The weekly soliphone., 1915-07-02
DICKINSON ISSUES
 REPLY TO WAMiS
State Auditor Emphatically Denies He Has Been Guilty of Any
 Wrong Doing

ready to come DelOre Che'C o""9 " onv time and give any information be may have regarding the transac- tions with Special Accountant Thomas. In a previous statement issued by A. J. McAmis, a recent clerk in the auditors office, Dr. Dickinson was challenged to lay the matter before the grand Jury
 CT know that it has been my ln- tention to have the office conduct ed on a high plane" says Dr. DICK ;nson "and if there has been any wrong doing on the part of any em- plove. I do not think he IS now connected with the office; but II there has been on the part or any one now in my employ, l would like to know it.
 q will not only be glad to ap- pear before you myself, but any CT the clerks in the office will just as readily respond"
 MT. McAmis, in denying that he had discounted certain warrants, suggested that the matter be refer red to the grand jury. "At the time I did not think it worth while," says the auditor, "as pre- yious grand jury of this county had decided that it was not vlo- lation of the criminal statutes of the state for a clerk in the audi tors office to discount warrants. But when the challenge was repeat ed it was accepted
 Dr. Dickinson has issued a fur ther statement to the effect that the Investigating committee seeks to make a simple business transac- tion appear crooked from a polltl- cal standpoint and desires appar- ently to continue the agitation for political reasons" He reiterates that he knew of no deal between Stoddard and Thomas, and certain ly could not want any deal.
 '.There was no occasion for any such deal,' says pr. Dickinson, "because I had been in charge of the auditors office only about three months, and, however crooked might be disposed to be, I certain Iy would not be guilty of wrong doing as long as the auditors were l in the state house.
 MT. Stoddard asked me to sign the Thomas note as security day or two after I had been advised that the auditors had completed checking my office and had written their report. l couldn't see any 1 thing wrong about it as business transaction, and if I had wanted to play politics in the matter I would have made a grand stand play and refused to sign the note, exposing the whole proposition to the pub
 MT McAmis had apparently been engaged by the committee to play the part of a spy, and no doubt | he will be rewarded in time for | his treachery However, since he and the Arkansas Gazette seem to believe this matter is proper sub ject for the consideration of the grand jury, I am surprised that l Mir. McAmis, who made the charge, has not formally presented it to the grand jury. He has been seen frequently hanging around the committee rooms since severing his connection with my office. In de- fense of myself from unwarranted aspersions by a bunch of politicians I am today asking the grand jury of Pulaski county to take charge and make a thorough investigation. have made this request in let 1 ter to the foreman of the grand jury, setting forth that if there is any crookedness in my office don't know it and would like to | nave IL brought to IlSHl. " ueu l learned of the difference between Mir. Thomas and the committee, asked the comml tee to send two or three accountants back to my office to check my administration thoroughly, and I think that should have been done before casting in- situations about crookedness in my office. If the committee had been fair with me and with the people, they would have done this before making their report.
 'I hope that I am not so little that l would go trotting to a grand jury when nothing could be gained
 by so doing. which explains my req sons for deciding to drop the mat
 ter, as I had put the truth before
 the people in my statement last
 Sunday"
 This is accompanied by an affi
 davit from Deputy Auditor Wm | Stnddard who save tbat F,