The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-02-06
ALIBI TO STOP
STATE ARMORY
QUIZ BLASTED
Refute Statement That All
Costs Are Checked by
Accounts Board.
MooRHEAD EXPLAINS
Examiner Paid by Building
Trustees, Author of Probe
Bill Reveals.

tempt to explain away the state
armory investigation before his coll
leogues in the state senate crashed
today when his board of accounts
alibi was discounted by an explana-
ton of the facts by Senator Thur
man A. Gottschalk (Dem), Berne.
The latter is the author of the
resolution which caused a senate
committee to be appointed to in
vestigate the entire armory build
ing program.
Moorhead is a member of the.
state armory board and colonel in
the reserve. He assured all present
that the armory building program is
one Of patriotism and not plumber.
Statement Reputed
His contention that all building
costs are checked by the board of
accounts was upset when Gottr
schalk gave the following explana-
ton:
They are checked by A. D. Walsh,
Kokomo, in the Office of Adjutant
General William H. KerShner and
the only connection Walsh has with
the board of accounts is that he
was a field examiner and still is
eligible to return to work for the
board. Such was the statement re-
garding Walsh's present standing
given today by Lawrence Orr, chief
examiner of the board of accounts,
GottScha1k said.
Armory board members were UNI
der the impression that he had been
loaned" by the board of accounts to
check the armory building costs At
any rate his close connection with
the board gives the matter 'front.'
His present salary of S12 a day,
comes from "armory trustees" /" which
is the term used for holding com-
panieS building armories and rent-
ing them to the state.
This definition of "armory trus-
tees" was given by Moorhead from
the senate floor under questioning
by Senator Joseph M. Crayens
(Dem.), Madison.
Quiz flushed Up.
learned, but majority members grew
impatient of the quizzing and Sem
ator c.. Oliver Holmes (Rep0, Gary,
managed to bring it to close with
the aid of Lieutenant Governor ed
gar D, Bush.
Cravens wanted to know IL the
majority was trying to cover UP
something and stifle honest investi-
cation of the armory building pro-
gram"
Both Bush and Holmes denied
that such was the case and pointed
to the investigating committee as
the proper solution of the problem.
Membership Of the committee con-
Sists of Republican Senators Alonzo
H. Lindley, Kingman, chairman;
Denver G, Harland, Richmond,
president pro tenn of the senate. and
French Clements, Evansville; Demo-
cratic Senators Carl M. Graz.
Petersburg, and Charles r. Morris,
Salem, Bush's home town.
The investigation resolution
pointed out that all Of twenty three
state armories are being built by
the Ostrom Realty and Construction
Company and financed through the
Peoples State bank. The construc-
ton company is g. bank auxiliary.
Besides building armories during the
last four years they built homes for
Kershner and former Governor Ed
Jackson.
Moorhead stressed the purely pa
triotic purpose of the armory board
in directing the construction pro-
gram through the trustees. Later he
admitted to newspaper men that all
plans are drawn by the firm of Har-
rison 81 Turnock, architects, 500
Board of Trade building.
Lewellyn A. Turnock, member Of
the firm, also is a member of the
armory board.
Begun Under Jackson
Clarence C. Wysong, state insur-
ance commissioner, a member of the
armory board, admitted that the
entire matter of armory construc-
ton was now being carried on in
a sort of closed corporation" man
ner. He said that the plan, how
ever. worked out to the best inter-
est of the state in keeping down
rentals and permitting the state ac-
tual ownership during the next fif-
teen years.
During that time the Legislature
must appropriate about $350,000 an-
nually to carry out the plan. Moor
head told the senator's today.
Should they discontinue the
present program the holding CONF
panies might be holding the sack
The whole movement has taken
place under the Jackson adminisrra-
ton. the building program having
been carried on in the present man