The Green Forest tribune., 1914-12-18
Governor Removes Board.

CdIue to d nedu fIIudy. IHe TSSlSlld- | tion of Dr. J. l.. Greene as superinten- dent of the insane asylum, under con | ditions that made his stay intolerable, | has aroused a public indignation | that is unprecedented.
 l Dr. Frank B. Young, elected tempo | rarily as superintendent, was Thurs | day evening elected by majority of 1 the board for a full term of four years, 1 while a mass meeting was in progress l ill Little Rock church condemning | them for forcing Dr. Greene out. Fri | day morning E. w. McCorkle of Ark adelphia and Conrad Elsken of Subj aco, adherents of Dr. Greene, resign ed. Friday night Governor Hays sum- marily removed from the board B. c. Parsons of Batesville, R. c. Love of l Mountain Home, w. c. Dunaway of Little Rock and s. M. Shane of Para | gould Gen. Thomas Greene of Pine | Bluff, an appointee of Governor Hays, alone remains.
 Robert w. Hart, the secretary, who is elected by the board, automatically | loses his position, since he will not be | elected by the new DOarO.
 Governor Hays letter is as follows 'It is with the sense of deep regret that I feel it my duty as an official of | the state to remove the members of | the Board of State Charities.
 "On December 5, 1914, addressed communication to the members of the | board, notifying them that unless | satisfactory answer was made to | charges of misconduct immediately | following the meeting of the board, would demand the resignation of each member A committee composed of | three members, to-wit: Messrs. s. M. | Shane, E. c. Parsons and E. W. Me | Corl1le, notified me Monday afternoon | that report of the board would be | filed not later than Thursday of this week. Up to this time I have received | no further notice from the board. It | is an admitted fact by all members of the board that, contrary to Act No. 1 234 of the General Assembly of 1913, at page 1905, which provides that no officer or boards having authority for the letting of contracts for the expen-
 diture of public funds can create a deficit or to use one appropriation i for any purpose other than for which i the appropriation was made, the Board of Charities, without authority, | created a deficit in the building of the
 power plant at the State Hospital | for Nervous Diseases in the sum of several thousand dollars, and that
 this deficit has been paid out of the | general appropriation for current eX- l penses of the running of this institu- l tion A violation of this statute is a 1 misdemeanor, the punishment being 1 fixed at fine of not less than fifty
 dollars nor more than two hundred
 dollars. It is true that your board
 called my attention to this matter 1 but long after the deficit was created.
 "It is also admitted by members of i the board that an automobile was ! purchased for the use of the board. also a chauffeur employed for the run min gof same. This, in my judgment,
 is violation of the spirit of the law
 It is also admitted by members of the
 board that a majority of same made contract with Dr. Young, electing
 him for four years, holding that the four-year term of Dr. Greene had ex- pired, when, in fact, in my judy t, i a contract could have only beey to fill out the uneXpired term o1 -Jr. Greene, which would have been until
 September, 1915, as I am informed.
 There are many other acts of mis-
 conduct charged against the board
 by Dr. Greene, the facts of which have no personal knowledge.
 For the reasons above stated 1 am justified in taking this action.
 Should you desire, you may tender l your resignations at once; otherwise,
 you may consider this notice of your
 removal from the board.
 "Messrs. E. w. McCorkle and Con-
 rad Elsken, members of the board,
 rendered their resignations this morn i ing This order of removal does not
 apply to General Thomas Green of l Pine Bluff, for the reason that he was
 appointed since the trouble and ir-
 regularities complained of occurred" 1" i Condition of State Banks.