St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-12
AN ATTACK ON GOV. HILL.
A Resolution to Investigate Charges Of
Corruption.
A LIVELY DEBATE FOLLOWS
ID Which Various Charges Of Corrup-
ton Are Made---G0v. HIPS
q Statement.

aae ALBANY, NY, April lin the SEN
ate yesterday resolution was intro
duced by Senator Fassett, Republican,
! for the appointment of committee to
I Investigate certain published charges in
regard to alleged corruption in the adj
ministration of some of the departments
in the municipal government of New
York city. While the terms of the reso-
luton were quite general, it was under
stood that the real point of attack was
Gov. Hill, concerning whose alleged
atsdeaP' with the aqueduct commission
during the last gubernat0rial canvass
certain New York papers had published
articles. The story published was in
effect that Gov. Hill had secured
change in the personnel of the aque-
duct commission, by having the mayor
and comptroller released from ex-OfficiO
service thereon; that the governor then
appointed his political friend S to the
vacancies with the result that the
firm of O'Brien & Clark, contract
ors. were enabled to secure the con-
tract for section of the new aqueduct,
though they were outsiders, and then
sublet it to another competing firm at a
clean profit of $4,000; that O'Brien and
Clark. and O'Brien individually in
dorsed Gov. Hills notes for $4,000, to
be spent during the late gubernatorlal
campaign; and that John keenan,, the
boodler now in Canada, discounted one
of them: in short, that the governors
campaign bills were paid out of the
aoueduct contract. The resolution in
the senate, which grew out of these
charges,
CAUSED a HEATED DEBATE
in that body to-day, i'll which personal
charges of campaign and legislative
corruption were rather freely tossed
back and forth, between the friends
and enemies of the governor. The
resolution was finally adopted unani-
mouSly, and one of the Democratic
members gave notice that he would in
trOduce resolution to investigate the
charges of corruption in the electoral
canVasses of certain members of the
state senate, and as to the use of money
in the senate itself in the last two
elections of United States senators.
Gov. Hill made statement to an ASso-
ciated Press representative this evening
in regard to the matters charged
against him. He said that near the
close of the campaign of 1885 the Demo
cratic state committee was short of
funds and appealed to him to aid them.
In connection with certain other Demo
Gratis he drew two notes, aggregating
$4,000, which he gave them. They
were discounted and the money used in
the legitimate work of the campaign.
When they were due they were paid,
various well-known Democrats. contrib
uting the money. The heaviest con-
tributor was John O'Brien, of O'Brien
s. Clark. He was chairman of the
state Democratic committee, and all his
doings in connection with the matter
were as an individual Democrat. His
partner. Clark, is a Republican, and the
firm had nothing to do with the matter.
Keenan, discounted one Of these notes
for the Democratic committee. Gov.
Hill declared that this attack on him
was instigated by the quarantine depart
ment of New York, of which depart
ment ex-senator L. G. Plat is the head,
and whom Gov. Hill has vainly tried to
GUST. The governor declares that he
has nothing to conceal in the entire
matter.