The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-03-07

professional gambler and saloon
keeper. He ran A saloon IN the base
ment of the legislative building. Be
sides the saloon he also sought to run
the legislature itself He took a pc
culiar interest i'm several bills other
than the Chandler act. He told the
committee all about a fund OF si.i0o,
raised by the gamblers NJ Helena,
Butte and Anaconda. To kill the anti
gambling bill The money. he said, was
on deposit In the Montana National
bank. He claimed to be acquainted
with the proceedings of the promoters
OF the opposition to the bill; he en-
joyed their confidence. ON the morn
ing that the hill passed the senate he
was shown two one-thousand dollar
bills and asked to take them and buy
two senator's lie testified that he went
To these two senators and urged them
To vote not against but for the bill. He
was anxious To see the hill passed.
Asked why, he said that he was con-
vinced that gambling was a terrible
evil and should he suppressed. He
thought ii was right that he should
stand in with the opponents of the bill,
so that he could watch what they were
doing and thwart them. Several gam
blers To whom Graham alluded were
Subptendeu anu tontIdultlfu ulin dN
all points. The president of the Mon
tana National bank was called and
swore the bank had no such fund ON
deposit. Another witness testified that
early In the session Graham started TO
kill the bill. but, In the opinion
of the witness. the other gamblers
We're not satisfied To let him have the
handling Of the money and so he
switched, partly out of spite and partly
because he had such a political pull In
Helena that he thought he could run
a secret gambling house after the pass
age of the bill without molestation by
the authorities. The committee came
to the unanimous opinion that cra-
hans testimony was absolutely worth
less. and probably nothing would have
been said about a gambling fund in the
committees report had II not been for
the testimony of Mr. McMurran. book
keeper In the surveyor generals office.
who told OF certain facts OF which he
had cognizance in such an honest and
disintercSted way as to carry conNtc-
tion Ia every man who heard him. His
evidence corroborated Crahans only In
respect of the fact that fund had
been created somehow and was in ex-
istence somewhere aud further that
venal propositions had been made 10 at
least one senator and by that senator
rejected. As for Tom Graham. he salts
fled the members OF the committee that
he is one of the most finished liars they
ever had had the opportunity Of he
holding.
Senator Chandler. the father of the
anti-gambling bill. Is a man of short
stature, spare build and nervous tenn
permanent. He owns fine ranch in
Fergus county and his home Is cele-
brated for its hospitality. He is man
of pronounced ideas which he does not
hesitate to utter whether you like them
or not. though he IL always courteous
In conversation and debate. except
when he thinks the occasion demandsl
the Injection of little wormwood and
gall. Take him when he rs feeling
good. and he Is as full of fun as nut
is Of meat His mind IL cultivated and
well Informed, he can talk about al
most anything. There is no sham
about him-that Is his chief charm. lie
got all wrought up in his anti-gamblng
hill and labored for II the last three
days of the session to the point of prac-
tically going without food or sleep.