Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-04-04
Relative to the Offer of $4,000 TO
Springer for His Support.
A COPY OF THE DOCUMENT
Making the Corrupt Offer to the Chair
man of the Election Committee.
THE MATTER WAXING WARM
And Springer Will Call for an lnvesti-
cation TO-MOrrOw.
Especial Telegram to the Globe

Special Telegram to the Globe.
WASHINGTON, April 3O.-The reigning senss-
tion of the day in Washington is the exposure
of the attempt to bribe Springer, chairman of
the com mnittee on elections IN theI Donnelly-
Washburn case. This is so in accord with
what has been proven against Washburn that
the general belief is that the offer to Springer
was prompted and authorized by Washburn in
person. The Washington Post to-day says:
At the next regular meeting of the house
election committee on Tuesday of the coming
week, Mr.. Manning will make certain charges
against Mr.. Springer, the chairman of the COM
mittee and demand an investigation to sustain
his allegations against Mr.. Springer in the
matter of the Donnelly- -Wsshburn contested
election case.
Mr.. Manning will adduCe three points, which
ne claims to have evidence documentary and
otherwise to substantiate. When Washburn' s
case was first referred to the subcommittee,
composed of Manning, Beltzhoover, Armfeld,
Kiefer and Weaver and after sufficient evi.
dence had been taken to prove the frauds of
of which Mr.. Washburn is now known to be
guilty, an informal meeting of the Democratic
members of the full committee was
held at the house of Mr.. Springer, at which
those present unanimously agreed to support
the subcommittee on any action it might
take. Upon this the subcommittee went ahead
heard witnesses and arguments on both sides
and when the case was closed submitted re-
port, recommending the unseating of Wash
burn and the seating of Donnelly. With this
result MIR. Springer professed himself to be in
sympathy. His actions lately have shown that
he has experienced change of heart. 1t is
the alleged facts which have led to this, that
Mr.. Manning is anxious shall be known.
Mr.. Manning charges in substance
that Mr.. Springer has acted with the greatest
duplicity throughout; that he has deceived his
Democratic associates in the committee,
with regard to his position, and that his con-
duct has been based upon corrupt grounds.
Mr.. Manning presents the following evidence
of this. On the Sth day of March, Mr.. Springer
being then in New York, letter was received
at his house addressed to him, which his wife
opened. 1t was in substance as follows:
WASHINGTON. March ITO Hon. VIM. M.
Springer. Dear sir-I earnestly advise that you
do all in your power to prevent the House from
unseating Washburn, of Minnesota, and put
ting Donnelly in his place. If you succeed in
this, am authorized to say that a present of
$4,000 will be made to your wife.
Very respectfully,
(Signed) A REPUBLICAN.
Mrs. Springer, upon reading this, became
very indignant and Immediately sent for the
Tr11
nellys counsel, and showed the letter to
him. He sent for Mr.. Donnelly, and the
three read it and commented upon it together
Donnelly upon leaving went to Messrs. Sawyer
and Colerick of the committee and told them
of the contents of the letter. As he was talk
ing to them he received message from Mrs.
Springer requesting him to call Immediately.
He did so and she informed him that she had
doubts as to the propriety of her action in
showing the letter in the absence of Mr.,
Springer, and requested that both he and Mr..
Julian say nothing about it until her hus-
bands return. This Mr.. DonnellY promised,
and visited Sawyer and Colerick and made
the same request of them. Mr.
Springer returned on the 9th and Mr.. Donnelly
Immediately waited upon him, and after mem
tioning the fact of his having seen the letter re-
ferred to, he told Springer that he would be
happy to aid him, as far as possible, to discover
the author. He thought it was either Charlie s
johnson, Mr. Washburn's private secretary or
the notorious Bill King of Minnesota Mr..
Springer requested Donnelly to oblige him by
saying nothing about the letter at all, and said,
81 would not for $4,000 have it known that 1
have read such letter"
But Julien knows it, - urged Donnelly.
"Well, then" added Springer, ''tell Julien
that 1 shall hold him responsible if it
gets into print. He will be to blame and 1 will
tgke care to pay him for it.
This last remark being repeated to Julian,
he became indignant and went to Springer and
demanded an explanation, whereupon Springer
denied that he had made any such statement
Mr. Manning, in due time, heard of the let
ter and daily expected that Mr.. Springer would
bring the matter to the attention of the COM
mittee, but this he did not do and has not
done.
Mr.. Manning now charges that nothing but
corrupt construction can be placed upon such
conduct.
In addition, he alleges that the fact of the
letter being anonymous and its general tenor
show that Mr.. Springer was not entirely
unaware of the identity of its author, in short
that the letter was sent in pursuance of an
agreement. These and other facts are alleged
by Mr.. Manning, who considers that they war
rant an investigation, and he addressed a let
ter to Mr.. Springer Thursday, in which he
formulated charges as above stated, and an
nounced to him the course he proposed to take.
Mr.. Manning being called upon, substanti-
ated all of the foregoing. If an investigation
into Mr.. Springer's conduct is ordered by the
committee or the house, it is expected that
some startling revelations of attempts by
Washburn's friends to bribe other members of
the house will be brought out.
MIR. Springer stated that the article in the
New York Tribune, yesterday, purporting to be
q description of the scene in the elections COM
nittee, on Thursday in which Mr. Manning
violentIy denounced him, was entirely un-
founded.
ITO the Western Associated Press.
WASHINGTON, April 3.-The Donnelly- Wash
burn case is leading 10 new and unexpected
complications. Mr.. Springer, chairman of the