Farmers' champion. (Elgin, Okla.) 1912-1922, 1913-04-24
CRUCE SCORES
COMMITTEE
ogcLAR9e GRANITE REPORT
AIMED TO DlscRgolT 40.
MiNisTaATIoN.
FAILURE TO SIGN BILLS IS CAUSE
Broken Faith On the Part of teels.
latlvs Leaders and Lavish TX.
psnditurs Of Peoples
Money Charpee

6Henolnk the mouse con m1ttooo In
vsstigation Of the Granite reformatory
40 . star chamber proceeding, the
main purpose Of which was an effort
to discrsdit the governor. charging
that disgruntled members Of the leg
islature. disappointed because they
could not foist upon the taxpayers "in-
iQuitous and outrageous" legislation.
were seeking every means to injure
his Administration, and ultimately
start impeachment proceedings. Gov
srnor Lee Cruce nred the hottest shot
Of the season into the camp Of the
lawmakers In the form Of an excori-
ating message, which dealt boldly with
termed the lavish expenditure Of the
extra session.
Notwithstanding the governor with
held his judgment as to the charges
against Warden Reed and his assist
ant, he declared that II one-half OF
the report be true. they should be
summarily dealt with. But he said
that If the committee has misstated
facts with reference to the warden a.
It did in regard to the board Of prison
control, no crsdence could be placed
In the report The per cent Of certain
diseases In that institution. he de-
clarss Is grossly misreprescuted. the
committee reporting 104 while the re-
port made to the department OF health
shows only seventy eight.
From time to time, the governor sets
forth In his message that complaints
were made to him concerning the In
stitution, and the matter referred to
the commissioner of charities and cor
rections who made thorough investi-
cation, and reported the general con-
dition of the prison. On January !,
he declares, the chaplain, whose testi'
mony 10 greatly relied on by the house
committee, wrote that considerable
GOOD work had been carried on by him
and that the institution was In excel
lent shape.
The message asserts that there 10
representative and a senator In the
legislature, who live near the institu
ton and yet they have made no com
plant as to the condition Of the re
formatory. II the condition is AZ bat
as the house committee reports, these
gentlemen, declares the governor
should know something of the state o
affairs.
Gov. Cruce asserts that II he hat
signed the Muskogee fair bill and thu
rsdistricting bill. which would ALLOW
some ambitious members to 30 to con
gress, there would have been no sucl
report az that returned by the hous'
committee which compared the re-
formatory to the Black Hole OF Cal
cutta and to Sodom and Gomorrah.
The governor declares that tn
question Of the reformatory wa
brought before the attention Of tn
legislature in November. 1912. whel
II was urged that It be definitely ID
tarmined II there should be q reform
atory In tho state. The recommends
ton further sets forth that II the lei
islators felt that It was too expensiv
that the institution at Granite be abar
doned and the prisoners be remove
to McAlester where the facilities wer
better for handling the convicts.
The governor declares that Speake
Maxey in urging the special sessio
promised that 1t would not last NOR
than thirty days and that in fairness
the legislators they should draw thel
50 per diem. Upon this stipulation
the governor says. he called the sp'
) cial session. that the chairman OF th
, investigating committee has broke
faith with him and that "he Is mo-
seeking to justify the money spent an
? the time lost by making fictitious On
y sensational charges against state on
i cials, to detraot the attention OF III
r public from his lack Of offlcial duty
Report On ooard Filed.
!. The investigating committee hi
q fled its report Of the examination
D the old state board Of education qua
. rel or text book controversy, with Il
hnding that all the evidence the col
mittee had been able to obtain hi
shown nothing deserving of harsh or
toism except the unharmOnious rel
% tions between state officials whi'
- were shown to have existed at u
time Of the text book adoptions.
The report cited all the facts
9 connection with the making OF q
i 1912 text book contracts last July, al
the subsequent action Of the govern