The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-02-12
FACTS IN REGARD TO CHARGES
Engineer A. r. Hirst Makes Public Ma
ture of the Irregularities Charged
Against County Highway Department
Mcclellan May be Operated on.
(From Thursdays Daily

There were no ascending rockets or
other fireworks at the court house this
morning when members Of the Wis
consin State Highway Commission
came to the city to begin the hearing
of complaints made against the admin
istration OF the Office of Highway
Commissioner by M. G. Mcclellan for
when the commission was all set and
ready to 90 ahead with the hearing it
was announced that Commissioner Nc
Geehan was neither mentally nor ply
slcally able to be present and that it
would be impossible to go on with the
hearing without him and an adjourn
ment was taken until Feb. 23rd. At
that the hearing was not wholly dis
appointment for the facts in the case
were pretty well laid before the peo-
pile by Engineer Hirst and the presi-
dent of the commission declared that
the commission would hold the hear
ing regardless Of the time it took to
secure the attendance of Mr.. MCGEE
han and that the fact that he had re-
signed his Office would in no way af-
feet the work Of the commission in
sitting the charges to the limit
There was decided interest in the
hearing and more than two hundred
men, all of them property owners,
literally filled the lobby of the court
room, while every one of the members
Of the county board occupied seats in
the jury box. The state highway com
mission was represented by John A.
Hazelwood, its chairman, and Commits
sioner J. III. Van Doren and Chief En-
gineer A. r. Hirst.
Commissioner Mcclellan was repre-
sented by his attorney, Peter Fisher.
In opening the hearing Chairman
Hazelwood gave a very interesting
discussion of the work of the state
commission, holding that the commits
sion was practically commission with
out pay, but that one of the duties
imposed was the hearing of such
charges as had been made against the
local commissioner. He held that the
commission did not like to have this
duty, but that it would go at the mat
ter strictly in a fair manner and sift
all charges to the bottom.
District Attorney Drury declared
that the county and the board of sup
ervisors were ready to proceed, but
that they did not desire to present
evidence in the absence of Mr.. Nc
Geehan Attorney Fisher declared
that it would be impossible for Mr..
Mcclellan to appear at thv court house
but that the commission would be well
coined at the Mcclellan home and that
he would be willing to give such evi.
dence as might be desired from him
there. This plan did not meet with
the approval of the commissioners and
they insisted that all evidence in the
case be given in public. Chairman
Hazelwood demanded that some evil
dence be produced to show that Mr..
Mcclellan was too i'll to appear before
the commission and DR.. M. A. Bern.
stein was sworn He stated that Mr..
Mcclellan was suffering from a com
pieation of bladder trouble and lum-
bago and that it was possible that he
would be forced to submit to an oper-
alton before he would be able to be
out again He declared that for sew
eral days MIR Mcclellan had been in
such pam that it had been necessary
to administer morphine to him and
that he was neither physically nor
mentally fitted to appear before the
commission or to give intelligent evil
dence at his home. DIR. Bernstein de.
elared that should it be found that an
operation was unnecessary that IL
might be possible for the commissioner
to appear within week, but if he
had an operation he was unwilling 70
even make guess as to when he could
appear personally before the commits
sion
Engineer A. h. Hirst mads an ex-
haustive statement for the benefit of
the large crowd present, declaring that
the irregularities that had been charg-
ed against the highway commissioner s
department. included the investigation
Of thirty-thrce county orders. He held
that two men in whose favor orders
had been drawn had made statements
that they did not receive the money.
He insisted that ia the case Of the
csher thirty-one orders the irregulari-
ties were along the line of irregular
Endorsements. He stated that these
facts had beer communicated to the
highway commissioner two week ago
and that he had been urged either to
produce the men to whom payments
had been made or to produce affidavits
TO show the regularity of the pay
ments' Mr.. Hirst insisted that he
unwilling to go ahead with