New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-06-02
MIR. SEARLES ACQUITTED.
AGAIN JUDGE BRADLEY ORDERS A YER
DICT OF NOT GUILTY.

TIE CASE DISMISSED on THE GROUND THAT THE
QUESTIONS ASKED BY THE SENATE COM
MIrTEE WERE NOT PERTINENT.
| Washington, June lin the case OF John Il.
searles. the Sugar Trust witness Judge Bradley
this morning ordered the jury to bring verdict
OF acquttal, holding that the questions asked the
witness by the Senate committee were not peril
nent, or not within the jurisdiction Of the COM
mittee.
The Judges opinion was exhaustive. He point
cd out that Mr. Searles had testified specifically
that no money had been contributed by inc
Sugar Trust to the National campaign or for the
purpose Of influencing legislation or the election
of United States Senators. AS to the local con-
tributions Mr. Searles had testified that ne did
not know how the contributions had been useo'
by whom or for what purpose The ques'o"'
asked Of Mr.. Chapman, the Court sa'u' "'
manifestly pertinent. because they related to the
question Of speculation In sugar by Senator'S
subject the committee was directly charged with
investigating This the decision OF the Supreme
Court had settled The questions put TO the de-
PENDANT were said to be pertinent to the second
and third divisions Of the Senatorial inquiry
namely az TO whether the Sugar Trust had con-
tributed sums to campaign funds with the pur-
nose Of influencing the election OF United states
Senator. and whether any Senator had been
party to compact with the Sugar Trust.
Certainly the Judge said simple investiSa-
ton as to whether the Sugar Trust had con-
tributed TO a campaign fund would be an uh-
warranted search into private affairs OF the COM
pany, and plainly beyond the power OF the SEN
ate The Senate committee had reported that
no testimony had been produced to show that
the Sugar Trust had made any contributions to
~,
Of affecting legislation. If money had gone for
the purpose Of electng members Of State Legis-
latures who in time would select a United states
Senator, It was beyond the power or the united
States Senate to so behind the election III TINS
were true to State matters. now much Ho,t
true was 1t Of local elections. How remoteiy
speculative" was the way he characterized DIS
trict-Attorney Davis's suggestion made In MS
argument that local and State contributions
could har been traced to their ultimate destlna-
ton possibly into the pockets Of United states
Senator's. if the defendant had given the names
of the persons to whom the moneys were hfst
paid 1t would be the widest conjecture TO
assume that the money so contributed IN any
way had gone influence the making up or the
sugar schedule.
1t appeared from the report OF the committee
that they were not in the possession or any
facts upon which they could base the most re-
mote hope of showing ultimate connection
between the Sugar Trusts contributions and the
sugar schedule. Under these circumstances IT
must be held that the questions asked were not
pertinent and If construed to be pertinent, that
they were an unwarranted prying into the pri-
vate affairs Of the company, and, therefore, De-
yond the jurisdiction Of the Senate
Judge Bradley therefore sustained the motion
OF the defence. and ordered the jury to return
verdict Of acquittal The jury accordngly reh-
dered verdict Of not guilty, and Mr. Searles
free.
The cases Of F. ]. Edwards and John S.
Shriver, the newspaper correspondents, were
postponed until next Monday