The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-06
Montana Senator Replies to His Ac-
cuserS With vigor.
GOVERNOR IS DENOUNCED
DENIES THAT THERE WAS BRIB-
cry IN HIS ELECTION.
Makes Serious Accusations Against
Some of Those Who Are Trying
to Have Him Thrown Out Of the
United States Senate-Work of
His Political Enemies.

New York. Dec. 5.-The Worlds
Washington correspondent telegraphs
the following statement. dictated by
Senator w. a. Clark of Montana:
1T may seem remarkable to those
who do not know our Populist gov
ernor that he SHOULD sign such a pro-
test, having signed my credentials
after all the developments in the eena-
torial contest at Helena. More than
this, the credentials were signed after
thorough investigation had been made
by legislative committee and by
grand jury. and after the findings of
both had been reported. Since then no
new evidence has been ELECTED. To
those who know Governor Smith, how
ever. his action gives no active cause
for surprise.
las to the $4,000 exposure, the cir
cumstanceS, as related, are too absurd
TO be creditable to any reasonable per-
son. The evidence given in the recent
disbarment proceedings against Attor
ney Welcome before the state supreme
court of Montana by Whiteside and
State Senator Clark is so conflicting
and contradictory as compared with
that they gave before the grand jury
as to entirelyNdiscredit and make their
statements nugatory. and besides the
evidence of a number of the most prom
inent and honorable men of the state
was produced TO impeach the charac-
ter OF these men for veracity.
Charges Against Whiteside.
''Whiteside is now under bond to APP
pear before the district court in which
he lives, and will be arraigned on We'd
neSday to answer a charge of having
attempted to bride the deputy county
clerk 10 give him access to the vaults
in which the ballot boxes We're stored
in November. 1898, at which time he
was a candidate for state senator. and
believed he had been defeated. Over
whelming evidence will be produced in
substantiation of this charge against
Whiteside
After Whiteside had made his
charges of bribery in the state senate,
/ demanded that grand jury be called
TO make a most searching inVeStiga-
ton. The presiding judge charged the
jury fully to leave no stone unturned
in their efforts to reach the guilty
persons. if an attempt at bribery. had
been made. A large number OF wit
nesseS. were examined during an inves-
tigation lasting two weeks. The grand
jury reported that there was no evil
dence upon which an Indictment could
he found.
There is another thing which has
been misunderstood, and that is that
in all these alleged cases of bribery,
it has not been shown in single in
stance b. any evidence that any of
the parties so charged at any time vot-
ed for me.
Refers to Preacher
The. statements circulated to the eff
feet that a preacher named Warren
testified that 1 had authorized him to
pay $4,000 TO a friend who, he alleges.
stood ready to vote for me for a con-
sideration, has been falsely reported.
All that he did say, and that was an
infamous lie, was that / could not
consider any proposition Of that kind
myself, but would see that ii was at
tended tn.
This divine during his talk with
me. asked for contribution for his
church at East Helena. l gave him a
check Cor 800. He was very careful to
have the check made payable to him
instead of to the trustees of his church.
After an examination Of the indorse
msnts upon the check. l am quite con-
fident that he pOcketed the money HIM
self. and that the church did not profit
any by the contribution.
This contest Instituted today is the
elimination of an unprovoked, pernic-
iouS, malicious and bitter warfare
which has been waged against me for
twelve years by parties who have used
every means to control. not only the
legislative departments of the state,
and to monopolize the vast public bust
ness interests of the state.
Il am quite willing to leave this
matter in the hands of United States
senators. knowing that upon full in
vestigation l will be acquitted of every
suspicion of guilt