The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-12
A GRAND JURY CALLED
It Will Investigate Clarks Brib-
cry Saturday.
A TREMENDOUS EXPOSURE
The Standards Report of the Proceed
ings Was the Sensation of the Hour
in ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Com
mittee Is Still at Work
Special Dispatch to the Standard.

Special Dispatch to the Standard
Helena, Jan. 1.-THE thwarted at
tempt of w. A Clark to buy seat in
the United States senate by wholesale
bribery is still the sensation Of the hour
/ in Helena, and everybody is talking
about those 80 $1,000 bills. Every effort
has been made to deceive and hoodwink
| the people of this city and of the state
as well, as to the real facts in connec-
| ton with the bribery. Last night and
this morning the talk was that it was
| all a Daily scheme to beat Clark. Not
until the Standard arrived at $50
o'clock this morning on special train
did the people realize the real purport
| of the tremendous exposure. The Stan
| dard is the only newspaper which has
| published the full evidence as present
| ed by the committee. and the impress
| sive speech made by Senator Whiteside.
| Not until this report was read did the
| people realize that this exposure is no
| mere incident in the Clark-Daly feud,
| but that, far above that, it is an effort
| of honest men to save the reputation of
| the state, an effort to put a short stop
| to bribery in this young state.
! The grand jury was called this morn
| ing for the purpose of inquiring into
! the bribery charges and will meet on
| Saturday. Some men pretty close to
| w. A. Clark have been making some
very ill-advised talk in the lobby Of
the Helena this evening. The boast was
| made this evening that the grand jury
would surely exonerate Clark and that
in fact after all that Clark had done
for Helena it would not be possible to
get any grand jury of Helena men to
| implicate him in anything. This, how
ever, is merely the talk of one of the
Clark lieutenants, who are still linger
ing on the field because it would look
bad for them to leave the city in the
face of what has happened.
The evidence as presented by the in
vestigating committee is so conclusive,
SO complete, SO overwhelming that it is
| not believed any man can read it and
not be convinced, unless he is bound
not to be. II is certain that members
of the legislature who heard the evil
dence read and who knew the men
whose testimony is given, have no
doubt of its truth and no whteWash-
ing could change the opinions of those
who have read the evidence.
While. undoubtedly there has been a
very friendly feeling in this city tow
ards w. A. Clark and while undoubt-
edly many residents of Helena feel that
the city is in a certain measure obligat-
ed to Mr.. Clark, yet it is not believed
that this would in any degree influence
jurymen who are sworn to investigate
honestly and justly case such as this
where the honor and integrity of the
state itself are at stake.
Meanwhile the investigation is still on
and that fact, by the way, has been the
occasion of quite a little uneasiness in
town this afternoon and this evening.
The men who have been bribed to vote
for Clark, and the people generally have
a pretty good line on who they are, had
an idea that the report as made would
satisfy the committee and the legisla-
ture and that they would be safe. They
We're beginning to smile once more. But
now they are frightened again.
The Investigating committee was in
session all this afternoon and the re-
port is current that they have one or
two people before them who can tell a
good deal if they choose. 1t is also un-
derstood that every member of the leg
isature is to be called before the COM
mittee and examined and cross-eXam-
n 70
all this matter to the very bottom and
if the guilty parties don't tell the truth
they will surely have the privilege of
swearing to the lies.
The present indications are that it
may still be several days before a Unit
ed States senat tor is elected There is
a boom for Toole here tonight and his |
friends declare that Conrad cannot win |
and that Toole will eventually be the |
man. The Conrad people are, however,
confident of ultimate success. The |
Clark people are doing their utmost to
rally their frightened and demoralzed |
forces, and a few more mustered up
their courage and voted for Clark The
changes in to-days ballot were. how
ever. of no significance.
The auditorium was crowded with |
people a t noon who had gathered to wit
ness the first joint ballot. The legisla-
ture, however, fooled the people 1t
had been announced that the ballot |
would take place in the Auditorium and |
had been made there for
it, but when the hour of noon arrived |
the members of the legislature con-
cluded to remain in their hall rather
than take the trouble of walking to the
Auditorium. 1t was intended to take
more than one ballot and as no choice
was at all likely the change was con-
sidered unnecessary.
The first joint ballot resulted as fol-
lows: Whole number of votes 90. Nee
esary to choice Al. Conrad 3S. Toole 20,
Clark 10, Marshall Is, Fox 2, Frank l,