The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-05-16
Mckinley-..A. ?. A. Quarrel Getting
Interesting.
ATTEMPT TO ASSAIL CHARACTER
OF JUDGE STEVENS
But he Claims to Have Information
For Parties Making Threats-Story
that Mark Hanna Has Taken Hand in
Scrimmage.
ESPECIAL TO THE PREss.1

| /
| Scrimmage.
| ESPECIAL TO THE PREss.1
| Washington, May 15.-The Star tonight
prints the following: The A. z. a.
storm will reach full developments tomor-
row morning when the advisory board
will report to the supreme council. The
council wanted the report this morning,
and the Mckinley mon almost demand
ed that it be mads at $50 this morning,
| but the requests, demands etc., did not
amount to anything. Judge Steyeps's
| fighting blood has been aroused, and he
says he means to take his time, SO that
there can be no more accusations Of haste
bribery and other things. The Star stat
| ed yesterday that the report would not be
made until tomorrow.
| The subcommittee appointed by the
advisory board is busily engaged in con-
Quoting the examinations fixed for it.
The Mckinley men have all along
charged that their side of the matter was
| never given showing by the campaign
committee, and it is learned that the
subcommittee is giving them all the
showing that they want now.
The examination now in progress is not
one-sided, it is stated. The talk the last
few days seems to show that the cam
paign committee has been making some
| friends. At least the attacks on the mem
bers of the committee are less frequent.
This, 1T is said today by a friend of the
committee, is not because the committee
or Judge Stevens has hedged in the least.
1t acted fairly according to the testimony
presented to IL against Mckinley. The
| attack is now directed to breaking down
| the trustworthiness of the testimony.
Each of the men who signed afidavits
setting forth McKinley's unfriendliness
| to the order will be attacked and an effort
will be made to cripple their veracity.
This morning, 1t is said that the cam
paign committee will stand firm, as it
agreed to do the other night, and present
to the supreme council all the facts.
They Will uphold the veracity of their
witnesses and will contend that the testi-
mony is sufficient to warrant the order
in b1aoklisting Mckinley.
After everything has been presented,
it is said that the supreme council will
have no opportunity of jumping on the
committee itself. It will have to take
upon itself the functions of a jury and
believe or disoredit the testimony of the
witnesses. If it believes the witnesses then
it must uphold the campaign committee
II it concludes that the witnesses were
unreliable it will have to put the blame
for the antagonism to Mckinley upon
them.
Judge Stevens is said to be fully pre-
pared to meet ali the attacks On his per-
sonal character which are likely to be
made. Since the onslaught against him,
has started, he has received by telegraph
and mail the histories and personal rec
ords of many of the men who are max
ing, and threaten to make, the attacks.
He is recovering his health. His friends
say that he has tried to keep out of q
personal fight, but if 1T has to be gone
into, he is ready to meet it.
The information last night was that
scrimmage. There are some unpublished
sensational facts about this incident
which will be interesting. On Tuesday
night Judge Stevens received letter
from Gen. Grosvenor in which the threat
was made to expose some private affairs
in Judge Stevens's life if Judge Stevens
persisted in certain course as to MoKin-
40, 1+l,<
Mckinley mon. One of these was to have
Judge Stevens and his committee arrest
ed for criminal libel against Mckinley
and for circulating libel through the
United States mails.
. Gen. Grosvenor sent printed circu-
lar to Judge Stevens This printed circu-
lar gave sketch of Judge Stevens's life.
The inference was that il Judge Stevens
was not careful this circular would be
given circulation.
Judge Stevens, it is said, Immediately
employed a firm Of prominent lawyers
or the purpose of having arrests made
on charges of blaokmail and for the pur-
pose of bring ing suits for libel.
He intimated that these legal matters
would not stop at Gen. Grosvenor, but
would extend to the entire outfit of Nc
Kinley managers and those who were at
tempting to injure his character.
A short time after all this occurred, a
rumor went the rounds that the matter
had been adjusted, and now com es the
story that Mark Hanna was telegraphed
to and advised as TO the situation. He,
last night, wired a telegram asking Gen.