The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, December 12, 1935, Page 9

oO THE BISMARCK TRIBUNE. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1985 TOP ey Federal Funds Supplied | 'N. D. High Government Moves Through Mass of Records in Third - Conspiracy Trial Federal funds supplied 35 per cent of the salaries of 24 state highway employees over a three month period in 1933, George Lidecker of New York, PWA auditor, testified Thursday at the federal conspiracy trial of Wil- liam Langer and three associates. The testimony was part of the gov- ernment's attempt to prove the four defendants conspired to corrupt ad- ministration of congressional acts through solicitation of funds for sup- port of the Leader, political weekly publication, from employees paid way Salaries zation, and Oscar E, Erickson, chair- | man of the state Republican central committee. Through a series of witnesses, U. S. } District Attorney P. W. Lanier estab- {lished testimony that the state high- way department received federal jmonies for road construction work, jthen through William Peterson, as- {sistant cashier of the Federal Reserve |bank at Minneapolis, introduced tes- timony that Langer, as governor, ap- plied for federal relief funds which later came into the state. i Legal Snarl Arises First legal differences came with testimony from Lidecker regarding percentages of salaries of 24 state highway employes which he said came from federal funds. ! Despite defense objections, Lidecker berman, employee of the state high-| of the government charges—that em- way department, on the witness stand identifying time distribution of employees of the department on various roads and highway projects into which went federal monies. Introduction of highway department | and federal bureau of roads records | marked beginning of the first phase| E. E, Hall, assistant chief division; monies made available during that BE of control, federal bureau of roads, ployees in the department, receiving | at Washington, testify a total of federal monies, were allegedly forced | $8,918,844 was made available to the to contribute 5 per cent of their sal-| state highway department through aries to a fund to support the Leader,|two federal relief acts during the Langer sponsored political weekly. | period alleged in the indictment— $8,918,844 Made Available | from May 1, 1933 to March 31, 1934. Earlier in the day, the jury heard| Hall’ identified records showing sheets period of time, despite objections of| lated to times alleged in the indict- Chief Defense Counsel Francis Mur-| ment, wed from funds to which the government! was allowed to testify that from a contributed. {summarization made by him from The overt acts were allegedly com-|nighway department records he com- mitted while Langer was governor,| puted 35 per cent of the salaries of and the government contends 5 per|the 24 employes had come from fed- cent salary contributions were ob-jeral monies. This amount, Lidecker tained under instructions of Langer j<aid, was paid during the period from Warm Mufflers and his lieutenants for support of the administration paper. Lidecker also testified that from 65 to 70 per cent of salaries of the em- ployees came from federal funds over ® period of nine months. Records Heaped in Court Monotonously, the government mov- ed through a mass of records and technical detail to again reach tes- timony bearing directly on charges the four defendants conspired to force political contributions from state highway employees. Once there, the testimony brought a legal spat, which ended with a witness withdrawing his testimony in the face of a previous record, then at- tempting an explanation which in turn was ruled out by the court. The four defendants are Langer, Frank A. Vogel, former state high- way commissioner; R. A. Kinzer, once secretary of the state relief organi- | Weather Report | WEATHER FORECAST For Bismarck and vicinity: Cloudy and unsettled tonight and Friday; rising temperature tonight. For North and South Dakota: Cloudy and un- settled tonight and Friday; snow flurries east por- tion; rising tem- perature tonight and east portion Friday. For Montana: Rain or snow to- night fae Frida: somewhat MILDER east of Divide Friday and immediately east of Di- vide tonight. For Minnesota: Cloudy and unset- tled, snow flurries probable tonight and Friday; rising temperature. WEATHER CONDITIONS The barometric pressure is over the Great Lakes region, S. S. Marie, 30.28, while a deep low pre: Edmonton, 29.24. weather is somewhat unsettled in all sections and snow is falling in the Great Lakes region and in Minnesota. Heavy rain has fallen in Washington and Ore- gon. Moderate temperatures prevail in_all sections. Bismarck station barometer, inche: 28.10. Reduced to sea level, 29. Sunrise today Sunset today PRECIPITATION For Bismarck Station: Total this month to date Normal, this month to date 25, Total, January Ist to date 17.46 Normal, January 1st to date Accumulated excess to date NORTH DAKOTA WEATHER Low- High- est Pct. is centered over Alberta, | 24 BISMARCK, clear .... Devils Lake, ciear .. Williston, cldy. . Jamestown, cldy Grand Forks, cld Valley City, cld Fargo, snowing J WEATHER AT OTHER. POINTS w- High- est ‘S Amarillo, Texas, cldy. 52 Boise, Idaho, cldy. 56 Calgary, Alta., peldy. 