The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-11-28
DRAGGING In THE WEST
BIG PUBLISHING HOUSE BEING
NEEDLESSLY MIXED UP IN A
MICHIGAN SCANDAL
CORRUPTION IN LEGISLATURE

1 Gals of the Wolverine State Leg
isIature-GeneraI Manager Ames
Gives the History of Their Con-
nectiOn With the Case. >'
! What are termed by the Chicago Times
| Herald "three men of prominence were
indicted last week by a grand jury at
| Lansing, Mich. on counts involving off,
cial legislative corruption Their names
are William A. French Edgar J. Adams
and Charles H. Pratt. French Is commits
sioner Of the state land office Adams
| speaker of the lower house Of the Michi-
gan legislature and Pratt was, up to July
! last, travelling solicitor and salesman
for the West Publishing company, of st.
| Paul. --.7 rs
AS an attempt has been made by GER
tain Eastern newspapers to connect the
West Publishing company with the affair
| In an 1nvidious light, a reporter for the
G b g yesterday saw Mr. c. w. Ames,
! general manager of the company, and OBJ
tanned from him a statement of the COM
| pany's past relations with young Pratt
| Following Is concise history of the
Michigan end of the case, as told by the
| Chicago Times-Herald:
Last August rather dapper young
agent OF the publishing house, who was
several gentlemen In Grand Rapids sew
| eral- drafts, amounting in all to $40 900,
which he stated were in the handwrit
| ing of Speaker Adams, but which were
| signed by himself This dapper young
man was Charles H. Pratt, who is now
under Indictment here. He stated that
| count of his employers in st. Paul, and
| that the amount which they represented
was to be paid to Land Commissioners
| French for securing the passage of the.
joint resolution and the adoption of the
companys books by the board of state
auditors of which French is a member.
refused to confirm his story, and to
newspaper men he declared that he knew
nothing about the alleged transaction,
stating that his previous utterances were
| intended to ruin Adams politically
lie adhered to his story only during,
the hrst few minutes he was before the
| grand jury, but he finally decided to lay
| before the jury the details of the alleged
| transaction.
The existence Of a contract between the
/ West publishing company and Land Conn.,
| missioner French was alleged. A copy of
this contract which it is claimed was re-
turned to the company, has been found.
| A letter purporting to have been writ
ten by member Of the West Publishing:
| company, asking Pratt to secure the con-.
tract from French, has been offered be-
| fore the grand jury.
Stenographic notes of letters dictated
by Pratt asking for the return of several
of the drafts which were claimed to have
PcNSSNSAOAA
| Wera also produced.
This is all of the case In which the Westa
| Publishing company is in any way inter
| ested. AS will be seen by the, statement
of Mr.. Ames, the trouble is purely po-
litical imbroglio involving Pratt and some
| of his former friends In Michigan.
| Mr.. Ames said that Pratt had been the
| West Publishing company's travelling
| salesman, under contract with the house.
since 1897. He had for territory the whole
q n oh ~nN
/ business, working on commission, and,
/ was also lawyer and considerable of a
| politician. At one time, several Years
| ago, he had been chief clerk of the lower
| house of the Michigan legislature. Some
time in December, 1898, he wrote the St
| Paul firm that he was in politics and
! deeply interested in the election of Edgar
j. Adams as speaker of the house, who.
| was subsequently successful Following:
| Adams election Pratt wrote that he be-
4 lteXed a law could be %enacted,,-if a -bill1
were properly: and iudiciousy drawn to-
4, enable all the counties in the state to
| purchase full sets of the law publications
i OF the West Publishing company. There
| are etghty-fVe counties in the state Two
OF these counties had already purchased
| the law books direct from the firm Other
l counties in California, Massachusetts, and
/ Wisconsin had also done the same thing
The sale proposed by Pratt would involve
about $4,000 for the books then stipulated =
1t was urged by Pratt that this plan
would give to each county in the state a
valuable law library and at no advanced
cost above the regular price. Suisse
quently Pratt wrote the West Publishing
company that he needed money for ex-
penses, expressly STIMULATING, in his letter.
which Is on file in the ST. Paul office Of
the tirmj that he wanted the money. as
an advance on his commissions for lie:
git1mate expenses and not for boodling
purposes He stated that he desired to!
| rent house in Lansing. According to
this the firm, during a period of t6ree
months, advanced Pratt $780, Subsequent
| ly Pratt again wrote, stating that pros
poets for the bills passage, were good
and that he wanted to hire assistance.
and asked for more money a considera-
bic sum. This was refused, and he again.
wrote, stating that he merely desired TO
employ subagents and would pay them
out OF his own pocket, the amount to be
deducted from his commissions If4the
west Publishing company would guaran-
tee the pay Of these agents he would go
ahead and make satisfactory terms with
them. .
Meanwhile changes and amendments In
the Dill authorized the purchase of other
lines of law books and would result in a
contract involving between 100000 and
Sloo,UW 1t was estimated that Pratt's
regular commissions arising from the sale
amount to from $4,000 to $4,000 a wear
In view of this fact the West Publishing
company agreed to deposit a guarantee
fund of $4,000 in st. Paul bank stipu
lated solely on the sale of the books and
| as regular commission on that sale and
also that Pratt must not employ any ono
who could not legally give him assistance
In making the sale. This guarantee for
commissions was drawn in triplicate. one
copy was given to Pratt one was demos
tied with the $4,000 in the First National
bank. st. Paul, and another was held by
the West Publishing company.
The bill failed to pass the Michigan
legislature by very narrow margin and
with its failure were wiped out Pratt's
anticipated commissions The guarantee
given Trait became void, and in this
guarantee 1t was expressly stipulated that
If Pratt did anything unlawfulIy, or
without the full knowledge Of the West
Publlshlng company, or anything con-
trary to Instructions it was to become
void anyway.
so far the drafts are concerned"
said Mr.. Anes, eve know nothing about
them and never heard of them until we
read the papers. There was no money
here in st. Pau! due Pratt and a draft
would have been thrown out had It been
presented. The bank here In which was
deposited the $4,000 guarantee fund
asked us to write for Pratt's conv of
the guarantee and we did So but he did
not, nor has he since, returned it to us
So far as this man William A. French is
concerned / never heard of him un+iI