Manchester Democrat., 1919-03-19

hers be named by Chairman AdarrlnS-
ton to choose a list Of five layers,
one of whom could lie chosen by the
whole committee as counsel 10 help
conduct the case prevailed after
some strong statements by members
that they wanted full and fair in
yestigation of the matter ii there
proves to be anything to Investigate,
and that they want this investigation
to cover not only the granting OF the
pardon but the proceedings IN which
the pardon was set aside and young
Rathbun sent to the pentenitentiary.
This prevailed. and the Investigation
started right then to take in both the
governors and Acknowledgement Hav-
ner's connection with the whole deal.
The investigating committee has
power to summon any and all Wit
nesses necessary to make a complete
lob of it, and they say they will 40
so if at the outset it appears there IS
ANYTHING at all to investigate more
than the merits of a political con-
spiracy or attack There is no dis
position in the committee to be unfair
with any official involved, nor to
whitewash anybody. The people OF
the state will get their best Judgment
in the case, whatever 1t may be.
Changing Automobile Department
The lid blew off with crash in the
senate Thursday just before noon
when a bill offered by the committee
on departmental affairs was sprung
by Senator Holdoegel, the Chairman
with a request that the business then
before the senate be deferred so that
the bill could be acted upon immedi-
ately. Senator Holdoegel then ex-
planned that the committee had
found such incompetency and ineffl-
cheney in the automobile department
under Secretary of State Allen that 1t
was deemed expedient to order the
removal of that department from the
secretary Of states office to the onlce
of the state treasurer where a real
business man is in charge and where
the automobile business Will be con
Quoted efficiently. The bill was then
read. and another explosion followed
when Senator Arney, than whom
none stands higher in the states serv-
ice, bluntly stated that the commit
tee had made careful investigation
and found the state automobile de-
partment affairs were absolutely
rotten" that an incompetent head OF
the department had placed the onlce
IN the hands of an inefficient son
and that the committee had been ob-
structed by the secretary's office IN
ascertaining the facts.
A third crash followed Immediately
when Senator Whitmore stated the
matter was one of the utmost impor-
tance as the committee had found
such conditions that the states bust
ness in the auto department was los
ing more money than is required to
nav the salaries of the department
and this should be corrected without
delay. He said that checks by tens
and hundreds of thousands of dollars
had been left to pile UP there 1or
thirty days to three months without
being cashed or giving credit to the
senders; that the funds were not
properly banked and that the deposit
balances due the state were not ac-
curately kept SO that the state was
losing money on the two per cent in
terest on this deposit due.
Senator Rule of Mason City set OF
another one by saying that two clerks
in the office had been discharged for
testifying before this committee, and
that all had been called in the Office
and asked as, to what they had tes-
titled and that they were threatened
with discharge if they told anything.
other senators took shot or two and
then the question was voted on and
the bill passed as an emergency