New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1889-01-30
Minnesota Senatorial Scandal.

! Minnesota Senatorial Scandal.
The Republican members OF the Minnesota
i Legislature in caucus nominated w. D.
! Washburn for United States Senator, but his
election was postponed for a day or two to
1 make an investigating committeeto examine
into the charge of bribery and corruption
i The result shows very little ground Tor the
charges, the following being the substance of
the testimony produced before the commit
4 tee:
II. L. Williams sworn; a member of the house
ana an attorney. / am attorney for J. w. Ham
! About two weeks ago Ham came over to my office
1 and told me that Mr.. Stone had told him tn al
/ if would vote for Washburn could have $500
I told him it was no use Afterward Ham came
i and told me that Stone had said could have
| $1,000 If I would come ont for Washburn; that
( money was no object. He wanted me to come
out and announce myself for Washburn
". t. Estes, sworn; a member of tbs
house.
/ person has approached me- He said he
would gave certain amount OF money and dc
4 certain things He wanJcd me to vote for Sir
i Sabln for United States senator. The man
with whom had the conversation was Senator
\ BucKman. 1t was IN my room at the Merchants
/ Ihe offer in money was $2.O 600. Can't give the
exact words. He was in there an hour or so
lntlmated hat it was no mere promise PROPOSE
| ton 1t contemplated the vote on speakershi1
| and senatorship and some other matters to come
4 before the legislature. Something about pine
land matters, connected with some railroad that
1 was to come before the legislature. There was
| no one else there. Had a conversation with Mr..
I Sabin afterwards and I understood the CONVEX
sation alluded to that. which we had had.
! | withdrew for speaker after this Offer was in
/ favor OF Morgan. Had no further conyers aticn
| with Buchanan / told him at that time that
should have to refuse the offer. Did not know
that he had any authority more than what Sahin
| said. Had talk with Sahin one evening We
| talked the matter over. and he referred me to
Buchanan. aud said he was a fine fellow; that he
was able to do what he said he could, and if he
| made any one any offer he was able to deliver
The goods. was not offered any sum or any ::,o-
| o.l,I>,.
TO make me speaker. He did not offer me in so
many words He said that Graves was Sabin
| man. and that he thought by certain com bina-
| tions he could secure my election as speaker
| He added, "Or course. old fellow, il we succeed
| shall expect you to support me as senator"
D. w. Ham sworn:
spoke to him & bout it. I said. 1T seems to
| me If you would vote for Washburn or work for
| Washburn you might might get a pretty good
| stake. was around the Merchants hotel and
heard various rumors; All I said was, Z think
! you could get $500. afterwards said thought
he could get $4,000 or $4,000. that 1 heard
gentleman say that he had So, 900 for the cam
paisn. Stone had told me about it and he was
the man referred to, but made the offer on
my own account. thinking might get some
t thing out out Of it II succeeded. talked
was money IN it. Stone never told
me any amount that he would offer.
never told him that Stone said he would give
any amount. am a Democrat. There no
| special reason why should take part in this
matter. except that l was a friend of Stones.
stone was a Washburn man. I think I told
Stone the conversation that had with Williams.
Cross Examined-I knew that Williams was
hard up and needed money. told him he could
get $500 for going out and working on Wash
burns side, and later that he could get So. 900
or Sc, 900. It was simply account of my
friendship for Williams that TOLD him this
did not care from which candidate the money
came; I had no authority TO offer the money,
but l inferred it from the general CONVERSE
money from Mr. stone He SAID: "Come down down
to the Mt and hang AROUND and use your
$50 was only there about three days: was
not there all the time was at my Office most of
the time. did nos spend any money on any
members OF the Legislature. I had a CONVERSE
ton with Mr.. Sabin last night. before went to
the theater. Sabin sent for me and wanted to
about bribery. He said he could give me $500
told him it was worth $1.OOO-$5OO in cash
and a note. He said he would meet me at the
hotel at a. m met him there aud he said he
could arrange to give The $1,000 What was to
do was to give my testimony just as I
had given it to him. Gen. Baker was present. as
were H. l.. Williams and one or Two others
Williams took part in the conversation. 1t was
In his presence that this amount was fixed. I
said was willing to testify if there was any
thing in it. meant if there was any money in
it, and he understood it. MY reason for taking
the 81 900 was because the payment was post
poned. If that was paid I was to come before
should divide with Williams. told him that
was to have the paw for my services only. If
Polk and Williams testified that I told them that
Stone had authorized me to give the money, it
is false Gen. Baker did not participate in the
conversation. He talked in low tone to Mr.
Sabia:
Twas unfr1endly to Mr. Sabin and not particu-
larly friendly to MIR. Washburn. told Ham
that Sabin had done great many things to in
jure me, and wanted him to get out and do
some talking. He said he would if there was
any money in it. paid him.$ $50. I paid Ham
this out Of my own pocket. have had no au-
authority from Mr.. Nashburn to offer any
money. never offered any to any one. acted
n the matter because thought that Sabin was
an improper person to be elected. My opposition
to him was from purely business standpoint.
think that he has injured me. I have had no
communication with partisan OF any candidates.
Senator Buchanan sworn:
never approached Estes Saw Estes in my
room. He told me that he had been offered
Is, 900 to withdraw from the speakership fight.
and wanted to know if we could do better. I
told him no. never knew ANYTHING about the
pine lands coming before the LEGISLATURE Never
discussed any such question with him. Never
talked with him about railroad grant or about
his vote. Estes evidence is false-a pure fabri-
cation. There was q bill introduced in the SEN
ate CHANGING the route of the Duluth & Winni-
peg route. had nothing to do with the railroad
land grant.
We (meaning Estes and Bucisman) talked
awhile. They went into Buckmans room and
shut the door except about six inches. Buck
man asked him what they could do for him to
induce him to Withdraw in favor OF Graves for
speaker He said they had offered him $4,000
on the other side and wished t. know il he could
do better. Buchanan said they were not max
ing canvass in thai way, but could do some
thing for him in committees.
Senator Sabin, sworn:
Had talk with Estes The conversation was
in the most casual manner as to the speaker
ship. 1 told him wished him to pin his sup
port to Graves He spoke about the chairman
ship of some COMMITTEES. I said / supposed he
and Buchanan had some understanding about
that matter, and said that guessed Buck man
could deliver The goods. Our conve rsation had
relation to the speakership alone. Buchanan
told me Estes had told him he could get So, 900
from the other side, that he had had hard
times up in our country" and he must
do as much he could. I never
authorized Buck1nan to pay anything. Testi-
mony of Ham read to witness as to offer of
money to induce him to testifv) Polk told me
what Ham had said about it. sent for Williams
and he corroborated the statement told Polk
if he could persuade Ham to produce the testi.
mony and talk. He said that Ham was very
doubtful kind Of fellow and might do it for
consideration. I told him ] could not. nor
would it be prudent for me to maize any offer
but that never forgot friend and IhoughJ
could throw enough business into their hands to
pay them fer the trou5e. I then sent for
Williams, and he told me that Ham had gone to