The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-25
Expenditures I'm Behalf of Anaconda
ver $35O,OOO, He Said.
TESTIMONY OF W. G. CONRAD
WHO WAS AN UNSUCCESSFUL CANDI-
DATE FOR THE sENATORSHIP.
Clark and Daily, the Rival Montana
MilIionaires, Both i'm the Commit
tee Room During the Hearing.
no.,o, % ,,o rnd,,rano,;s Journal

Special to the Indianapolis Journal
WASHINGTON, Feb. 24.-The investiga-
tion of the bribery charges against Senator
Clark, of Montana, is rapidly drawing 10
a close Within a few days the taking of
evidence will cease and the committee will
begin to hear the argument OF COUNSEL Sem
ator Hoar thinks that within two weeks all
will be over so that the committee will be-
gin to sum up evidence and argument with
a view to agreeing on report. The DAILY
side is now having its inning, John K.
Toole, close friend of Mr.. Clark's rival.
having been heard to-day. He denied all the
charges made by the senator's witnesses.
Probably no investigation in the history of
Congress has developed such a remarkable
mass Of testimony as this case. The vol
ume and the character of it are wonderful.
Somehow in the course of the hearing there
has been an unprecedented mass of perjury
and it will be surprising if the result of the
case does not affect Montana politics for
years to come. .T4srfsr
. In the preliminary stages Of the investi-
cation the testimony was all against Clark
and men wondered how a man guilty of
the crimes charged against him could have
the hardihood to expect a seat in the
United States Senate. Everything appeared
against him. Since the witnesses for the
defense began testifying, it has become ap-
parent there We're two sides to the ques-
ton and those who at first were certain the
millionaire senator was an arch-corruption-
list have had ample occasion to Change their
minds to the extent of accepting the view
that Mr.. Marcus DAILY has been engineering
a remarkable political conspiracy against
his old business and political enemy who
now holds the seat from Montana.
Senator Clark has proved manifest ad-
vantage in the character of the witnesses
who have testified for him. AS rule they
appeared to be men Of character and stand
ing and in no important instance has any
serious attempt been made by the prosecu-
ton to impeach their testimony. On the
other hand, the witnesses for the prosecu-
ton have included men who were willing to
testify TO anything to maintain their point
On more than one occasion. members of the
committee have spoken out during the in
vestigation and stated that the prosecuting
testimony was of such a character that no
intelligent men would give It any credence.
The turning point in the case came with
the testimony Of Senator Clark. He fatty
denied having, in a single instance used
money to purchase votes. He admitted
having put up all the money for the cam
paign to elect the Democratic ticket which
involved large sums for campaign orators,
bands, torchlight professions, railroad ex-
penses, hotel bills and such expsuses. and
he showed that in State of such magniIi-
cent distances it was easy to spend an
enormous sum of money. 1t was apparent,
too, that a great horde of campaigners
were industriously engaged from the be-
ginning in testing the ductibility of his
| leg. Senator Clark was recognized as a
| good spender and they never lost sight of
| an opportunity to touch" him. But he
denied having even indirectly negotiated
| for votes and even the prosecution has
never been able to prove he had.
AS the matter. stands, the case must
| necessarily hinge largely on the senator S
| own testimony. He is member of the
| club" so to speak, and the committee VIII
| be likely to extend to him the senatorial
| courtesy of accepting his statements as
| against the indefinite testimony of wit
| nesses, many of whom were self-confesscd
| boodlers. In reaching the final conclusion
| the committee, while disposed TO throw
| away the great mass of irrelevant testi-
| mony, it will unquestionabiy condemn the
| Montana methods OF political manipula-
| ton That there has been unprece-
dented mass of rottenness in that State is
| natent