The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-03-13
Even Should Senate Com
plete LabOrs 1t May Have
to Wait on Action of
the House
HIGHER BODY WILL
BE APPELLATE COURT
WITH CHIEF JUSTICE PRESIDING
FINAL STEPS RELATIVE TO
STATE OFFICER WILL BE
TIiRESlIED OUT.
(By Special Staff Correspondent)


Oklahoma City, March 12.-With
the appointment Friday by the house
OF representatives, Of board OF man
ayers to prosecute the Impeachment
charges against Ed Trap. lieutenant
governor, before the senate, an early
determination of the issue is forseen.
Just when the matter will come TO
trial is, Of course, uncertain. The
charges will be lodged with the SEN
ate within few days but the time at
which the senate will resolve itself
INTO court of impeachment and hear
the case may depend on other circum-
stances. 1t is said to be likely that
If the senate finishes its work be-
fore the house does and has to wait
for necessary bills to come over from
the house, it will take up the Trapp
case in the intervening time; other
wise, the senate will hold over after
the date of adjournment to try Trapp.
Speaker Schwabe yesterday named
the following members of the house
as board Of managers for the Trapp
prosecutions:
II. II. Matthews, Of McAloster: Har.
ry Jennings, Of Rogers county; Por-
ter Newman, Of Bryan county; w.
I. Drake, of Wagner county, and
w. a. Scofield, Of Adair county. The
first three constituted the board OF
managers which drew the articles of
Impeachment will be signed by
Schwabe and engrossed before they
are filed with the senate.
When the senate is ready to try
the case, it will resolve itself into a
court of Impeachment over which the
chief justice Of the supreme court will
preside a committee will prepare
rules of procedure to govern the trial,
and the court will adopt the rules
with such changes as 1t may see fit
to make. The case will then be pre-
sented and heard in accordance with
such rules. Witnesses may be ex-
amined as in n law court; the rules of
evidence, however, may be modified
| to suit the court.
After the hearing of the case is
completed, the articles of impeachment
/ will be voted on, one by one. Each
senator must rise to his feet when
he votes. A two-thirds vote of the
membership Of the senate is required
for impeachment. In other words, 30
senators must vote to impeach Ed
! Trapp il the charges made by n ma
| jority Of the house OF representatives
are to stand up.
Impeachment charges were brought
against three state officers in the
1915 session. A. p. Watson, corpora
ton commissioner. was impeached and
removed from office. Similar action
was taken with Giles Ferris, state
printer. A. l.. Welch, insurance COM
missioner, was tried, but acquitted by
the court of impeachment, In 1918.
impeachment charges were being pre-
pared against two state officers. who
resigned, however, before formal
charges We're made.
! \ former senator who was mem
Der Of the 1915 impeachment court
was asked yesterday for his opinion
regarding the length of time the
T1pp case would take He replied
that IL the case was not thrown out
of court on n demurrer, It would oc-
cupy three or four days, in his judg-
mcnt.
A number OF Democrats seem TO be-
llevc the defense will enter "A de-
murrcr to the charges and that IL will
be sustained. In their opinion. the
only article which charges an impeach.
able t>Sense is that concerned with
the pardon of Hisaw by Trap. and
they maintain there is no evidence to
prove there was any corruption Of i'm
proper influence in that pardon.
Another report was brought In by
the house investigating committed
yesterday. II charged that George
Short, assistant Encouragement. WIS
In the employ and on the payroll Of
u. V. Dicrks and the Blodgett-nlcrks
/ ship Company. and had been for
some years. that the Dierks Brothers
owned and controlled majority of
the stock OF tho Choctaw Lumber
! company, corporation which opsr-
atcs In this state, The COMMITTEES
opincd IL was contrary to public policy
: FOR member OF tho attorney-generals 4
; staff TO be so connected. Tho report
stated the attention OF tho attorney
general had been called 10 the sltua-
ton. but no reply had been received
from him. The report recommended
TO the attorney general ind tho gov
ernor that they take Immediate action
to remedy the condition.
The supplemental report Of the In
vcstgaiing committee on the highwaf
department. involving alleged influ-
cnce on behalf OF the department
| against a senate bill which would re-
| aulrc the highway commissioner "a
| be graduate engineer. was brought
, (Contiued on page 81