The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-02-22
MAKING A MOUNTAIN
OUT OF A FIVE DOLLAR MOLE HILL.
A Chars. Of~corrupuoa Made By Senator FLOYD ia
Debate Falls to Pas Dat rss.st la Anass.
nsnt 10 The Spectators Of the Iur.sti-
sa,iOa-rhs Sonata ylBdIeAtsd.

Yesterday forenoon In debate In the Senate
over the bill to create a commission to inyes-
tlgste the workings OF the present assessment
laws OF the State, Mr.. Floyd, Of Logan county,
charged that 40 attempt had been made TO
~corruptly influence votes In favor OF the bill.
This seemed to Mr.. James NJ. Mason, Of
Jefferson county, to reflect upon him. as he
had been actively Engaged III attempting to
secure the passage Of the bill, and be wentto
work TO secure q committee Of investigation.
In this he had divers objects. One OF these
was to vindicate himself; another wa, to get
n chance TO utilize before the committee
some materials be had prepared for q speech
by a member OF one OF the houses, which
was not used; and another was to deal u
blow at the plans Of Mr.. Floyd, a candidate
for Congress from the Third District from
whom the charge emanatedi.
a resolution was passed which had been
prepared by Mr.. Mason, and q COMMITTEES ap-
| 6ointed consisting OF Messrs. Price, chair
man, woodward and Roberts. This commit
lee met ut once, and after q rigid invesuga'
ton failed TO adduce any evidence OF corrup'
lion, except that MIR. Mason had offered the
Serpeant-at-Arms OF the House, MIR. George
p. Sargent, none 10 secure the vote OF Sena'
tor Coburu for the bill. This was given such
a coloring by Mr.. Mason in his testimony that
the REPORT oil the committee will probably be
that while Mr.. Floyd bad reason to believe
there was ground for the charge, there was
really none
The only interesting phase OF the invest.
CATION was the portion Of MIR. Mason's state
ment In which he remarked that 1t was q
notorious fact that West Virginia Legtsla.
lures were persistentIy lObbied, aud that
large sums OF money. we're used improperly.
Nj. Price asked Mr.. Floyd TO state upon
what Information be had made bis charge.
Mr.. FLOYD said that Senator McGrew told
him that lie knew n party who had offered
another party, not a member OF the Lsgisla.
ture, money TO secure the vote OF q member
In favor OF the bill. since that he had been told
th%a.aenator Coburn was the member whose
vote 1t was desired TO influence, and Mr..
Sargent, Sergeantat-Aims OF the House, wes
the person to whom the money was offered.
To-day Senator MCGrew had indicated that
Mr.. Mason was tue mau who had offered the
money. No statement was made as TO the
amount offered nor any as TO Mr.. Sargent's
answer. So far as be knew Mr.. Sargent had
not made any effort to influence Mr.. Co.
burns vote. He was told, however, that he
had told Mr.. Coburn and also Mr.. McGrew OF
tIle proposition made IN him The witness
had asked Mr.. Coburn II he knew Gf spch Q
PROPOSITION having been made, and he said
he had been Informed Of 1t. The offer was
made after, the. fist vote.on the bill, the an
nOuncement OF which was postponed t II the
next day.
Mr.. McGrew was next called. Hesatd that
or the night the vote was taken, and pend
ing the announcement OF the vote, Mr.. Ssr'
gen. had asked him II hB knew anything
about the bill. He said be knew nothing Ia
particular, but believed II was q bill which
ought not TO pass, and bad voted againsti IL.
SARGENT said that there was a Job In IL some
where, and It ought TO be killed; that James
NJ. Mason had come To him aud offered him
IS to influence Capt. Coburn TO vote for the
bill. Sargent was indignant, and told Capt
Oobuyn Of the offer. The witness knew moth
ing further OF the matter,
1t this juncturo the Chairman suggested
that Mr.. Mason should be summoned to ap-
pear before the committee and protect his IN
terests. He shortly appeared, but declined
to remain, saying he did not care wlat was
said OF him behind his back. He would make
a statement when called upon. With this he
withdrew.
| HfuntOT IOUuIU was utAL tAhlItu6us 1
said that Mr.. George 2. Sargent had told him
a few evenings ago that J. N. Mason had told
him that II be would procure the Witness
vote in favor OF Senate Bill No. s.. he Ma:
SOM would pay him t5argentl a sum Of
money, WituesS did not remember whether
the sum had been named, and was not sure
| what evening the conversation alluded 10
took place. He thought the vote on the bill
had been taken, but not announced. sar-
J gent did not want to tell who had made the
| offer, but the witness had Insisted, and was
finally informed that 1t was James M.Mason.
Mr. Sargent did not In any manner attempt
TO Influence witness's vote, nor had he ind.
Gated what reply / Q bad made 10 Mr.. Mason's
offer. He rather seemed 10 approye Of the
witness's vote. His impression was that the
Information had been made by Sargent mere.
" because he thought 1t would interest him
To know what was going on, and Sargent
6oemed 10 iepl the sane contempt for the offer
that the witness did. Ho had pot been ap-
preached at any time or by any person whoa
he thought was trying TO influence bis vote
except by argument. He did not understand
that the money was 10 re used on him; but
MI. SArgept's Influence was 10 be brought to
bear upon him, and the money on Sargent
Sergeant.atArns Sargent, OF the House Of
Delegates, was the neItgentleman examined.
He said Mr.. James u, Mason had met him
one night, and speaking Of the BIZ, said the
Democratic party would be ruined L the bill
was not passed, Mason asked II he had any
influence with Senator CQbprn, and witness
responded In the affirmative. Mason then
said, "You can get CoburH 10 vote for that
bill. II you do IL, Ill give you 3d."
With n contemptuous expression, the wit
ness replied, Five dollars Is no money 10
mel" Laughter in the committee
Mason then went on 10 promise him o bat
or something, bat he paid no further atten-
lion. When he went down stairs he met
Mr.. Coburn, aud Ut ONCE told him the DIR.
cumstance;
Question by Mr.. priceI Did he give you
any money!? a.,
think IS would buy me and leave much TO
buy Senators. Renewed laughter
Mr.. Price: OF course you understand that
this question Is a mere matter Of form, and
necessary; and l would suggest
Mr.. Sargent. Yes; | know! But d-n 1t,
no mar ever paid me money for anything
like thai
He vent on to say that this occurred on
the evening after the vote was taken In the
Senate on the passage OF the bill, and pend.
ing lis announcement.
Mr.. James N. Mason, OF Jefferson county,
was next called. The Chairman OF the Com.
mittee offered to have the statements made
by previous witnesses read, but he declined to
hear them, saying he preferred to go upon
the-reeord as NOT knowing anything about
other testimony before the committee.
Mr.. Mason said that he was one OF the at
torneys for the agents for English holders OF
| West Virginia certificates, aud 1t was known
toNthe public that he would have at his dis.
posal large sums Of money, but II It had been
supposed that this was for improper uses
thsfe would have been demands upon him
sufficient TO bankrupt the Bank Of England.
He knew very we'll that West Virginia could
do nothing until her tax laws were over
hauled, and he also knew that II an
attempt were made to show their
unequal operation and remedy their
anfaa1a all thu tpHnannaa that cnuId hA