The Oklahoma miner. [volume] (Krebs, Okla.) 1912-192?, 1913-07-03
PRIVATE CHARACTER EXCEL
LENT; OFFICIAL CONDUCT
NOT APPROVED.
LAST OF THE MAXEY REPORTS
Poor Advisers and Allowing Appon-
tees to Violate Laws Charged
His Whole Administration
Reviewed.

ness III MS untalterlng reliance upon
the advice of his personal friends,
when nearly everybody in the state,
except himself, is convinced that many
or his advisors, some in responsible
public positions by his appointment,
are concerned only with personal
profiting out of the public treasury"
Thus does the general Investigate
Ing committee of the house OF repre-
sentatives, in a unanimous report, last
of the long series of the Investigations
made by the committee, summarize it's
opinion of Governor Lee Cruce.
The most carefully prepared of all
the reports made by the committee,
based upon matters the committee has
been probing ever since it came into
existence more than four months ago,
and including as evidence the testi-
mony and statements of Governor
Cruce himself during a ten hours sit
ting before the committee, it is un-
questionably the most remarkable as
public document Of all the reports of
the committee.
Citizen Versus Official.
AS a citizen and as the highest Off
cial Of the state the governor received
mingled praise and severest censure.
"a man of the highest private integ-
rity," says the committee; IAN official
who has not measured up to the anti
cipations of the people, and many Of
whose acts cannot but be harshly crit
icised"
The report makes no recommends
tions and stands rather as an analysis
of Governor Cruce and his official acts,
as seen through the eyes of the legis-
lature, than an indictment. The COM
= ittee removes the one point on which
1host talk of Impeachment was based,
alleged violation of the nepotism laws,
when it states that the circumstances
surrounding the employment of the
governors brother as attorney for the
banking board were not such as con-
stitute an illegal act on the part of
the governor.
Severe criticism is meted out to the
transactions by which Attorney G. B.
Stuart was engaged by the governor
cases. The committee calls the ex-
penditure Of the $4,000 appropriated
by the legislature as a melon cutting
by the lawyers to whom 1t was paid.
The governor is given credit for
paying the stTictest personal attention
to the duties of his office,
The report was adopted by the
house by viva voce vote.
His Politics Came High.
Concerning the governors cam
paigns, the report says:
I'VE find that the governor spent
about $4,000 in his first campaign to
secure the nomination for governor,
and a considerable sum after his NOM
ination. In his second campaign for
nomination we find from the evidence
that a large sum was collected and
expended in his behalf by his friends
and managers.
1--WE find that r. w. Dick, warden
OF the penitentiary, raised consider
able sum Of money to be expended in
the governors behalf; that a note
for $4,000 was executed to the Capitol
Hill National bank by John r. VIII
liams, secretary of the school land de!
partment, John Doolin, game warden,
r. w. Dick, warden of the McAlester
penitentiary, Lon Frame, member of
the board of affairs, and the money
expended for campaign purposes. That
John r. Williams was his authorized
political manager at this time. Other
sums were raised by r. W. Dick
"We find that the warden of the
ranite reformatory, whose removal
hase been recommended by the legis-
lature heretofore, on account of gross
neglect Of duty and incompetency, is
still retained by the governor, ana
that conditions there maintained were
of long standing, and to some extent
at least we'll known to him. The law
had placed the governor in a very com
manding and responsible position with
reference to this institution. He was
chairman of the board of prison con
troll. He knew or should have known,
in our judgment, that the manage.
ment OF that institution was disgrace
to this state, and we repeat that a
proper administration of the board
OF prison control, of which the COVER.
nor Is chairman, would have resulted
in the removal OF the warden long
before the findings OF this committee
and the assembling OF the legislature,