The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-11-28
Ex0NERA1ED.'s
fcontinued from Page one.l

CONTINUED from Page One.J
per article alleging unlawful nepotisn
y practiced by q control board member
was printed in a southern Kansas pa
Der. Bowman denied personal re
sponsibility for that The three artt
cles were collected and reprinted il
circular form and used in behalf Of
Arthur Capper, Republican candidate
Tor governor. Bowman admitted be-
fore the commission having handed g
copy Of this circular to member o.
4 the Billiard campaign committee WITT
the suggestion that it might serve the
purposes Of the Billiard campaign a
well as it did the Capper campaign.
As these articles contained state
ments impeaching the official integ-
rity Of Democratic members OF the
control board, alleging disregard OF
the state law in reference 70 award
ing contracts. mismanagement OF the
new state hospital for insane a,
Iarned, the wrongful appointment OF
relatives by members of the board
and unfair discrimination in favor OF
bidders at state contract ettings, Gov
ernor Hodges Immediately after the
election, directed that the conduct OF
the board members called in question
be inquired into by a special commits
0IOn 8el0CI0O I4AC SS&eO AO6sSAe~
ture. After some discussion the COM
mission was named as provided by
law to include three members OF the
house and two from the state senate.
The commission appointed to near
the evidence in the case is composed
OF Senators Jouett Shouse ana Sonn
r. Overfield; Representatives w. w.
Gordon, Frank Chase and w. H. Dod-
deridge.
The three members of the board
were suspended by the governor,
pending the Investigation.
Throughout the inquiry the I'M
provised court was conducted in the
senate chamber, the five members OF
the commission sitting as judges. BY
direction OF the governor. John DaW-
SON. attorney general. and Inomas ~;
for the commission and from time to
time participated in the examination
Of witnesses or gave instruction as to
the legal aspects or value OF evidence
offered.
w. e. Brooks and Stance Myers,
Democratic members of the board, re-
tanned Ed McKeever and John j.
Schenck, Topeka attorneys, as coun-
sci. Fred Jackson, former attorney
general. represented Harry Bow
man who himself, put questions
to the various witnesses and at times
conducted his case alone. BY state
law witnesses not already on the
states payroll are allowed witness
fees and mileage. The commission had
full power to summon witnesses. The
expense of the investigation, which
will probably amount to many hum
dreds of dollars, will have to be paid
from a deficiency appropriation by
the next legislature and nobody will
receive any pay or reimbursement I'M
til that is done.
The Commissions Report.
The full report Of the findings by
the commission follows:
Honorable George H. Hodges. Gov
ernor OF Kansas.
We. the undersigned committee, ap-
pointed under Article 6, of Chapter
los, OF the General Statutes of Kan
sas, OF 1903, to investigate certain
charges of official misconduct on the
part of the members OF the Board OF
Control of Charitable Institutions,
namely. w. E. Brooks, Stance Meyers
H. D. Bowman, member of the
the following report:
One-We find from the evidence
that these charges, were made by GER
tain newspapers during the closing
days Of the recent political campaign.
from material furnished to them by
n. d. Bowman. member Of the
Board of Control.
For Political Purposes.
Two-we find that the said
charges were made by H. c.
Bowman for political purposes;
that said H. G. Bowman has
been q member of the board of control
since 1905 and until February, 1913. the
entire personnel Of the board OF con-
troll was Republican, and was respon-
sible for the management and control
Of the state charitable institutions. We
and that in February. 1913, w. E.
Brooks. a Democrat, became member
OF the board Of control. and in July.
1919, Stance Meyers, Democrat, be-
came a member OF the board of con-
troll. We find that at various times
during the present Democratic state
administration the admirers OF that ad-
ministration have claimed that large
savings have been made in the letting
OF contracts for supplies for state in
situations, and that Mr.. Bowman dis
agreed with those claims Of savings.
and that the so-called charges which
he made during the recent campaign
were only intended, as set forth by his
own evidence, to answer the claims of
his Democratic opponents. We find
from the evidence and by repeated adj
missions Of Mr.. Bowman that he had
no other intention than that this mat
ter furnished by him to the newspapers
should be used for campaign purposes,
and both by the evidence and by Mr..
Bowman's admissions 1t is clear that
he did not intend to charge his assoc
c1ates on the board Of control with any
omcial misconduct or official derelic-
ton Whatsoever.
Three-We find, by advice Of counsel,
that the political activity of H. c. Bow
man in furnishing the material for
yheee campaign documents to the
Republican State Central Committee,
the Billiard Central Committee, the Pro-
gressive Central Committee and to Will
liam Allen White and to Ed P. Greer,
and to the Topeka State Journal, is
not a violation of law nor sufficient
ground for charge Of official miscon-
duct against H. c. Bowman AZ a mem
Der Of said board. An examination of
the statutes shows that while a men,
/ Der Of the board of control y forbidden
to be q candidate for office while he