Evening star., 1926-10-04
EDITOR SEEKSA|D
IN INDIANA INQUIRY
Charges KIan Crafts in State
and Says Reeds Commit
tee May Act.

by the AsSOHlateO PfeSS.
INDIANAPOLIS. Ind, October 3
While political Indiana wondered
where the lightning of wholesale
charges of political fraud and corrup
ton, dating back toe1924 would strike,
Thomas II. Adan ms, veteran Nincennes
publisher; who has conducted the cru
sade almost single handed to date, pre-
pared today to go to Chicago to seek
backing in his effort to obtain an in
>vestigation of conditions in Indiana
by the United States Senate
Undeterred by the frank skepticism
which in some quarters greeted his
broadside of charges of corruption,
barter and sale Of offices. graft, fraudu
lent Indictment Of public officials as
parts of q gigantic 'frame-up' and
domination of officials by the unseen
hand of ID. G. Stephenson, former
grand dragon of the ku klux klan.
Adams and the followers attracted to
his expose undertook numerous moves
looking toward investigation by an Off.
cially constituted body Of the evidence
he has gathered.
Probe Move Under Way.
Six State Senator's who reviewed the
evidence in Adams possession over
the week end and pronounced it as
meriting Legislative investigation"
proceeded with plans to sound out
opinion among members of the Senate
Of the last session of the Indiana Gen.
eral Assembly as to the possibility Of
obtaining a special session. formal or
informal, TO appoint a probe COM
mittee
At the same time attorneys directed
their attention to determining specific
powers with which a Senate session
would be clothed in any attempts to
dig to the bottom of the publishers
assertions.
Adams has not Yet made his charges
specific although it is understood that
he has mass of documentary eVi-
denCe.
Governor Not Advised.
Gov. Ed Jackson, from whom some
lawyers say. a call for an official spe-
Cial session would have to come. said
in Cleveland last night that the
charges had not been brought to his
attention.
The campaign against corruption
was inaugurated by the white-haired
editor last week after an investigation
conducted by him acting AS chairman
OF the executive committee Of the In
diana Republican Editorial Associa.
tion in conjunction with a group OF
publishers of Indiana daily news
papers. all of them constituting self
appointed committee of the associ-
alton.
The central figure in what Adams
denominated as an INSCRIPTIONS and
powerful combination of political
forces. is Stephenson, now serving a
life sentence in the Indiana State
prison for the murder of Madge Ober-
holtZer. The former grand dragon S
conviction on this charge last year
followed one of the swifteSt and most
colorful rises to power that the State
has ever known.
Reed Committee May Act.
From an abscure position in the
ranks of the Ku klux Klan late in
1923. Stephenson rose to virtual con-
troll of the Republican party in the
State The completeness of his sway,
Adams charges, was best demon
strated in the 1925 legislative session,
and it was just before, during and
Immediately after this 60-day session
that the publisher says most of the
acts of malteasance occurred. AL
though he has not proceeded in this
direction, Adams says many of the
facts at his command have been
placed in the hands of the senatorial
campaign funds investigating COM
mittee headed by Senator James A.