The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-03-09
HOUSE ORATORS
Level BARRACE
AT ROAD BOARD
Resolution for Audit of War
Material Case Is
Defeated.

After INDUCING in high-powered
oratory and acrimonious debate over
a state board Of accounts scandal
during the D. G. Stephenson regime
IN Indiana, tndicting the state high
way commission in scathing terms
for ineficiency'' and refusing to
override the Governors veto on a
minor bill, the Indiana house re-
cessed until this afternoon with little
important business on it's schedule.
The recess until 2 p. m. came
after short session on motion Of
Representative Delphi L. McKesson
(MarshalD, Democratic floor leader,
that the Republican minority
needs plenty Of time to arrange for
a pigs feet and tripe dinner It is
holding at noon"
Audit Move Defeated
Rearing Of the Stephenson-ac-
counts board case dated back to
1925, when a settlement was effected
between the state and Otto F.
Schlensker, Indianapolis, for the
sale Of war material to the state
for $53,00o The debate was pre-
cipitated on the Foster Cantley res
olution demanding an audit Of the
transaction, which was defeated in a
voice vote.
In defense Of the resolution, Rep
resentative Charles z. Foster (Rep,
Hamilton asserted the accounts
board went to Schlensker and in
formed him he owed thea state
$4,000. Schlersker, Foster said,
deposited $4,000 and signed a quiz
etus. Schlensker since has petit
toned the courts, according to Fos-
ter, but has been told he has a fine
case for recovery except for his
signing of the quietus."
ID. G. Stephenson and the state
board of accounts got the money"
Foster charged.
Refer to Branch
Representative Earl Crawford,
Milton banker and Democratic
caucus chairman, supported Foster
with the assertion, This case hap
pened when the legislature took
orders from one man who had his
K. K. <. headquarters in the state
board Of accounts Office" and re-
ferred TO the incident when Gov
ernor Emmett T. Branch called
Lawrence Orr (chief examiner of
the accounts board g, liar in court"
This legislature consistently has
refused to wash the dirty linen OF
the party repudiated 50 overWhelm-
ingly at tn elast election" asserted
Representative John D. T. Bold
Dem, Vanderburg) in opposing
adoption Of the resolution. Repre-
sentative Miles J. FUrnas, Repub-
lican caucus chairman, demanded:
why has this been brought up on
the last day? There's a niger IN
the woodpile some place "
McKesson, the Democratic fipor
leader, injected the highway COM
mission angle when in sarcastic
terms he pleaded:
Cites Road Conditions
Please, whatever you do, don't
take this $4,000 away from the poor
state highway commission, which
has the spending Of a mere $780,
100000 and can't even keep the
roads of northern Indiana clear OF
snow"
Referring to the recent statement
of John Brown, director of the
highway commission, that "the legis-
lators are too dumb to know any
thing about taxation" he con-
tinued:
please don't take the money
away from this commission that,
whatever the faults OF the legis-
lature, is too dumb to clear snow
from the choked highways OF north
ern Indiana and needs the money
to buy such antiquated equipment
as has been rejected by other
states which have had considerable
experience in highway mainte-