The weekly soliphone. (Paragould, Greene County, Ark.) 1907-1918, 1915-03-05

| if it had wanted to publish the whole
truth, it should have stated that the
4 records show | voted against the
payment for the first automobile and
against the original rock crusheI
contract
Il feel like Mr.. Owens and Mr.
Kingsley have been unjustly assailec
in this report In the first place Mr..
| Owens is in no sense responsible for
the first automobile, neither is he
responsible for the minutes which go
o show that the purchase of the au-
tomobile was authorized.
| "Mr Kingsley was authorized by
the board in session to make GER
tain trips which the auditing COM
| mittee now severely criticises. Why
his bills were not paid sooner | am
at loss to understand. but was in
formed by Mr.. kingsley that the
chairman, Mr.. Dye, had refused to is
sue the voucher for the same.
! 81 feel like the committee has I'M
Justly assailed the commission in its
report in the trip to Atlanta. This
trip was talked of by the commission
for some time and after mature de-
liberation on it, it was decided that it
was best to go in order that the
commissioners, together with Prof.
Kock of the University, should at
| tend this convention, and in addition
thereto visit Washington, New York,
! Pittsburg and other places in order
| that the commission might familiar
! ize itself with the different modes
of building roads in the various
states. Mr. Kingsley filed a report OF
his visit which the commission au-
thorized. and the commission filed its
report of it's visit to Atlanta and 9TH
err places-and it does seem to me
that if the committee wanted to be
fair. it should have stated in the re-
port why the trip was made.
With reference to the free auto
mobile tags which were issued, Will
say that this matter was never even
brought to the attention of the COM
mission, nor authorized by the COM
mission, and in this the chairman has
been uniustly assaulted because ma
| iority of these tags given out were
given to the charity organizations.
There was no revenue realized. Had
this matter been presented to the
commission | most certainly would
have voted to give out the tags.
ssWith reference to the purchase oil
the second automobile, will state that
soon after Mr.. Owens was indicted
into office he toook me for ride III
an old dilapidated automobile winch
we called the 'one-lunger,' and the
only thing that was said to me con-
corning the purchase OF an automo-
hile was some time after this Incl
dent when [ was talking with Mr..
Owens, He told me that he and DR.
Dickinson had snapped their old
automobile and gotten new one, but
that they had issued voucher to be
paid in April, provided the commis1
sion authorized it, and II the commls-
sion did not authorize the purchase
of this automobile, that he and DR..
Dickinson would purchase it them
selves. A little later on when | was
in Little Rock | was told by DR.. Dick
inson that by mistake voucher had
been presented and paid, but in order
that everything might appear regular
| on the records we had better let the
records show that this automobile
was purchased. He also stated he
did not want the commission to think
he intended to purchase this automo-
/ bile until such time as they thought
if would be needed by the depart
ment. The chairman OF the lnNesll-
eating committee knew that | voted
against the purchase of the first au-
tomobile, and he personally knew
/ that | voted against the lease OF the
state rock crusher. And he also
personally knew that | had employed
him and his firm to bring suit against
the chairman of the state highway
commission to force him and his
bondsmen to pay back to the state
this sum of $127500. And why he
now sees fit to go out and make re-
port that would unjustly assail one or
his friends am certainly at loss tc
understand.
1.-The report of the investigating
committee attempts to saddle on Mr.