Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-16
A SMALL SENSATION
Senator Ransom's Statement to the
Investigating Committee.
his SON BOUGHT SOME SUGAR STOCK
He Knew Nothing Of 1t at the
Time.
4 NEWSPAPER INTERVIEW

Senator Ransom created a slight sensa-
ton when he appeared before the Senate
sugar trust investigating committee today.
He was asked, as were other Senators who
were before the committee, the following
question by Senator Lodge: Has any men,
ber of your family or any person in your
employ or any clerk employed under the
laws of the United States in your service
been. to your knowledge. interested In any
of the ways indicated in any Of the pre-
cedLng questions In any transaction in su-
gar stocks certificates during the period
mentioned?"
Replying to the question, Mr.. Ransom
said: Il want to make statement. On
last Thursday night. the 14th. this week.
Mr.. Rowland, the correspondent of the
New York Press, sent me his card and call
ed to see me at my rooms at the Metropoli-
tan with stenographer Of the name of
Robinson. He. asked me questions very
much like those that you put to me now.
He then informed me that the New York
Press did not wish to do me or any other
Senator an injustice without giving US an
opportunity to be heard, and he felt IL to
be his duty to tell me that they had In
their possession, or he had, somebody
had. brokers scrip upon which were re-
corded the purchases of different gentle
men or different persons in stocks, and that
upon that scrip L had been a frequent
purchaser OF sugar stock in this city dur
ing the sugar debate here. j protested to
MIN as positively as 4 man was capable Of
doing that II was impossible that IL could
be 50; that l never owned one certificate
or piece OF certificate of sugar stock in my
life. That In fact, since i had been in the
senate. L never traded in one dollars worth
OF stock OF any sort, in any way, shape or
form. l insisted upon his seeing the broker
ne told me- upon my asking him, that 1t
was siisby a. Co, who had a house near
9TH street on Pennsylvania avenue, and
that this thing was certainly there. told
MIN TO telegraph to his paper at once that
there was not word of truth in IT; that
there was no founda ton for it: IL was with
out even a shadow.
Trying to FnthOm It..
He seemed to lie in earnest and doubt
less was eEd he asked me If this could be
the work of some malicious enemy Of mine
l told him l could hardly believe that. but 1
could not account, TO save me. how II was
possible.
Il said, i would be glad II you will see this
broker again before you indulge In any pub
!lcation OF this sort and find out II this in
formation is not absolutely without foun1a-
ton, as false as II can be-
he said he would do that, and asked me
II knew any other person by the name of
Ransom In the city. / told him / knew Of
but one person In the city by the name %
Ransom now and that was my son Geornc
who was my clerk He asked me where he
was and l said he was In the parlor and 1
would step In and bring him in. 1 was
perhaps. more cautious than the occasion
required. and / said TO Mr.. Rowland that
would thank him to come with me to the
door, 50 that he could see that no communi-
cation should take place between me and
my son. / went to the parlor door where
GeoSe was and beckoned him to come in
Il did not speak TO him or see him between
the paror and my room and when he got
/ k,.1 he lA,v,a
their business to him, and told my son
whatever the matter was to tell the truth
about H."
He then stated to those persons in my
presence that he had bought some sugar
stock on the 18th or 18th OF April He put
up margin of SO. which he paid the
broker. on sugar stock. He said on the
same day he put up margin of $25 on cot
ton. He said he lost the cotton and made
$40 on sugar. That after that he repeated
the same bet on sugar, but not on cotton.
and | think he lost the second. He then
stated that he and a Capt. Barnes, a mes
senger here at the commerce committee
room, after that on two occasions bought
$40 worth of sugar stock apiece. They
went in together, and l asked this corre-
spondent TO examine my son fully as much
as he pleased, and TO See Capt Barnes and
examine him too.
Ii Was Absolutely False.
About two weeks ago Capt Barnes came
to me at my room in the committee of COM
merce. He is messenger of the committee
North Carolinan. and has been here some
time. and he told me that he had some
thing to tell me. and it was very rough
that particular friend of his had told
him that they had paper which my
name was down for so much sugar stock.
end that / was deeply in II. l told him how
false II was. how absolutely false and
asked him to go to his friend and tell him
the same thing, and to insist upon his in
curing into II and to let me know in what
shape and form 1t was. what way IT was
and what II meant and how ii was. The
next day he came to me ami told me his
friend had looked H. II and thought there
was nothing I'm II. and l told him he must
look into 1t thoroughly 10 See and know
that there was nothing in Ii; that l could
not live II there was anything Of that sort
In anybody's breast about II. and he must
go and see. He returned the next morning
and told me his friend said II was all a
myth. and to not give myself any concern
about II.
This correspondent HowlanD asked me
the name of that person, and | told him IL
was given to me in confidence. and had no
| right to give the name without Capt
Barnes consent, but have no objection to
giving the name TO the committee. i have
seen Mr.. Rowland about 1t. | just this
minute sent for him and told him that I
should ask the committee to summon him to
give the account of his interview with me
to you. l may not have stated correctly as
| to details of this purchase by my son. I
d
brokers' shop and get an account. a paper
to show the exact transactions. and to be
ready TO come before the committee
Senator Gray asked: Had you any knowl-
edge whatever until this interview with Mr.
Howland and on the evening you speak of
| of the bets of your son with this broker in
sugar and cotton?'
Senator Ransom replied: Il never dream
ed of such thing. / never thought of IT.
/ would not have believed IL. The truth OF
| 1t is | went to my son with a great deal Of
| confidence when this correspondent wanted
| to see him. The paper shows that when he
bought the first stock / was out Of the
city; the 18th of April was when we We're
at Gov. Nances funeral at Asheville
Il may state to the committee that /
have no interest whatever, and never had
in any stock or trade or anything else in
any way since ! have been in the Senate"
senator Smith Denies.
Senator Smith of New Jersey whose
name has been connected with the rumors
regarding sugar, answered all the cate
gorical questions put by the committee and
denied that he had given any Information
directly or indirectly to persons inter-
ested in sugar stocks; had not bought or
sold such stocks. had never been concerned
with any person in the sale OF such stocks
or certificates. no one had bought such
stocks in any way in which he would share
In the profits and no member of his fam
lily had been concerned in such transac-