38 Shicago, Ill, snowing 32 Denver, Colo., cldy. ... 32 54 es Moines, Iowa, clear 24 36 ‘Dodge City, Kans., cldy. 26 52 @dmonton. Alta., pcldy. 28 34 Havre, Mont., cldy. ... 34 48 Helena, Mont., cldy. 36 44 Huron, 8. 4 Pa say a i <amloops, B..C., peldy. 6 anses City. Mo., clear 28 44 Los Bngeies, Calif. cldy. 52 70 Miles City, Mont., cldy. 30 48 Minneapolis, M., ‘snow. 22 Modena, Utah, colder; 1.44| He testified he had “never turned | over any money to Vogel.” 00 | A moment later, on re-direct exam- ination by Lanier, Hample was asked: “Do you know if Vogel knew of the; | collections.” ! ; “Yes.” “Did Vogel know of the collections?™ ; | 0 \that had better go out and this go ait |May 1, 1933, to July 1, 1933. “From the period July 1, 1933, to March 31, 1934, what percentages of salaries came from the two relief | these person. j fun authorized by ' statutes?” asked Lanier. | Chief defense counsel voiced objec- | tions, claiming time cited by Lanier was [outside the time of the last offense | charged in the indictment | Calls Attention to Date \ | | | “—I want to draw counsel's atten- | tion to the fact that the last date al- ‘leged in the indictment is March 5, | 1934,” Murphy said. | Federal Judge A. Lee Wyman held |with Murphy. question: “Can you Lanier answer approximately what percentage of these sala s came from federal funds made available to |March 5, 19342” | Before the witness answered, Mur- \phy asked: “You're not attempting to say the government paid these men directly?” “No,” said Lidecker, [response to Murphy's reframed his plaining, questions the {men first were paid with state war- jrants out of the state general fund, {with the state later being reimbursed | jby the federal government. i | Rules Against Murphy Murphy objected to the question on! the grounds testimony showed the |state paid the employes’ salaries which later were reimbursed by the federal! }government, and that therefore the evidence was “incompetent and im- material.” The court ruled against | jhim. Lanier again asked: “What would that percentage he?” | “—Sixty-five to 70 per cent of i salaries would be paid by the federal jgovernment as a result of these a Jof congress,” Lidecker replied. G. A. Hample, former bookkeeper in jthe state highway | called. | He testified that during the spring jand summer of 1933 he was employed in the state highway department as a bookkeeper under Vogel. Hample Tes Through Hampie, the testimony bearing on actual alleged solicitation department, was of employes was introduced in this trial, Hample brought in the name of Oscar Chaput, former business man- sponsored ndant who lager of the Leader, Lange jpolitical weekly, and a def ihas pleaded guilty. | Hample said he first met Chaput’ jin the highway department early in! May, 1933, when he was introduced | ! by Vogel. | | “Vogel told me I should assist Cha- | put in bringing in employes; Chaput ‘explained his proposition was the 15 per cent donation to a_ political |paper to be named the Leader.” Hample said he brought employes jin to Chaput “two by two” and that jlater he collected post-dated checks |from employes who had been solicited No Direct Orders ' Under cross-examination by Mur- phy, Hample testified “there were some engineers” among those solicited. He | said he had never received any “direct | | orders from Vogel” regarding the soli- citations. “Yes.” Murphy took the witness for cross- examination once more. | “Now—you never had a talk with! Vogel about the collections, did you?” asked Murphy. | Replies Affirmatively ! “Yes, sir,” replied Hample. “Do you remember testifying in the “I don’t recall,” Hample replied. t Hample dropped into a study, roused | himself and said, “As I recall it, I may not have had a conversation with Vogel about the 5 per cent solicitation; “If the witness warts to explain, he ‘po | should have the opportunity,” Lanier first trial?” Murphy asked. i “Yes.” “Do you remember being asked thi: | question: ‘You never had any con- versation with Vogel about it?’ (re- | o | ferring to the collections) and answer- 70 ing, ‘No, sir.'?” | suggested to the court. Recalls Testimony | Judge Wyman directed Hample’s previous, testimony in: this trial be stricken, and gave opportunity to to explain. “Well, I talked to him about the 2 per cent, but not about the 5 per cent—” Hample began. | “We object to that as not responsive, and having agecer te do with this ; All wool and for Him Newest creations rayon Mufflers in in suedes, pig-. plaids, checks and A pair of bedroom + skins, rough leath- ay, colors. Spe- slippers is always ers; beautifully Priced— an appropriate gift fittea— for him. group— 69c to $1.95 Special 69c Others to $1.95 $1.98 Cozy Robes Heavy warm cot- of all kinds for style she may like, ton and wool Cesk: SaapeMer } we have them for Robes in all col- cis. ‘Tie & Han- cher, | See our se, ors and color com- ie Sets, Initial lection. You binati ankie Sets, Tie like them. Special bape aed Sets. 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