The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-26
BUTTZA DEALER IN BRIBES
The Senate Committee Reports the
Charge Proven.


Committees Power to Compel the
Newspaper Correspondents to Di-
vulEe the Names of the Men Who
Gave Them Their Information.
Washington, May 25 - The special
committee appointed to investigate the
charges of attempted senatorial bribery
on the part of Charles W. Buttz to-day
submitted their report to the Senate
The report of the committee consists of
two printed pages, and the testimony
given before the committee seventy-six
pages Among other things the report
| says: 1T appears from the testimony sub
mitted that certain Charles w. Buttz, of
North Dakota, but domiciled in Wash
ington since December last, where he has
been engaged as lobbyist and claim agent,
did, on or about April of this year, at the
| house of Senator Hunton, in Warrenton,
! Va, during the absence of the senator,
say to his son, Eppa Hunton, Jr., that he
would pay him a contingent fee of $25, 900
If he would, by presenting arguments as
! to the pending tarih bill, induce his
! father, Senator HuntOn, to vote against it.
This offer was declined at once and
| peremptOrily by Eppa HuntOn, Jr., as set
! forth in his testimony, and the whole
! matter was communicated by him to his
| father Senator Hunton availed himself
of the first opportunity to disclose the
matter 10 certain of his friends in the
| Senate, as appears in the testimony, and
/ was in no other way connected with the
/ transaction.
THE OFFER TO KYLE.
at is also established by the testimony
that the same Charles w. Buttz, during
the month of March last past, approached
| Senator Kyle of South Dakota with a
proposition that Sl4 900 would be paid to
| him (Senator Kyle if he would vote
against the pending tariff bill. The said
Buttz, when making this proposition, also
stated to Senator Kyle that the money
was in the hands or control of an agent
of certain bankers and capitalists of New
York city, and that the money was in
| Washington. Senator Kyle's testimony
is confirmed by that of MIR. Duncan Nc
Farland, clerk to the committee on educa-
tiOn and labor.
Senator Kyle is shown by the testi-
mony to have communicated this inter-
view with Buttz and the offer made to
! him to several senators shortly after the
said interview took place.
Your committee are abundantly
! justified in stating that the facts above
recited have been established by the evi-
dence, Notwithstanding the denial on the
part of Charles W. Buttz, and they refer
the Senate to the testimony in detail in
support of this finding.
THE SENATORS EXoNERATED.
"Your committee find nothing from
their investigation to impeach, in the
least degree, the honor or character of
Senators Hunton and Kyle. There is no
evidence to show the truth of Buttz's
statements to Senator Kyle, or to Eppa
Hunton, Jr., that syndicate of bankers
and capitalists had raised a sum of money
to be used for the purpose Of defeating
the pending tariff bill, or that
there was an agent of such d
syndicate in Washington, or that any
money was in Washington for that pur
pose Buttz denied that he made any
such statement, or that he had or has any
| knowledge of the existence OF such syn
dicate or that he was the agent or repre-
sentative OF any one. He further denies
that he had any money himself. If, dur
ing the further prosecution OF the IN
vestigation with which your com
mittee is charged. any evidence
be discovered or suggested tend
ing to support the statements
made to Senator Kyle or to Mr. Mct car
land or to MIR. Eppa HuntOn, Jr., by
Charles w. Buttz, it will be promptly
laid before the Senate. Until then, your
committee are compelled, upon all the
evidence submitted to them, to reach the
conclusion that the statements of Charles
w. Buttz are wholly untrustworthy."
CONTINUATION OF THE INQUIRY.
The senatorial bribery committee con-
tinued its inquiry to-day into the allega-
| tiOns concerning the sugar trust and its
connection with the tariff bill MGssrs.
-Schriver and Edwards, two of The news
| paper correspondents who were on the
stand Yesterday. were recalled. and re-
heated their refusal to give the committee
any information as to the identity of the
men with whom their stories of corrupt
influences originated. Mr.. Edwards
had brought Judge Dittenhoefer from
New York with him as coun-
sell To-day Judge Dittenhoefer
was announced as counsel for Mr..
| Schriver also. Judge Dittenhoefer APP
peared before the committee and argued
that the committee had no authority TO
compel his clients to answer. He gave
| the committee some advice as to the
method of conducting the examination,
stating that it had already enough names
in its possession to begin the important
part of it's investigation and. that it
was wasting time and accomplish
ing nothing by summoning newspaper
men. He cited the case of Hallett
Kilbourne in support of his contention
! that the committee hdd no flgnJ 10 COM
pel a witness to answer by jeopardizing
! his liberty. The kilbourne case was
that of an attempt by Senate commit
| tee to make Mr.. Kilbourne answer ques-
tious and produce private books. The
! recalcitrant witness was sent to jail and
kept there six months He sued for false
! Imprisonment and obtained heavy dam
! ages.
Harry Walker, the third correspondent
witness of yesterday, was also recalled,
! but he was given a respite until Monday
on his explanation that ne desired 10 be
! represented by counsel, as the other wit
! nesses had been He has retained eX-
| Speaker Sultzer, of the New York state
assembly, as his attorney.
BoURKE coCKRAN's STORY.
There was an error in the report Of the
testimony given the committee yesterday
! bv MIR. Walker about what Congressman
! Rourke Cochran had told him with refer
ence to the sugar trust and the Demo-
cratic party. What Mr.. Cochran did
saw. according TO MIR. Walker, was, that
he was in favor of putting a duty on
sugar. not because of any legal con-
nection with the trust, but because
certain persons "high in authority in the
administration" had told him that the
Democratic party was under obligations
10 the trust for contributions TO cam
Dafrn expenses. Walker was not told the
names Of these authoritative persons, but
] 4 Ilrauf1ant and Soc