The Harrison times., 1915-07-24

we uUu lHdL WullS ne was elupIOyluB
special counsel and paying states
money for it, he was at the same time
doing outside practice to the neglect
OF the interest of the state,
I'VE further find that the attorney
general, in making his biennial report,
as required by law, failed to comply
with the latter clause Of section No.
4 Of act No. 131 of the Acts Of 1911,
requiring him to include therein the
amount OF inheritance taxes collected
from what estate and in what county
the settlement was made. Had he
complied with this law, many of the
objections herein could easily have
been corrected, and all inheritance
taxes could have been accounted for. "
The report then sums up the
charges.
The report was signed, Auditing
Committee of State Departments and
Institutions, G, w. Garrett, Monroe
Smith, U, A. Gentry"
Moose Issues Challenge.
That he deposited franchise and in.
heritance taxes in local bank in or.
der to be able to cash the salary war
rants Of the governor, the judges of
the Supreme Court and their en-
ployes, and that these officials advised
him there was nothing wrong about
such practice, was the statement
made by Attorney General w. l..
Moose in reply to the report OF
the legislative investigating commit
tee on his office.
In conclusion OF his statement, Mr..
Moose issues a challenge to the com.
mittee to bring its proof of corrup-
tion in his office before the Pulaski
County Grand Jury.
"If the insinuations OF this so-called
committees report are true, the pres.
ent attorney general ought to be in
dicted by the Pulaski County Grand
Jury and be punished for the felonies
the committee insinuates he is guilty
Of" he said. Il invite the gentlemen
composing this committee to take
their accounts and such other proof
as they may have available and go be-
fore the Pulaski County Grand Jury,
and submit their proof to that body.
1t is body having adequate powers
to investigate, and require the produc-
ton OF books, papers and other eyi.
dences. II has the power to indict,
the Circuit Court has the power to
convict and punish. II these insinua.
tions are half true, the attorney gen.
eral ought to be indicted, II they are
false, and / charge that they are, ma.
liciougly hypocritically and SANDER
ously flase, the committee itself
ought to be indicted,
invites an investigation
Mr. Moose's statement follows;
"There are no direct charges Of cor
rupt misconduct in Office on the part
Of the attorney general charged in the
report of the so.called investigating
committee, as 1t appeared in the Ga.
2ette, but there are several di.
rect insinuations which amount to
a charge of corruption, These in.
situations are hypocrItieal, false
and slanderous. Some OF them
were known to members Of the com.
mitee to be false, and some Of them
were not known to members OF the
committee to be true,
Aided officers to Get Money,
"The first charge made is that the
attorney general deposited public
funds in the Southern Trust Company
Il banking institution Of this city,
That charge Is true, and funds were
kept in the trust company until March
Of the present year, since which time
no funds have been deposited by the
attorney general in any banking insti'
tuition The reason for dcposltlng
funds In the Southern Trust Company
Ia Ns follows When | came into Office
found the state on scrip basis,
The governor and other state officials
could not succeed at the end of the
month in collecting their salary war.
rants unless someone provided the
money In advance for that purpose,
The same condition existed under my
predecessor, and when came into of
fee followed the custom,
"ln the collection OF the inheritance
and franchise taxes | deposited the
collections In the trust company, and
at the end Of the month had NcGumu'
lated sufficient money to pay the eala'
rIes OF my own ollloe force, those Of
the governor and his ONCE force the
Supreme Court judges and their
clerks, and the Supreme Court libra
Fian, and others, Although this had
been the custom In the Office before
came into Il, | discussed the matter
with the governor and with certain
members Of tho Supreme Court, and
they all agreed that there was moth.
ing wrong or improper In my no doing
During the aeBaion OF the late legialRs