Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 56, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 October 1920 — McCRAY CORRECTS WAR BOND RECORD [ARTICLE]

McCRAY CORRECTS WAR BOND RECORD

Diecover* “Mistake” in Aseessment Sheet After Year Has Elapsed Boosts Total by Adding 0. Kentland, Oct 6. —Discovery of mutilated records containing the tax returns of Warren T. McCray, Republican nominee for governor, in the county auditor’s office here Is causing considerable comment on the candidate’s war activities. On April 3, 1919, the assessor of Jefferson township, in which Mr. McCray’s residence is located, took the schedule of his personal property and credited him with" having 11,860 worth of government bonds. This return was deposited with the county auditor as a permanent record. More than a year later an article, said to have been inspired by James W. Fesler, McCray’s opponent in the Republican primary, appeared in the Chicago Herald and Examiner and disclosed that his personal prop erty return showed only $1,806 worth of government bonds.. This story was published on April 25, 1920, during jthe heat of the bitter primary campaign. Another Cipher I* Added Shortly after the facts of the expose became generally known some

one entered the auditors office and attached another cipher to the record, thereby crediting Mr. McCray with having held SIB,OOO worth of bonds on Meh. 1, 1919. No one in the auditor’s office knew who changed the assessment sheet. On April 29, 1920, S. R. Sizelove, auditor of Newton county noticed the mutilated record and wrote beneath it the following: “The above amount has been changed from 1800 to 18000 within the last few days. “Dated April 29, 1920. “S. R. SIZELOVE, x “Auditor."

The fact that the records had been changed became generally known in Newton county after that and on June 15, 1920, Mr. McCray filed an affidavit with the auditor and asked that it be attached to his ta.T return of the year before. It is as follows: “State of Indiana, ) “County of Newton)SS: “The undersigned, Warren T. McCray, upon his oath states that in making his tax return for the year commencing March L 1919, that he returned to the assessor of Jefferson township, Newton county, Indiana, in answer to the question ‘How many government bonds did you purchase during the war,’ that his answer was SIB,OOO. “This affidavit is’made to correct the records which the assessor Inadvertently recorded on the assessor’s sheet as SI,BOO. “Witness my hand and seal this 15th day of June, 1920. (Signed) WARREN T. McCRAY. “Subscribed and sworn to before me, a notary public, in and for said county and state, this«lsth day of June, 1920. WILLIAM E. TOWERS, Notary Public.” Newton county residents familiar with the facts point out that while the assessor’s sheet contains the question “Value of government bonds,” McCray’s affidavit sets out that he answers to a question asking “How many government bonds did you purchase during the war? - ' Assessor Comes In Late Nothing more was done with the record until the present Campaign swung into full tilt and then -the assessor, who is charged with having made the erroneous entry, was called upon to file an affidavit. On Sept. 21, 1920, the assessor of Kentland, Jefferson township, Charles W. McClain, filed the following affidavit which was pasted on McCray’s return of more than 18 months before haqd: "State of Indiana, Newton County, SS “Charles W. McClain, being duly sworn upon has oath, states: that he is the regularly elected and acting assessor of Jefferson township, said county and for the town of Kentland, which Is located in said township, and that his attention has been called to the assessment of Warren T. McCray for the year 1919, in said town of Kentland, and to the error which was made by said assessor in the assessment sheet of said McCray for the year 1919. Affiant states that he called upon said Warren T. McCray •in his official capacity as assessor and proceeded to make -out the assessment sheet for 1919, by asking the necessary questions of McCray and from his answers, making the assessment sheet.

“Affiant states that in answer to the"- amount of Liberty bonds said McCray owned on March 1, 1919, McCray told said affiant that he owned’ Liberty bonds to the amount of SIB,OOO and that affiant, in Writing in said amount on said assessmept sheet erroneously wrote in said assessment sheet the* amount SI,BOO instead of the amount of SIB,OOO which said McCray at the time said he owned. “That aaid Warren T. McCray owned Liberty bonds on March 1, 1919, to the amount of SIB,OOO according to the statement made by said Warren. T. McCray to this affiant, as assessor as aforesaid. That Affiant wrote in the' Assessment sheet of said Warren T. McCray for said year 1919, by error, that said McCray owned Liberty bonds on March 1, 1919, to the amount of SI,BOO. “Affiant states that when his attention Was called to the error he went to the office of the auditor of Newton county, Indiana, for the purpose of making the correction in said assessment sheet and upon examination found that the correction had already been made. (Signed) CHARLES W. McCLAIN. “Subscribed and sworn to before me this 21st day of September, 1920. R. R. CUMMINGS, Notary 'Public.” Inserts His “War” Record { It Is noted here that while McCray said In his sworn statement that he replied to the question “How many government bonds did yov

purchase during the war?’’, that the assignor 4n his affidavit said "that n answer to the amount of Liberty Kinds said McCray owned on Meh. I, 1919, Mr. McCray told affiant that he owned Liberty bonds to the amount of >18,090.” Probably the attempt to correct Mr. McCray’s Liberty bond record on the eve of a political campaign would not have caused, so much comment here had It not been for the fact that the Discount and Deposit bank of Kentland, of which Mr. McCray is president, trailed the other Newton county banks in responding to the government's financial appeals during the war. Figures published by the Seventh Federal Reserve bank district show that when the government was preparing to Inaugurate the Third Liberty ' loan drive the Discount and Deposit bank subscribed to only $2,090 worth of treasury certificates of indebtedness.

McCray Bank Low Buyer The bank took SI,OOO worth of the issue on Feb. 27, 1918, and another SI,OOO on April 22, 1918. At the same time the Kent State bank, McCray’s financial campetitor In Kentland, took $20,000 worth of the certificates. Other banks in Newton county were liberal subscribers to the same issue, according to the Federal Reserve report. The First National bank of Goodland took SIO,OOO of the issue; the State Trust and Savings bank of Goodland, $5,000; the Citizens’ State bank of Morocco, $3,000; the Farmers’ State bank of Morocco, $2,500, and the Bank of Mt Ayr, $3,000. . At the time of the third drive banks were hard pressed at times for available money, as the government demanded the actual money. In the fifth and last Liberty loan crusade, however, the banks taking treasury certificates of indebtedness simply put up their subscriptions as collateral to the government. On this drive, months after the war was ended, the Discount and Deposit bank, outdistanced all other institutions in Newton county, taking $105,000 of the issue.