The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-03-30
MR.. HAYES
EXPLANATION.
lie Did Not Draw the Race
Track Bill and Mr..
Cooper EXonerates
Him From Sus-
picion.

Notwithstanding tho intImation that
Walter II, Hayes Of this city was rospon-
sible for that race track bill which by
some process reached Governor Tunnel,
lie VI as in no way connected with tho ne
farious bill. and Deputy Attorney General
Cooper Ia of the same opinion.
True Mr.. Hayes drew tho original bill,
but at the timo Ii reached the Governor it
was an entirely different bill. Mr.. Hayes
explanation of tile matter Is best express.
cd in his own statement:
II was requested on Friday afternoon,
the 10th Of March, by q member OF tho
Legislature to draw u bill enforcing sec
tion II of article 2 of the constitution, he
stating that 1t had been overlooked by til 9
last Legislature and by this Legislature SO
far; and asked him the nature of the bill
wanted and he said he wanted n bill to
provide fine for these otfsnses l then
asked what was the amount Of the fine.
Ho frat said leave 1t blank and then said
make it $500
II went over from the State House to
tho no el about 1880 O'Clock that evening
aftor Ihad drawn bill in compliance with
my orders from this member. 1t was
written by mo in pen and ink and being a
very short bill did not have 1t type writ
ten. 1t was written on legal-cap paper
which had red line for It's marginal rul :
Ing and the lines Of which were not mum.
bered. put 1t In my pocket anu not see
ing the member Of the Legislature until
thv next morning about 10 O'clock l kept
it until that tiine when handed 1t to him.
He road 1t over and said that was what he
wanted.
II know nothing about tho Introduction
of the bill but was In tho Senate when the
bill had its third reading; and Senator
Knox asked for an explanation of the bill.
which was made by one Of tho Senators.
Tho roll WAS then called and every senator
present voted for the bill That was the
last ever heard or saw Of the bill drew.
upon seeing the statement lii "The
Morning News this morning that it was
well known that had drawn tho bill now
in Mr.. Cooper 9 possession. called on Mr..
Cooper and asked him toilet Inc look at the
bill which he did at once That Is the first
time ever saw TINT bill or the paper on
which II is written. 1t was not drawn by
me or dictated by me nor did | have any
thing to do with the drawing of it.
st differs In several respects from the
bill ] drew. some of which are ms follows:
The words article and section referring
to certain article and section of the con-
stitution are abbreviated In the words
art. and sect. which was not done in tho
bill drow; then the word section desig-
mating sections Of the bill, was also abbre-
FlHUeu scCts L u6NSF DuJ uUDIOSlhGlOii
in any bill ! ever drew. Tho words in
any one year at the end Of section Of the
Till in Mr.. Cooper's possession, were not
in the hill that drew.
Tho seo,ion of the bill In Mr..
Cooper possession reads: All laws incon-
s.stent with the provisions of this act are
hereby repealed" The section that used
for this purpose after tho second week of
the session was as follows: THAT all pro-
n, ~,,f1 ,~rt1 ,r,tk
visions OF this Gct arc hereby repealed "
uht bill il MIR. Coopcrs possession does
not provide TINT the violators Of the pro-
vision of the constitution sought to be en-
forced should be guilty of anything. In the
bill drew 1t was that they should be
guilty Of u misdemeanor and upon con-
victlon thereof should be fined. etc. This
bill says after conviction the tine shall
be imposed. The paper OH which the bill
now in MIR. Coopers possession Is drawn
hs ruled with blue limo OH the margin,
AndSthe lines are numbered. There are two
kinds of handwriting on that bill"
Mr.. Cooper said last night that Mr..
Hayes statement was certainly correct.
Mr. Cooper wished to state in justice to
Mr. Hayes that the snake bill Is drawn in
a handwriting most certainly not Mr..
Hayes
The bill which was enrolled never
passed either house. The Hayes bill
passed. the Senate, but before 1t reached
the House for action 1t WAS taken out, and
race track SNAKE substituted. IL WAS al
ways a mystery to most people how such
bill could pass the Senate unnoticed,
but the whole affair Is now explained. The
entries un the back Of the bill showing
that 1t passed the Senate and also tho
House are forgerios Neither clerk made
the ontries but both were evidently made
by tho same person, who substituted this
bill for the Hayes bill. This discovery re-
lieYes the introducer of the bill from any
Gomu.icitY in lha mattar.