The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-03-01
Majority Report of Senate Virtually
ExOnerates the OiiOan from Using
Money to Buy Legislators.
REPORT OF THE MINORITY
CONTENTION FOR A FURTHER INVES-
TIGATION OF THE CASE
Day and Night Session of the Senate
Action ON Various Measures, In
Guiding Building Bills.

WASHINGTON, Feb. Ex-senator Chan
dler, from the committee on privileges and
elections, to-day presented TO the Senate
the report OF that committee on the charges
of bribery in the election to the Senate of
Hon. II. A. Hanna as made by the Ohio
Senate. The report sets out that no direct
remonstrance setting out that Mr.. Hanna
was not elected or ought to be expelled from
the Senate has been received by the Sen
ate. He also shows that no one has APP
peared before the committee and that no
papers have been received beyond the
formal report of the action of the State
Senate. Notwithstanding these failures the
committee has investigated the charges. 1T
finds that there is no proof submitted
either that % Mr.. Hanna was elected sena-
tor through bribery. or 20 that he had any
agents engaged in carrying on his canvass
for the Senate who were directly or I'M
pliedly authorized by him to resort to cor
rupt methods or to any form of wrong
doing; or go that he had any personal
knowledge of the facts of the Otis case. 1t
may be said that there is no evidence which
fairly tends to prove either foregoing three
| propositions. In view Of these facts the
committee on privileges and elections has
! reached the conclusion that 1.-The United
States Senate is not called upon to take any
action in the premises"
1.-The utmost fact which the committee Of
the State Senate claims to have proved"
the report continues, lis that an attempt
| was made to bribe Mr.. Otis, which failed.
| Without further facts than this the validity
OF Mr.. Hanna's election will stand unim-
peached and the senate is not called on
to search for further facts in the absence
of any specification of such facts or of any
distinct suggestion where they may be
| found; the whole demand of the State. Sem
ate report that Mr.. Hanna be expelled from
the United States Senate being rested on
the Otis case. Whether even if this unsuc-
ceSSful attempt at bribery in the case of
Representative Otis were fastened upon the
representatives of Senator Hanna by un-
doubted proof that the Senate would be
called TO take any action is not by any
means clear. Certainly without strong evil
dence that Senator Hanna himself had
knowledge of the transactions the Senate
| would hardly be justified IN doing more than
I expose the facts for condemnation by public
opinion: and the exposure of such facts as
the State Senate say were proved has al
ready been accomplished by the State SEN
ate reports; while there is no direct evil
dence and substantially no p~resumptive evil
dence that Senator Hanna had any knowl-
edge OF what was going on"
The remainder of the report is devoted to
giving the committees reasons for not TAX
ing testimony in the case, which are
summed up in this sentence from 1t: TO go
over the whole ground covered by the State
Senate merely for the purpose OF additional
exposure would be tedious, expensive and
unnecessary" The point is also made that
there is no suggestion of bribery beyond the
Otis case, and it is shown that Otis never
made to the States failure to prosecute,
and in this latter connection the report says:
The committee does not doubt that if facts
appeared from the report of the mmi
of the State Senate, requiring the United
States Senate out of a proper regard for its
concerning Mr.. Hanna's election, it would
be the duty of the Senate to proceed with
out waiting for further prosecution of the
case coming from residents of the State of
ohio. But taking the case as it stands ard
noting the absence Of such prosecution the
conclusion of the committee is not to ask
the Senate for authority and direction to
take further estimony Tut to as. 10 be
discharged from the further consideration of
the report of the State Senate Of Ohio"
MINORITY REPORT.
A minority report signed by Senators Tur-
ley, Pettus and Caffery was presented by
Senator Turley. This report takes the posi-.
ton that a further investigation should be
made and enters quite fully into the state
ment of the case presented by the Ohio Sen
ate. The minority contends that the at
tempt on the part of Boyce to buy OTIS
vote for Mr.. Hanna is clearly proven by
Campbell. Seventeen hundred and fifty
dollars" the report continues, was paid
in cash by Boyce to Campbell as attorney
for Otis. Boyce agreed TO pay 81. $50 more
when Otis reached Columbus and a balance
of $500 if Hanna was elected" They claim
that it is shown that Hanna's managers
Dick and Rathbone, were at the Neil House
in Columbus, where Hanna had his head.
quarters. and they repeat the details OF
Boyce's conversations with them over the
telephone from the Gibson House, in Gin
cinnati, as overheard by clerks of the Glib
son. 1T was in their interviews" the mi.
norlty say, that the terms for the purchase
of Otis's vote We're finally agreed upon be-
tween Boyce and Campbell"
The minority report deals at length with
full extracts from the testimony before
the committee of the Ohio Senate as "a
what was said in these conversations. They
also say that there was other evidence to
snow the intimate relations between Boyce
and Hanna's managers, but they conclude
that to quote it would carry the report to
unnecessary length. The minority then say.
We think the evidence TO which we have
ccntradicted and unexplained, shows tina;
certain of Mr.. Hanna's managers at Column
bus not only knew the purposes which
Boyce had in view in Cincinnati. but also
that they aided, abetted and advised him in
carrying out these purposes. and that this
state OF affairs existed while Mr.. Hanna
was present at his headquarters. This view
Is strengthened by two facts: First. thai
many of the witnesses whose testimony
apparently, would have thrown much light
upon the subject under inquiry, denied tbs
jurisdiction of the committee and refused
TO testify under advice of counsel, whc
stated that they represented the interests
of Rathbcne and Dick and Senator Hanna
and, second, that MIR. Hanna and his rep.
mail. which seems TO have reached them
calling upon them 10 appear before the
state Senate committee. to which they made
no response"