The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1913-01-21
OFFICIAL SCANDAL
IN FULL BLAST

neadway. Monday saw the following
developments:
State Auditor Leo Meyer was ar
rested upon complaint of Attorney
General West charging perjury, and
the charge of forgery against State
Printer Giles Farris was revived
The house committee on impeach.
ment and removal held long execu-
tive session at which Attorney General
West made statement of his charges
against State Printer Giles w. Farris,
and State Printer Giles W. Farris filed
formal answer to the attorney gen.
erals charges, alleging that the latter
is himself liable to impeachment for
the methods he is following in attempt
ing to prosecute others.
The house of representatives ap-
pointed special committee of three,
Representatives Curry, Halsell and
Parkhurst, to take up the charges of
"prodigality" on the part of the attor-
ney general in handling the $4,000
he is alleged to have spent in his de-
partment since statehood.
The house committee on judiciary, to
whom have gone the forty-odd "in-
vestigating" resolutions introduced in
that body, are hard at work in the
meantime, and now are expected to
report any day, and it is understood
that most general and thorough in.
vestigation Of several departments, at
least, will be recommended, also the
manner in which investigations should
be made. There is less likelihood now
than few days ago that this report
will be sensational, due to the fact
that the proceeding before the COM
mittee on impeachment and removal
has drawn much of the fire.
Procedure Considered.
There was nothing given out as to
what occurred at the executive session
Of the impeachment committee Mon
day forenoon, except that plans Of pro-
cedure were tentatively suggested, and
that Attorney General Charles West
made long statement, but not under
oath, as to what he expects to prove
to the committee Chairman John P.
Crawford stated Monday afternoon
that the committee probably will start
taking testimony Tuesday. 1t is the
desire of the committee to first get
full power to summon and compel the
attendance of witnesses, ETC., before
beginning the impeachment hearings.
The resolution by Representative
Curry was passed by the house after
motion to refer to the judiciary had
been defeated, and a motion to table
also lost. The author allowed the
excision of the words ''unspeakable
prodigality,' which was the phrase
used in the resolution at first to char
acterize the manner the attorney gen.
eral had beer handling his contingent
account.
During the debate on the resolution,
Representative Morris arose to a point
Of personal privilege to take exception
to quotation attributed to Attorney
General West to the effect that the
resolutions directed at him by Aepre-
sentative Morris and others had been
inspired by State Auditor Leo Meyer
Representative Morris said that such
was not the case; that the platform
upon which he had been sent to the
Legislature pledged him to the very
line of procedure relative to investiga.
tions and criticisms of prodigality in
office he was following.
Reply of Farris.
The formal reply of State Printer
Giles w. Farris to the accusations by
Attorney General West was filled with
Chairman Crawford of the impeach-
ment committee and severely censures
the attorney general, not only for TAX
ing his causes to the legislature after
he had failed to make case in the
courts. but challenges his own record
in Office in language at times as ora
torical as sweeping.
Charges Against Farris.
A portion of the charges made
against State Printer Farris are as
follows: THAT one Giles W. Farris,
in Oklahoma county, state of Oklaho-
ma, on or about January 6, 1912, with
intent to defraud one William Stryker
and the state of Oklahoma, did felon-
iously forge, counterfeit and falsely
make certain Endorsement transfer
ring or purporting to transfer the right
and interest of one William Stryker
then and there doing business under
the name pf the Democrat Publishing
company, then and there holder of a
certain certificate and public security
and evidence OF debt commonly called