Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-22
INA" F|GUREHEAD,
TEXANS ARE TOLD
Husband Dictated Policy and
COmmerCiaIized Governor
ship, Says Report.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
AUSTIN, Tex, January 22.-Gov.
Miriam a. Ferguson was merely a
iigurehead during her two.year term
as chief executive of Texas, while her
husband, former Gov. James L. Fer
guson, practically usurped the Office
for political favoritism and financial
gain, an investigating committee de.
clared in report to the Legislature
yesterday.
The report charged that Ferguson,
who was lmpeached as governor in
1917, dispensed pardons. squandered
Millions of dollars of State highway
iundS. collected tribute from persons
seeking State contracts and rewarded
his friends at the expense of the State.
while Mrs. Ferguson rubber-Stamped
lis actions.
No recommendations were made by
he committee, but it reported:
Impeachment Favored.
1T is our opinion that the only
recourse under our existing laws is
by impeachment for the wrongs done
% our State by the chief executive
under the domination of her husband"
AS Mrs. Ferguson retired as gov
ernor last Tuesday, she is immune
rom impeachment. The committee
held that as Ferguson was a private
citizen there was no law to govern
his activities.
No action was taken on the report
The House ordered it printed in the
House journal.
The committee was appointed at
special session of the Legislature
called by Gov. Ferguson. The com.
mittee was instructed to investigate
pardons, highway matters, school text
book contracts and various State
activities and report to the present
Legislature.
The report charged that the first
outstanding effort to commercialiZe
the governors office was through
what was known as a good will
edition of the Ferguson Forum, a
weekly newspaper owned and pub
lished by the Fergusons. and from
that edition the FerSusons realized
thousands of dollars from advertising
bought by road contractors, railroad
corporations, oil companies, bankers,
public service corporations and indi-
viduals.
Other Collections Alleged.
AT the same time the Fergusons
were obtaining money from the above
named. persons and corporations In
the manner shown above, many OF
them were collecting thousands of
dollars from the taxpayers of this
State in the way of highway con-
tracts, freights, etc." the report con-
tinued. After Mrs. Ferguson be-
came governor, the report charged.
her husband completely dominated
her acts and the acts of the high.
way department, and also the State
textbook board" and the prospective
advertisers knew they were trans
acting business with the persons who
dominated and controlled the depart
ments.
The evidence was declared to show
that the husband of the governor
absolutely dominated the highway
commission and the millions of dol
lars of the highway funds were dis
sipated. Such terms as "wantonly,"
"recklessly' and ''fraudently" Were
used in the report in connection with
the highway expenditures.
Highway affairs played promi-
nent part in the campaign in which
Mrs. Ferguson was defeated for re-
election.
A large part of the report dealt
with Gov. Fergusons pardoning ac-
tivities. Her clemency acts number
1886, a record for the State.
Think Husband Dictated.
I'VE do not believe, and we think
the testimony in the record will bear
us out in saying that this policy can
not be charged to the feminine
sympathy of a woman governor" the
committe reported. practically all
of the pardons were recommended by
James +. Ferguson, and the princi-
pal thing the governor herself had
to do was TO sign her mamie on the
dotted line. and there is testimony to
show that pardons have been grant
ed in which James L. Ferguson actu-
ally signed the governors name"
the report continued.
Many pardons were granted at the
behest of attorneys so fees could
he collected by the attorneys, the
committee said 1t believed.