The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-09-04

Chicago, Sept 3.-The Chronicle to-
morrow will say:
Publication of the proceedings of the
Captain Oberlin M. Carter courtmartial,
whose verdict is in the hands of Pres
ident Mckinley for approval or rejec-
ton, has been the cause of number OF
sensational statements during the past
week, the widest of which is that
Frank p Blair. counsel for Captain
Carter, has charged General Elwell S.
Otis, now commanding the army in the
Philippines with perjury and suborna-
ton OF perjury. In connection with the
statement, Mr.. Blair has been quoted
as emphasizing the accusations.
II have made no such charges against
General OTIS" said Mr.. Blair last night.
"A reading of the affidavit does not, by
the farthest stretch of the magma
ton, support such a statement as has
appeared as coming from me. The af-
fidavit was filed with the president
along with others last fall, when the re-
view of the proceedings was referred
to Senator Edmunds.
1.-The affidavit was filed as an essen
tial part of the demand for a setting
aside of the verdict and simply states
that one night at the De Soto hotel,
Savannah, Ca, during the sitting of the
courtmartial, I overheard Judge Advo-
cate Colonel Thomas Barr read some
documents to General Otis and Colonel
Gillespie of the courtmartial, and con-
cluded by saying he would read it to
counsel. and General Otis remarked:
That will be good The affidavit was
a proof tina tthe two members of the
courtmartial exceeded their province in
discussing the case with the prosecut-
ing attorney. In any legal proceeding
such an act is sufficient to throw out
the verdict of a jury, and the court
martial is only jury"
In connection with the asserting of
the making of charge of perjury
against the president of the courtmar-
tial, the counsel is quoted as having
had an interview with President Nc
Kinley on the matter, and that the
president has said the charges would
neceSsitate the recall of General Otis
from the Philippines. Mr.. Blair also
repudiated having made such state
ment. 81 never talked with the presi-
dent about the affidavit" he said. Il
do not even know if he read it. The
story is absurd. The affidavit was filed
to show the prejudice of the president
of the courtmartial. My accusation
against General Otis goes that far, and
no farther. I believe that he was in
fiuenced in his judgment in the matter
by something or somebody outside of
the evidence. That is evident to any
reader of the evidence.
81 believe Captain Carter is the vic
tim of a conspiracy to degrade him. 1t
is an American parallel to the Dreyfus
case The same general features are in
both cases. The accusers and prosecut-
ors of Carter are of the general staff of
the army, as are those of Dreyfus. Jeal-
ousy and a deliberate attempt to carry
out the wishes of superiors, to pander
to political influences, has actuated the
majority of the men on the Carter
courtmartial. Secret conferences, such
as that set out in my affidavit, were
the Illegal methods to secure conviction
of Captain Carter"
Mr. Blair intimates that Carter was
singled out as victim of the wrath of
the men who have been promoting the
Nicaragua canal scheme.
Garter was named member of the
canal commission to investigate the ex-
act conditions of the scheme" added
Mr. Blair He was selected because
of his known engineering ability. At
the Army and Navy club at Washing
ton he said he proposed to get at the