Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1900-04-27
Mr.. CLARK ARRA|GNED.
Committee Report on the Montana
Senator's Case Formally Present
ed by Mr.. Chandler.
HIS EARLY EJEc1MEHT is uReED.
The Election Is Declared Void s.Becs use of
Briberiea. Attempted Briberies and
Corrupt Practices. and Violation OF the
Laws of Montana"-The Duty the Sem
ate Owes to the State.

Washington, April Ex-senator
Chandler, from the senate commit
tee on privileges and elections, Mon
day submitted to the senate the re-
port of that committee in the case
of Senator Clark, of Montana. The
report is comparatively brief, cover
ing only about Is pages of printed
matter. 1t does not rehearse the
testimony, but simply presents the
finding of the committee which is
stated as follows:
The finding of the committee is that the
election to the senate of William y.
Clark of Montana, is null and void on
account of the briberies. attempted
briberies and corrupt practices by his
agents and of violation of the laws of
Montana defining and Furnishing crimes
against the elective franchise.
In view of this finding, the COM
mittee reports and unanimously rec
ommends the adoption by the senate
of the following resolutions:
That William A. Clark was not duly
and legally elected to seat in the sen
ate of the United States by the legisla-
ture Of the state of Montana.
The report concludes with strong
recommendation for early considera-
ton of the case, as follows:
The senate should, duty to Itself
ana TO the country, demonstrate It's
action in this case that seats in the Unit
ed States senate procured as Senator
Clark's has been procured, cannot be
retained by the deliberate judgment of
the senate. Tho senate also owes a duty
to the people of Montana, who, conscious
of the bad repUte into which the state
had fallen by reason of vast expendi-
g lures of money in connection with its
elections, manifested such a public senti-
ment that the legislature of 1895 passed
a statute which. if Gobeyed, would have
redeemed the state from it's bad name.
For the direct and gross violations of
that statute and the consequent discredit
which continues to rest upon the state.
Montana has a right to expect prompt
and decisive remedy from the action
of the senate upon the report of this COM
mittee.
OF the conduct of the republican
members of the legislature who voted
for Mr.. Clark, the committee says:
The conduct of the republican members
of the legislature, who on the 18th day
of January left their republican candi-
date and voted for Senator Clark and
gave him his election, in the opinion of
the committee calls for special criticism.
There was an absolute deadlock and no
possibility of the election of a democrat
without the aid of the republicans. 1t
is difficult to account for these republic
votes for Senator Clark. Senator
Clark's candidacy had been tainted on
the 10th of January by the Whiteside ex-
posture.
The reasons given for the republican
votes for Mr.. Clark seem to be pretenses
and covers. Mr.. Clark. who had been me-
gotiating with Mr. Hobson, the leader
of the republicans, wrote a letter on the
10th of January in which he declared
himself to be in favor of tariff or
Montana products. Some of the republic
said there ought not to be a dead
lock, and that it would be better to have
a democratic senator than a vacancy
hn off rf xyas
made to bring about the election of any
other democrat than Mr.. Clark, agains
whose agents the charges of bribery havs
been made. The committee does not say
that the votes of all the II republicans
were improperly secured, but that those
of Geiger, Beasley and Bywater were
has already been found. The circumstan-
of suspicion against the others ar,
numerous.