Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1913-04-17
RIpIDItTE ATTACH MADE ON
FEDERAL AGENT bN
BOARD FACTION
TO come UP THURSDAY
Matter VIII be- Thrcshcd Out nj the
state Development Conference
Next Week


Houston Of the L. S. Department of
Agriculture to withdraw all federal
farm demonstration work in Oklah-
homa because Of the uuderhanded at
tack made by the discrcditcd faction
Of the state board Of agriculture on
W. u. Bentley Of Yakon, state agent
for the department, has aroused the
agricultural, financial and business
interests Of oklahoma TO storm Of
protest
Governor Cruce the oklahoma
Bankers association the Eastern
oklahoma Agricultural association,
the commercial clubs Of Tulsa and
Muskogee and other state oreani2a-
tions, have strongly repudiated the
action of the Brewer ElllOtt-C -Connell-
Murray faction on the state agricultu-
raj board and are using every effort
and influence to have the federal
work continued In this state.
They realize that an lrrepara bic
harm viii be done to the agricultural
as well az others interester in this state
should Secretary Houston, believing
that the attack on Mr.. Bentley repre-
sents correctly the states feeling,
carrying out his threat to discontinue
the federal work in Oklahoma ut the
end of the present fiscal year.
II Is expected that the whole mat
ter will be threshed out in the open
at the Oklahoma state Development
conference to be held In Tulsa on
April "a. The conference workers,
who include representatives from
practically every farm and com
mercial organization in oklahoma,
are Vitally Interested for two reasons.
They fully realize the value Of tho
governments work in this state.
They are also aroused because Brad
ford Knapp Of the government forces.
who was to have been the principal
speaker at the Thursday conference,
has advised the committee that Sec
retary Houston viii not let him come
on account Of the factiOnal fight
which has been started on the govern
ment men.
The charges preferred at the dicta-
tion OF the powers behind the throne
In the state agricultural board against
Mr.. Bentley are of surprising ma
ture, showing very clearly on their
faces the political intrigue and en-
nifty which fathered them. They
consist, first of a letter written by
President Connell of the state agri-
cultural college to Secretary Houston
alleging that the college, IN spite OF
strenuous efforts for the past four
years, has been utterly unable to get
the federal workers to cooperate
with IT in any form or fashion for
the agricultural development Of Ok
lahoma The second charge is that
Agent Bentley Is politically active
and that he is using the government
machinery to build up republican
machine in "A democratic state.
Agent Bentley, in his reply to these
charges, SAYS that he has always been
ready and has frequently tried tu
work with the state college and the
Oklahoma agricultural board, but
that the only way in which the board
and the college would work with him
provided that he should permit the
majority faction Of the state board to
dictate for political purposes all gov
ernment farm appointments in Okla
homa. To this he would not assent.
ON the second charge Mr.. Bentley
says that he is a democrat, but that
his work il non-political and that he
has never permitted politics TO enter
into it in any degree.
Congressman -at-Large william II.
Murray OF Tishomingo who is allied
with the Brewer Elliott faction Of the
state board, has been used To pull the
Brewer chestnuts out Of the fire II
was through him that the charges
against Bentley were presented to
Secretary Houston. Murray's person
al interest, aside from political alli-
ances with the agricultural board, lie
chiefly in the fact that one of his
own satellites. o. G. Harper by name,
of Buffalo. OKLA, has been groomed
for the last four months for Bentley 3
job.
Secretary Houston, though some
what new to his Washington job. is
still too big man to be misled by
petty politicians In oklahoma. His
first investigation showed him that
Congressman Murray stands alone,
among the members Of the oklahoma
delegation in Washington. in uphold
ing the charges against Bentley. Sen
ators owen and Gore, Congressman
Scott Ferris. James Davenport.
Charles Carter and other strong men
promptly disavowed any connection
with the plot and paid high tribute to
Bentley's work in Oklahoma.
The secretary promptly wrote to
Murray, telling him what he thought