Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-23
Committee Findings Submitted to
the Senate.
AGENTS OF THE SENATOR ARRhIGNED
Accused of Briberies, Attempted
Briberies and Corrupt Practices.
ELECTION RENDERED NULL

| submitted to the Senate the report OF that
| committee in the case of Senator Clark of
| Montana. The report is comparatively
| brief, covering only about fifteen pages of
1 printed matter. 1t does not rehearse the
| testimony but simply presents the findings
| of the committee and its reasons for its
course, The finding of the committee is
| stated follows:
Agents, Briberies and Attempted BrI-
bries.
THE finding of the committee is that
| the election 10 the Senate of William A.
| Clark of Montana is null and void on ac-
| count of briberies, attempted hribcries and
| corrupt practices by his agents and of
violations of the laws of Montana defining
| and furnishing crimes against the elective
| franchise
In view of this finding the committee re-
| ports and unanimously recommends the
| adoption by the Senate of the following
| resolution: Resolved. That William A.
| Clark was not duly and legally elected to
| seat In the Senate of the United States
| by the legislature OF the state of Montana"
| Inc report concludes with strong rec
| ommendauon for early consideration of the
| case. as follows: The Senate should as a
| duty to itself and to the country demon
| strate by its action in this case that seats
| in the United States Senate procured as
| Senator Clark s has been procured cannot
be retained by the deliberate Judgment of
| the Senate. The Senate also owes duty to
| the people of Montana, who, conscious of
| the bad repute into which the state had fall
| en- by reason of vast expenditures of money
| in connection with its elections. manifested
| such a public sentiment that the legislature
| OF 1Sl5 passed a statute which. If obeyed,
| would have redeemed the state from its
| bad name. For the direct and gross yio,a-
| tions of that statute and the consequent
| discredit which continues to rest upon the
| state Montana has a right to expect a
| prompt and decisive remedy from the ac-
| tion of the Senate upon the report of this
| committee"
| The committee states that its finding is
| made in view of certain admitted or undiS-
| puted facts. with their attendant cirCum-
| stances. appearing in the testimony taken
| by the comrnittee, and these are enumerated
| under fifteen headings, as follows:
Admitted Facts.
Il The expenditures in the contest of
1s95 testified to by Senator Clark ana
/ Governor Hauser.
| ''2. Quotes the law of 1885 relative to
| crimes against the elective franchise, which
| limited in purpose and amount the politi-
| cal expenditures which could he made in
| any election, either by a political commit
| tee or a candidate, especially naming
| candidate for United States senator, who
| could not give more than s1,o39 to any one
| committee in one county and could not pay
more than sl.G~ for his personal expenses
| in lawful ways specified.
| %. Asserts that Senator Clark has been
| constantly candidate for office and gives
| his record in that respect and notes the
| organization of committee in his interest
| in the summer of 1StS after the consulta-
| ton with his friends in Butte. TO this
| committee, the report says, he gave un-
| limited authority to spend money which he
agreed to furnish: estimate. however.
| being made that at least $4,000 would be
| necessary to secure the state convention
| and that S15GD0 might be needed to secure
| the state legislature
| ~ In the canvass which ensued the ap-
proximate expenditures admitted by the
various members of his committee and
| their assistants were as follows: By Chas.
| w. Clark S256ao; by McDermott, S22.G10:
| by Davidson, agent $1,000; by Welcome,
s25,c9o: by Steele, sl1.0oo; by Corbett, $3.50:
| by Whitmore, s4,60: by Cooper, $500,
| mainly furnished by Charles W. Clark: and
| the amount of these expenditures Senator
| Clark himself paid to his son. The adj
| vances and payments made by Senator
| Clark to his committee and agents. as ad-
| mitted by him, amounted to about S1:i9,wEI.
| of which sum Charles W. Clark received
| from him on August u. lS)S. Si5,o9o; Oc-
tober II. s20,ooo November % $io.eoo. and
| February -. 1859. s205sf2: and in addition
| to this S139.oo0 Senator Clark paid $500
| to MeDermott, one of his agents: 5000 to
| Welcome, his attorney. and 5000 to L. c.
| Day. a member Of the legislature.
| -. None of the members of his commit
| tee or their assistants made the sworn
| turns required by law, nor did Senator
| Clark himself make any returns"
Sections to II deal with the business
| transactions of Mr.. Clark and his repre-
4
| ture, including the purchase Of Ropresen-
tative McLaughlin's property, the tender
| of $4,000 to Representative Woods to raise
the mortgage on his ranch and the subse-
| quent sale of the ranch; the establishment
| of bank after the adjournment of the
| legislature largely through the efforts OF
| Senator Tierney and Representatives Ever
sole and Shovlin of BrCadwater county;
the sale of lots and other property in JET
| ferson county to representative of Mr..
| Clark by Senator Warner; the conduct Of
| MpSSrC (Tieger. BglSgleN
| Bywater, and the present of 5000 to Rep
| resentative Day after the adjournment Of
| the legislature.
The Woods Transaction.
| Speaking of the transaction with Woods
the committee says: Senator Clark knew
| Of Mr.. Bickfords attempts to purchase
the Indebtedness which Woods owed, and
| the correspondence. shows that the object
| was to secure Mr.. Woods vote for Senator
| Clark. Bickford testified: In pursuance
| of that letter uhe letter of November 81
| from one Ector) and of the invitation
| which i at that time received, made
| arrangements to obtain, for the purpose
| of using It to prevent the Indebtedness Of
! Woods going into the hands of Mr. Dalys
| friends, the sum of 5000, with which to
| take up that Indebtedness On November
| IL, 1888, Mrs Woods mortgaged their
sheen and cattle for 81. 600 PAYABLE in one
year, and on April q. 1899, paid the mort
| gage debt Mr.. Woods has left Montana
and gone to New Mexico"
| Referring to MIR. Tierneys connection
| with the bank at Townsend the report
| says: 'On June / Mr.. Tierney organized
| the State Bank Of Townsend with a capital
| stock of $4,000 of which he took $3.50.
| Mr.. Shovlin took $1,000 and Mr.. Eversole
$1,000. nearly all the $4,000 passing through
| Mr.. Tierney's hands in currency. His $500
he says he took from the money drawer in
| a safe in the office of Miss Darcy & Co,
| but whence this $500 came he did not
| show by any writing whatever"
| Referring to Garr's story about securing
money from his aunt with which TO pur-
| chase a ranch, the committee remarks that
He had no previous knowledge of how she
had accumulated this money.
The Day Payment.
The reference to Mr. Days connection
| with Mr.. Clark is follows: 'E. c. Day
was Senator Gark's candidate for speaker,
| and was defeated in the democratic caucus.
receiving % votes against 30 votes for Mr..
Stiff. Mr.. Day was the leader of Mr..
Clark's forces in the legislature during all