The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-17

| of that legislature to vote for him
| That Pomeroy del red 5000 to 4orl
is not denied. The only material issu
| between them is for what purpose wa
the money delivered? York says it wa
| bride for his vote. Pomeroy says i
was handed to York to carry it tt
| one Page, whom Pomeroy had prom
| ised to assist in starting a nationa
| bank. In my judgment the statement:
| of Mr.. Pomeroy on this subject are con
| Trajectory, are inconsistent with Pages
statements, are so opposed to the usua
circumstances attending a business
transaction, and are so improbable, es-
pecially in view of the circumstances
attending the senatorial election, that
reliance cannot be placed upon them.
The evidence against Mr.. Welcome,
the manager of w. A. Clark Doodle
fund, is undeniably ten times stronger
and more conclusive than that against
Pomeroy, because Senators whiteslde,
Myers and Clark corroborate one an
other. Pomeroy retired from the Unit
ed States senate in disgrace and n
fanny. Clark gets the disgrace and in
fanny without ever reaching the senate.
Even if Clark by hook or crook should
receive a majority of the votes at Hell
ena, it is exceedingly improbable that
the United States senate, in view of
his fearfully corrupt practices, would
admit him. The senate is jealous of it's
honor and reputation. The case of Al
eXander Caldwell, elected senator by
the Kansas legislature in 1871, is a pre-
cedent even more interesting than that
of Pomeroy. 1t was shown that Cald-
in the senatorial race. To one compet-
itor Thomas Carney he paid S15,0o0
in consideration of which Carney with
drew his name and threw all his sup
port and influence to Caldwell. To an
other candidate Caldwell paid $12, 900,
to reimburse him for alleged election
expenses. The investigation also show
ed that Caldwell had bought individual
members of the legislature for $1,000
apiece.
This, it must be remembered was
back in 1871. before the price of votes
had risen to $4,000. The senate ap-
pointed an investigating committee
which in its report said: "A candidate
for the senate without strength or nier-
it may, by purchasing the influence and
support of all or part of his Compel
itors and withdrawing them from the
canvass. succeed in an election, thus
not only committing a fraud upon the
friends of the candidates who were pur-
chased off, but a greater fraud upon
the people of the state, who may be
thus saddled with a representative in
the senate of the United States about
whom they know little for whom they
care nothing and who possesses little
ability to represent their interests
1t was a subject of discussion in the
committee whether the bribery of which
Caldwell had been guilty should be
punished by expulsion or whether it
affected the validity of his election,
rendering it null and void The ma
jority of the committee decided that
his election was void. The senate as
a whole was debating the question
when the vice president received a
communication from Caldwell stating
that he had telegraphed his resigna-
ton to the governor of Kansas. The
resignation was allowed to stand, but
Caldwell's departure from the senate
was as clearly in the nature of an ex-
pulsiOn as anything could be.
w. A. Clark may not have bought
off any of his competitors but his pur-
chase of members of the legislature
whose constituents desire them to vote
for another candidate than Clark
amounts to the very same thing. Clark
is more shameless corruptionist than
either Caldwell or Pomeroy, and it is
inconceiVable that the senate of the
United States would admit him to
membership.
Two Sides for Choate.