Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1920-05-22
.HERT WANTS TO PUT
; ANOTHER 'OvERv
Wants Indiana Man In Joe
Boggs' Place-Trying To Put
Roads Into Politics

dispatch from Frankfort the 9TH
er day had some interesting matters
concerning the efforts of certain re-
publican politicians to make a politi.
cal machine out of the State Road
Department by the displacement of
Joe 5. 8oggs as State Highway Com
missioner 1t is said to be the plan of
A. L. Hert, the former Indiana mil
llonalre and republican boss of the
state, to have man named Morrill,.
whom Hert has brought from Indiana,
named to succeed Boggs. But the
dispatch from Frankfort tells the
story pretty accurately:
Frankfort, Ky.-The State Highway
Commission Of four, the State High
way Engineer, the State Banking
Commissioner and the executive
agents of the Game and Fish Com
mission, are due to be appointed be-
fore July 1st.
Dir. r. S. Tuttle, Bardstown, is slat-
ed for executive agent of the Game
and Fish Commission, and terms of
Chairman Joseph G. Sachs, Louisville,
and Commissioner J. E. Crider, Jr.,
Fredonia, have expired.
James P. Lewis, former secretary
of state, is tipped for Banking Com
missioner. One member of the pres
ent force, J. Stone Walker of Rich
incnd, is said to be slated fer reap
pointment as Bank Examiner Beisdec
the reorganization of the department
the new commissioner will be con
fronted with inaugurating the blue
sky law which becomes effective about
June 18th. Under this he will have
supervision of all sales of stock in
Kentucky.
The road situation is keeping the
politicians puzzled over recent devel-
opments. 1t now looks as if w. M
Morrill, will be highway commissioner
with commission composed of Eiw
S. Moynahan, st. Matthews; Ber
Weille, Paducah former Railroad Com
missioner; Green Garrett, Winchester
and Hugh Ashe, Harlan.
1t was understood that Peter Lee
Atherton, of Louisville, one of the or
iginal good roads boosters, had beer
accepting place on the commission
consulted by Gov. Morrow about
After the Governors trip East this
spring, however, Mr.. Morrill, native
of Indiana, moved to Louisville and il
transpired that Chesley Searcy anc
Matt Chiffon were opposed to Mr.
Atherton's appointment.
In the meantime Attorney Genera
harles I. Dawson, Speaker Joe Bos
worth, and former Mayor E. S. Hell
bum, of Middlesboro, following the ac
tion of the House of REPRESENTATIVE.
in indorsing the admin ;tration O
Road Commissioner Joe S. Boggs
have urged the governor to discart
politics in connection with the road de
pa1tmenJ and retain Commissione
Boggs as State Highway Engineer
They argued that not only would it b
disastrous to get the department int
politics, but new engineer, no matte
how efficient, with a new commission
would throw the road work back
year while he was acquainting himsel
with the situation and getting hi
force reorganized. This conclusion wa
reached by the Attorney General afte
discovering that the road situation i
greatly complicated by the new law
and the commissioner has taken t
/ him number of perplexing problems
The state is changing from the in
ter-county seat to the state highwa
system. The state is obligated to th
counties for severale millions of stat
aid projects, for which counties ad
vanced money out of bond issues an
special taxes. Some of these road
overlap prospective state highwa
projects. Overlapping both of ther
are federal aid projects some complet
ed some under contract, some unde
construction and some being held i
abeyance until the new law is put int
operation in hope of fial reimburse
met by the state.
No politics has ever been played j
appointment of engineers in the de
partment. There never has bee
enough engineers available to man tn
department taking all that can be hi
ed, regardless of party affiliation.
| The suggestion that he be retaine
came without the knowledge of Con
!, missioner Boggs, who sent in his re:
ignation to Governor Morrow last d.
cember, and has been urging the Gov
ernor to name his commission and e1
gineer, SO they could be acquaintin
themselves with the work and reliey
him as soon as possible.
/ That he could be persuaded to sta
if politics is kept out of the depar
ment is the opinion of the Attorney
General and the others.