The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-06-17
RANSOM IS CONFIDENTIAL.
Knew Nothing About the Deals
of His Son.
Quay, However, Says He Bought
Stocks and Would Do So
Again.


appeared before the Senate sugar investi-
eating committee to-day. lie was asked,
as were others who were before the COM
mittee. the following question by Senator
Lodge:
Has any member 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 knowl.
edge interested in any of the ways indi-
Gated in any Of the preceding questions
in any transactions in sugar stocks or GER
tificates during the period men tiOned"
Replying to the question Ransom asked
leave to make a statement On the night
of last Thursday he had been visited at
bis home by Mr.. Rowland. CORRESPONDENT
of the New York Press, who asked him
substantially the same question as had
been put to him by the committee. Ran
som made explicit denial, whereupon
Rowland informed him that brokerage
firm in the city. Silbee 81 Co., had an entry
in their books which indicated that the
Senator had speculated in sugar stocks
during the period of the tariff debate.
Mr.. Rowland" continued Ransom,
asked me Il l knew any other person by
the name of Ransom in the city. | told
h i'm l knew of but one person in the city
by the name of Ransom, and that was my
son George, who was my clerk. He asked
me where he was, and l said he was in the
parlor and | would step in and bring
him IN.
Il was perhaps more cautious than the
occasion required, and l said 10 Mr.. How
land that l would thank MIN to come with
me to the door so that he could see no
communication should take place between
me and my son. | went TO the parlOr
door, where my son was, and becROned
him 20 come in. did not speak to him or
see him between the parlOr and my room.
and when be got into my room l asked the
gentleman to state his business to him,
and told my son whatever the matter was
TO tell the truth about 1t.
He then stated to the gentleman in my
presence that he had bought some sugar
stock on the 18th or 18th of April. He put
up a margin of $40. which he paid the
broker on sugar stock. He said on the
same day he put up a margin of S25 on
cotton.
HE said be lost the cotton and made
$40 Oh sugar, and after that he repeated
the same bet on sugar. but not on cotton,
and think he lost the second.
HE then stated he and Captain Bar mes,
a messenger here at the committee-room,
after that on two occasions bought $40
worth of sugar stock. They went in to-
gOther, and l asked the correspondent to
examine my son as fully as he pleased and
to examine Captain Barnes too"
Ransom proceeded to relate that several
weeks ago Captain Barnes, previously al
luded to. had come TO him to tell him that
a friend had informed him that ne (the
SENATOR had been specializing in sugar
The Senator denied the story and sent
Barnes to investigate. The latter returned
with the assurance that there was no basis
for the assertion. The Senator had told
the correspondent, Rowland, about this
incident, Withholding the name of Barnes
informant, which had been communicated
to him in con fdence.
Senator Ransom advised the committee
to examine Barnes and see if his story did
not correspond with what had just been
stated to the committee.
Senator Gray asked: Had you any
knowledge whatever until this interview
with Mr.. Rowland, on the evening you
speak of, Of the bets of your son with this
broker in sugar and cotton?"
Senator Ransom replied: 81 never
dreamed of such thing. | never thought
of it. | went to my son with great deal
of con fdence ana told him that this cor
respondent wanted to see him. The paper
shows that when he bought this sugar
stock / was out of the city. The Is h of
April was when we were at Governor
Vance'S funeral at Ashville. l may state
to the committee that have no interest
whatever ana never had ia stock or trade
or anything else since have been in the
Senate"
Senator Brice reiterated his declaration
in his letter TO Chairman GRAY, in which he
said that he had not bought or sold a
single share of sugar stock or dealt in ia
dustrial stocks of any kind. Brice was
very explicit and emphatic IN his denial Of
| any knowledge of campaign contributions
from the sugar trust. He knew nothing of
the contributions in 1892. Previous to
! July !. 1892. when he was in charge there
! were no contributions from the sugar trust
or any one connected with it so far as he
knew. He never attended a meeting Oh
| Benedicts yacht at which pledges were
| made in the sugar interests.
| Senator Quay was before the committee
! just before 3 O'Clock. He told the COM
mittee he bought sugar stocks on specula-
| ton and he would do so again
Senator Quay said he had bsen dealing
in stocks more or less all his life and for
the past twenty months had been buying
and selling sugar stocks. The day before
| the vote was taken he sold all he had at a
loss, so it could not be charged it Influenced
his vote. He said he had not been fur
nished any information as TO what the
Finance Committee would do with the
sugar schedule and tina formed no part of
| his basis of purchase or sale. He saw no
reason why United States Senator should
not avail himself of a plain business
proposition and he intended to transact
any such business in the future as be had
| in the past.
A number Of other Senators were ex-
amined during the day. but none of them
| gave any testimony beyond the denial of
the categorical questions concerning the
purchase and ownership of sugar stocks or
knowledge OF any purchase by any one
connected with them, either officially or
| domestically.
! The list includes Senators Gordon, Jones
of Nevada, Kyle, McLaurin. Henderson,
Mills, Mitchell of Wisconsin, Morrill,.