Montana labor news., 1932-07-14
FORMER EMPLOYEE ALLEGES FORM
OF GRAFT FAVORING SOME EMPLOY
EES AT THE EXPENSE OF OTHERS.
SON OF CHAIRMAN DENNIS STATED
TO BE ONE OF THE BENEFICIARIES

Serious reflections are cast OF the manner in which the Railroad and
Public Service Commission conducts the employment of some of its person
nell in a statement supported by al affidavit, voluntarily Offered to the
Western Progressive by C. w. Gross, well known and reputable, former
employee Of the commission.
Mr.. Gross alleges that when he was promoted from assistant supervisor
in the oil and gas well division Of the commission, to the position of
superintendent 1t a salary of s275 a month, he was given to understand
that he would be required to contribute S25 per month to eah Of TWO other
employees, ne of them being the son If Chairman Dennis located as field
man for the board at Shelby.
The complete story IS offered to the Western Progressive by Mr.. Gross,
with a cancelled check and a n affidavit to support it, is given below. 1t
is a sordid story and certainly light should be let in OIL the conduct Of the
state departments and commissions, and if such conditions prevail, the
taxpayers who pay the salaries should be informed in order that they may
elect officials with a sense of honor that insures more ethical conduct of
Mr.. GROSS Statement.
County of Lewis and Clark-ss.
Charles William Gross, being first duly sworn, depOses and says that
re attacbsd five sheets have beer written in his own handwriting and
each initiated by him; that the statements therein contained are true
and that the check attached hereto as received by him in the manner set
out in such statement. So
Subscribed and sworn to before me this fifteenth day Of January 1882.
Notary Public for the County of Lewis and Clark, State
of Montana, Residing at Helena. My Commission expires
June End, 1884.
Cancelled check attahed)
The following is a correct account OF my connection with the Board Of
Railroad Commissioners:
and Gas Well Division and on April 10, 1927, was hired as Assistant
Supervisor at a salary of two hundred dollars a month.
On October list, / ws called before a meeting of the Board. Mr.. Den
mis- m out of the office just as went in and Mr. Boyle and Leonard
Young remained in the office.
Young n Boy td me nat L mad been appointed ouperVSo at q
salary of s275OO a month, but that if wanted to stay on the job l would
have to pay twenty-five dollars a month to Grant Dennis, who was located
at Shelby a $ fieldman for the Board, and twenty-five dollars a month to
Harry schafer, Traffic Man for the Board.
protested, but Young and Boyle said the mater had been decided by the
Board and that "a the only way. That evening met Leonard Young
o. the street and he said "That little agreement will have to stand and |
hope you will stay" asked him if he knew how dangerous such a deal
was and he said it was not dangerous at all. then told him that it was
bound to leak out in time as the appropriations specifically set out the
salaries for the Supervisor and for the three fedmen and stated that this
money must not be used for any other purpose.
On October 31t, 1 mailed my check for $25O0 to Grant Dennis and the
cancelled check is attached hereto. l offered Schafer a check, but he re-
fused it and demanded cash, which paid him.
On November Both, 1927, and on December 28, 1927, paid Grant
Dennis $500 in cash, making $500 in ALL Grant then told lie that
would not have to pay him any more.
About this time Mr.. Boyle asked me if would stay after twelve o'clock
O me Don to meet with the Board. did so and found Lee Dennis, Dan
Boyle and r. F. McLaren in the Board room. They told m that the
very much worried. He Dennis, cried and said he was being ruined, ETC..
and told them that as long as they shot square with me would not
make any trouble. Later that day Lee Dennis asked m e if had the
cancelled check and told him yes, and he asked if would give it to
him. | gave him the check and a few days later he gave it back to me
l paid Schafer $25 a month out of my salary from Oct 81, 1927 to
June 30, 1929, a total of $475, all of which a practically stolen from
the On-Gas Well Division appropriation to pay additional money to the
traffic "a
During the 1929 session the House passed the usual resolution to investi
gate the various state departments and Schafer car to ne and said
"Wen, it is coming" asked him what was coming and he said the
investigation and we had better get together on u story. told hin
hat there was nothing to get together o H. the whole deal as rouer
and if was called before the session would tell the truth and nothing
else. He said we couldn't do that and told him he could go to Dee
Lodge if he wanted to, but l would stick to the truth if asked about it.
From that time OF the Board blocked about everything tried to d.
and Aug. /, 1881, the office If oil and gas well supervisor was abolished
o. four days notice and was out
l understand from hearsay that several similar arrangements exis
among the employees of this. Board, N being that the secretary, Francis
Silver, paid $25 a month to the assistant secretary, r. F. McLarn. Whether
this arrangement is still in force cannot say.
All told paid Grant Dennis and Harry Schafer a total of $3.50 out o
my salary to hold my job-C. W. GROSS. western Progressively