The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-10-23
AN AMUSING STORY.
The Only BRIBERY" Was by the Pop
Ocratic Campaign Committee.

AnC ohA WI DX the ron.
ocrnfic Campaign Committee.
1t will be remembered that a few weeks
ago Chairman Martin, of the Democratic
State committee. put up 500 for the pur-
chase of the Nonconformist, which had
heretofore been run as a middle-of-the-
road Populist organ. The only object In
thus advancing money to the purchaser,
Mrs. Vincent, was to take the paper out Of
the fight for the Populist party and make
1T a Popocratic organ during the rest of the
campaign. 1t required d beautiful row and
the interference of the police to Dust from
the editorial chair of the paper it's editor,
Charles x. Mathews, who was a rabid
middle-of-the-roader. In the face of these
facts the Sentinel yesterday sprung an
amusing story to the effect that the Repub-
lican congressional committee had been do
mating $125 a week TO run the paper as n
middle-of-the-road organ. 1t quoted Math-
ews as stating that this money was fur
nished to A. c.. Mckee, one of the pro-
p%rietors, by Lee Nixon, secretary to Rep
resentative Overstreet. Mr.. Nixon said
yesterday: II never paid Mckee nor any,
body else a cent for the benefit of the Nom
conformist or any other paper. The state
ment is pure rot. / don't think the Nom
conformist amounts to any more in this
campaign than the Sentinel, and would
not give as much as sl.25 a week for the
influence of either or both of them"
Charles X. Mathews, the executor of the
paper. who is quoted by the Sentinel. met
a Journal reporter on the street early yes
terday morning. before the latter had seen
anything of the story. He was in a high
state of excitement. ."Those dirty dogs"
he said. sold me out and then went and
told a story about Nixon putting up for the
paper, and put me in a hole where / had
to talk" When asked what upon earth he
was talking about, he replied that he had
an interview in the Sentinel that morning.
and wanted to see the Journal reporter
about 1t at any time and place he might
name. Last evening he handed in the fol-
lowing signed statement:
My interview in the Sentinel this morn
ing has been misunderstood and misinter-
preted. l did not there state and do not
now state that / had any knowledge what
ever of any money being paid to the Nom
conformist office by the Republican party.
All | did say was that what information I
had was based on what was told to me by
A. G. Mckee. the business manager of the
paper. / saw no money paid to him. re-
ceived no money from anybody, and don't
know hat he got a cent. Judging from the
transactions subsequent to that. / think it
likely that any statement that he NAV
make is wholly unreliable. / have proof
positive that he IVES making a traffic of the
paper and merchandise of me, and my in
tercourse with him during the last ten DAYS
would lead me to believe that he was with
out honor and without principle. Return
ing 10 my interview in the Sentinel of this
morning. it will be seen that l only gave
this information as coming from him. and
not on my own authority at all. As he sold
the paper TO the Democrats. changed its
policy and refused TO pay me my salary for
work that have done, ii is not difficult to
see that he could easily play false in one
case as another. My interview In the Sem
tinel. while substantially correct. was given
a partisan tone by several additions. This
is especially true of the last two sentences.
which were not spoken by me nor author
lied by me- l TO q them to close the inter-
view by the statement that the Noncon-
formist. jas long as Ii was edited BY me.
would BE a straight mfddle-of-the-road
Populisl paper. regardless of any arrange
ment that vas made by the business man