The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-12-07

The following communication appeared
in yesterdays Argus:
SOME PERTINENT INQUIRIES.
Portland, Dec. q, 1894.
To the Editor Of the Argus
1t appears from the evidence OF MI.
johnson, proprietor of the st. James
Hotel, Monday evening, thar he did not
care to follow the advice OF Mr. W. d.
Looney when he told him not to pay
any blood money to Ohcer Hanson.
1t appears also that Mr.. Looney had al
together too high an estimate OF the
character of the "powers that be" IN
Johnson that Miles had no more inf1u
ence with them (corruptly) than cat"
Now it seems that MIR. johnson, think
ing Mr. LooDey was too CONSCIENTIOUS a
LAWYER for such a man as he TO retain,
shook the dust of that advocates office
from his feet, and ESQ he says) went to
another lawyer, George Libby ESQ.,, who
he was told had pulp with the Re-
publican officials and was not unwilling
TO use it for a consideration. He paid
Mr.. Libby, he testified, one hundred dol
lars, and that was the last of the case.
Now I would like to know what Mr..
Libby did with this money? Did he
really do anything to earn it? Why was
not the case against Mr.. johnson prose-
cuted in the Superior Court? How many
other Repu blican lawyers have this
pull" with the Republican officials?
What are their namess Is 1T true, as is
sometimes darkly limited at. that GER
tain Republican attorneys who were or
are members of the legislature have
reaped harvest from the liquor dealers,
and if they have, what is the secret of
their influence with the "powers that
be?
Let us have a thorough investigation
Republican administration seems to be
reeking with filth and corruption.
Biddeford and Lewiston, which have
Republican city governments, and which
have Repu blican reform" Mayors, are
according 20 the statements of ministers
of those cities, a stench-veritabie SINKS
of corruption. Now it appears from the
indescri baby filthy testimony.at thehear-
ing Monday night that the reform"
administration of Mayor Baxter is worse
than the reform" administrations IN
Biddeford and Lewiston.
1t is enough to make ever honest son
of Portland to hang his head in
NATIVE OF PORTLAND.
. Naturally communication containing
such serious charges and insinuations
against large number of men excited
a good deal of comment and no little
Indignation among the men accused.
The most explicit accusation was made
against Ger Hanson-that Of demand
ing "blood money" and that officer
soon after the Argus appeared presented
himself at the Argus office and asked
a retraction of the implied accusation
against him. In an interview with
PRESS representative, he said
that he met Mr.. Osgood, the assistant edi-
tor OF the paper, at the office, and calling
bis attention to the article asked him to
correct it as far as he was concerned.
MIR. Osgood replied that the accusation
was not made by the Argus, but by
correspondent, and therefore the Argus
was not responsible for it. and
could not correct it. Mr.. Hanson
then asked for the name of the author
Mr.. Osgood replied Mr.. Looney. Mr..
Hanson said he then went to Mr..
Looney's office with Mr.. George Libby
whom he met on the way, aud in Mr..
Libby's presence asked Mr.. Looney if he
wrote the article. Mr.. Looney, Mr.. Han
son says, replied that he did not. Then
Mr.. Hanson said that he had been in
formed at the Argus Office that Mr..
Looney had written it. and invited Mr..
Looney to go to the Argus office and
settle the question. Mr.. Looney declined,
saying that he was too busy to 20 then.
A short time after, Mr.. Hanson again
went to the Argussoffice and found both
Mr.. Osgood and MIR. Looney. request
was again made by Mr.. Hanson for a re-
traction of the charge against him, when
Mr.. Looney admitted that he was
responsible for the article. He
admitted further that the accusation
against Mr.. Hanson was unfounded,
explaining that he had mixed him and
Mr.. Miles up, and csreless1y used Mr..
Hanson's name when he meant to use
MIR. Miles's, and offering to make a re-
traction. The accusations of the article,
so far as they affect Mr.. Hanson are,
therefore, Withdrawn.
AS regards the charge or insinuation
against Mr.. Libby. which is contained in
the allegation that Mr.. Johnson, think
ing Mr.. Looney was too conscientious a
lawyer for such a man as he to retain,
left him and went to Mr.. George Libby
because be was told that the latter had
a "pul1,n and was not unwilling to use
it for a consideration, Mr.. Libby says
that be was retained by Mr.. Johnson to
take care of two liquor cases against
him in the regular course of business,
and his fee paid him. He says it was
perfectly proper transaction. just what
any other lawyer would have done. He
denies that he has any "pnll" with Re-
publican officials, and pronounces the
insinuations of the letter against him
IN lust and unfounded.
The other insinuations of the letter
that there is group of Republican law
yers here with pulls" on the officials;
that Mayor Baxter's administration is
A veritable sink of corruption; and that
I:a1,tors hsve accented fees from rum-