still it is our eX
perience in litigation with railway
corporations that they don't surren
der a point Of this Importance with
out going to the supreme court o
the United States"
Criticize the Code.
The investigating committee hand
ed in two other reports Tuesday upor
fl, ,,,,.,y.ti,r commission Vbig
receives some general criticism anC
some specific commentator and upor
the annotations in the HarrisDal
Code by c. O. Bum. Bum is severe
ly criticized for inserting the 81. A
r." annotations, which In effect th'
committee says, compels lawyer t
buy set OF the l.. A. X. reports Il
get any benefit from the annotations
The fact that Bum received a com
plete set of such reports from the l.
A. II. Publishing company to inser
the annotations advertising it's pub
licatiOns the committee especial,
condemns.
The committee finds that the ex
pense Of the attorney generals Office
to the state has been S16l.403.72 fol
the five and one-half year since state
hood. That the last year or so h,
has regularly employed out OF var
ious funds OF his Office three add
tional assistant attorney generals ant
three additional stenographers. above
chose allowed him by the Legislature
at salaries fixed by himself. This tht
committee states to be 'in direct ViO
lation of the spirit and letter of thu
constitution and laws Of the state.
The committee refers to the Item o
S3,I02 spent 10y Attorney Genera
West for detective hire" in 1905
which first came to light when stat,
examiner and Inspector. c. A. Taylor
made his famous report upon thu
state dispensary in 1909, as mOnel
spent without proper vouchers oi
itemization. Expense accounts of tn,
attorney general while attending ma
generals at Buffalo. 1908. New Yorl
1903. Salt Lake in 1911, and st. Loui
In 1912. amounted altogether to S29G
the committee believes unauthorize,
by law. Some expense items in othe
trips upon official business are criti
cized. as they include shoe shines
cigars, tips, fruit. etc. The commit
tee reports however that the sun
total of such items Is small. and tina
the attorney general fully itemize
such expenditures and undOubtedl
believed. under his construction u
the law. that such were prope
charges against the state.
Misuscd the Stamps.
Mr.. Vests stamp bill especial
500 in May and $500 in June. 1919
is criticized the committee reportin
that It found a large number o
these stamps were used by the at
torney general to attempt to initiat
a gross revenue measure"
II is also shown that the attorne
general furnished postage for SO
letters by Campbell Russell. presi
dent OF the Peoples Power League. L
Minute Men" and postage for letter
A. Grant Evans, secretary Oklahomi
Branch Of the National Federation o
Precinct clubs, sent out over tn