The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-04-13
SPRINGER INDIGNANT.
Shameful Attempts Made to Influence
His Vote.

WASHINGTON, April 5.-The article in the
Washington paper, respecting which Manning
made a personal explanation in the House
to-day, contains charges against Springer of
Illinois which it alleges were substantiated by
Manning. The LATER in his explanation, said
he would leave the course OF Springer wholly
untouched and treat him with the utmost
fairness. He then refers to the portion OF the
article which states that the Democratic
members OF the election committee met in
Springer's room and unanimously agreed to
support the subcommittee. This was untrue.
He also denied The intention of demanding
an investigation of the charges against
Springer. He hal preferred no charge that
Springer had received money for this case.
Springer then made some remarks in
feeling manner, referring to the article in de-
tail. He stated that Waddell, the reporter
who wrote the article in question, had told
him (Springer) that the information contained
in it came from Manning. He would leave
that question of veracty. He said the follow
ing was the letter which he received:
WASHINGTON, March 4.
Sir: If you will keep Washburne his
seat in spite Of the Democrats, will pay Mrs.
S. five thousand dollars. Get the thing
| squashed at once, Respectfully, etc.
| If he had received the letter at home he
would have burned it like all anonymous
| Communications, but Mrs. Springer, who al
| ways acted as his private secretary, receiving
| it III his absence, did not regard 1t as All ollei
| to bribe him, but Indignantly received 1t as a
deliberate attempt of Donnelly and his friends
to insult and bulldoze him. Springer stated
the case to Donnely declaring that he and
his friends were responsible for it. lie then
said Donnelly had betrayed the secret OF that
| letter against his promise. Returning home,
he (Sprnger) found the anonymous letter
along with the following from Henry Ii.
Finley, Il supporter and friend Of Donneily,
who resides in Minnesota:
WASHINGTON, d. c.,
1Ol7, Seventeenth Street.
Contidental.1
| My Dear Mr.. Springer:
| / have heard with good deal OF chaSrlh
that YOU have some doubts as to the eXpedl-
ency of adopting the report OF the suh-con,
nitiee to seat Donnelly. Not to do this Will
7 know leave YOU open to severe criticism, and
uiye a color of truth to the reports which
| Washburne's friends have most unguardedly
| i >at af]oai. Th, importance of the matter, as
+ NAV develop in regard to the next election
| of President, makes every Democrat anxious
TO see The Stale saved, now that we can ie-
pally and properly do it, to the democracy.
| The whole case is before our friends III New
York, and upon the assurances which gath,
cred from what you said to me have tolI
them that the report could be adopted, anu
that Dohnely would he seated at once. L
cannot m believe that you will now fail to make
this good. Among hundreds of letters ", which i'
come to me there Is not one i'll which the
matter has not been urged to completion,
where there has been any mention OF IT, anu
IL is as much matter OF general political III
terest as any of which they wrote to me. L
am convinced that neither you nor the DEM
m ocratc Congress can afford to disappont II our .a
know and do know much weight ought to be
given to the paid Democratic uetiacI0fs s' 1oo ol
7,ouuelly. and to the mercenary quasi Deiho-
nra,i,. offenders of Washburne's bribery. 1t
is I,1l noL enough that Washburne should be de,
nrived of his seat, but the wishes OF the
voters voters legally expressed should be regarded
and yindicated, and they demand that Their .r
chosen Representative should be seated 10