Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-05-01
TIE NEW CAPITOL.
The BIEcknailing Controversy Comes
TO Head on tae Eve of tho Ae.
eeptaRcs Of the Building.
M. Q. Harris Makes Certain Charges
AgaiRst Contractor Wilke to Which
Tho Latter Replies.
Special to the Gazette.


has erupted. Al. C. Harris published q
long letter in the Dispatch Of this even
ing in which he calls attention to the
charge recently made Of attempt to levy
olsckmsil on she cspitol contractors, and
declares that instead of his attempt
Ing to blackmail the contractors they
ltgied to bribe him to silence. After
long introduction Mr.. Harris comes down
| to business. He tells of the visit OF
Michel Butler, friend of James Wllke,
| me contractor, to the Dispatch flee ana
-ays: "The diplomat was net long in
statlng his mission and began by saying
mat ne desired TO see me cease my attacks
| On the capitol. I assured him l had
made no attacks upon the capitol
)ut only upon the defects
and then was overpowered by the fol-
| lowing declaration:
NV, Harris, you and Willie are both
| my friends, end want to see this thing
Stopped. | wouldn't mind paying few
| hundred dollars myself to see 1t stop.
Mind, Wllke nor no one else has anything
20 do with this but myself. l want YOU
to stop, and if you will You can draw OF
NE for 5000 or $780,
"Those who know the prodigsl reck-
lessness with which Mr.. Butler throws
| $500 or $500 around on every meritorious
or deserving measure that comes up will
| readily comprehend why 1 wss over.
| powered. l confess was surprised and
| startled. l Gould not but ask myself why
90 these men want to pay me $500
or 500. Ii the work on the capitol is
honestly done the contractors should not
fear investigation. However, conclud-
| ID to see what was in the affsir and
stated that the amount was too email
and asked him If it could not be raised to
$l6Co. We walked up to the bar where l
| borrowed $40 from Mr.. Butler who
secured it from the proprietor Of the
house on his check, ct the same time
notifying him (the proprietol) to let mt
| have any reasonable sum of money
might Call for st any time, guaranteeing
IT'S payment. l may have remarked that
the check l gave Mr.. Butler in
return for the $40 lOaned8me was
| duly honoted at the First National Bank,
and hat never called upon the proprl
etor alluded TO for any money on Mr.
Butler's account. Oge or two converse,
lions on the same subject were subse
quently held bet Heen US, but Ct course
| avoided any direct committsl OF myself,
snd thus the matter rested until 8
few weeks previous to the meeting of
| toe Legislature. As is known in this
community ard throughout the state
since 'he expert arcuitects filed tGeir re-
port l have persistently and earnestly Ia
bored to have the Legislature convened
| in extra session. frankly adnis that the
one grsnd central and l might add sole
obi .ct l hsd IN view WAS to bring the
p op .e'S rep esentatives together that they
might hesr and Investigate these charges
and see for themselves the manner In
which the state interests had been neg
lected, provided, alwsys, that Che charges
Of these men were based upon fact snG
could be suostsntiated By aocular proof.
SAortly before The conveniug OF the Leg
islsture in extra session I met Mr.. Wilke
one evening and stated to him that l
needed $1,000, and asked him If he would
let me have that amount. He returned
prompt answer ia the affirmative, and
stated that it would afford MIN pleasure
to deal libersliy with me, that the matter
of s2o0e or $4,000 amounted to nothing
win him, and be WAS always glad to &C.
commodste his friends. But be-
fore parting he reminded me that
il would be better to arrange the matter
through his friend Mr.. Mike Butler, and
asked me II hsd any objection to giving
Mr.. Butler q mortgage upon the Dispstcn
printing press, simply as matter OF
form, assuring me that in due time the
mortgage should be returned to
me satisfsd without the payment
of 8 dollar. 1t is but
Justice to Mr.. Wiike, I should have
stated that to the best of my recollection
nothing was said by either party IS to the
course Of the Dispatch Or my own. though
| spprehend that the general public like
Mr.. Wilke and myself understand the
basis upon which the "loan" was to
be predicsted. Subsequently met Mr.
Butler snd the matter was arranged to
his satisfaction, which was not difficult,
considering that he money he 80 osten-
tatiou5ly proposed TO expend, In no wise
reduced his own tana account. Accord
ingly Mr.. Butler directed Judge Doom 20
draw up the ins trunent OF writing.
then demanded from Mr.. But
Ter what 1 had all the while
been endeavoring to secure,
a written obligation Of like tenor with
Mr.. Wilkes proposition. appreciated
the difficulty 1 would encounter in prov
ipg the bare faced attempt at bribery
Without some corroborating evidence to
sustain 1t. and hence my endeavor to Sc
cure something in black snd white thst
they could not deny. Mr.. Butler de-
clinea to sign the desired docume mt,
but iterated and reiterated that l
knew 1t would be all right.
Said he: JUst you sign the mortgage. l.
will be al right, you need not fear that L
will go back on you.' But it was not fall
right with m, and 1 again called on Mr.
W like and eIacted some instrument OF
writing from lin that would incontro-
vertibly corroborste the material ailega-
cations set forth in this state
ment. He declined to give
1t on the ground that he could not take
such chances. then put this question
to him, sWiike, If accept this $1,000
from Butler and cease to fight the cspitol
will you pledge me your word and honor
SIS q msn TO return me the mortgage when
the Legislature accepts the building
without exactlDga cent Of money from
MP
ST do" was his reply, and will do
better than that. 1 give you my personal