The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-01-27
SENATOR CLARK
BRIBERY |. i {, AS. E {.
Al. the Evidence is Mere Hearsay
and Without Weight.
THE BATTLE FIELDS PARK.
POUNDS ofthe One Proposed tobe Es-
tlplisned N,ar Petersburs-vir-
ginia Wheat NIillcrs Meet.
Postofnce Changes.
THE BATTLE ..I FIELDS ELI. IS PARK RI

y WASHINGTON ~, 'dii. -o-Speo11
tal.-It has rarely happened that senate
Committee Investigating case SUD-
mitted to it has enjoyed the privilege Oh
farce comedy unfolding during the near
ing of the alleged bribery charges against
Senator Clark, of Montana. The hearing,
which has now been under way LOT up
wards Of month, began Win an 'ne
solemnity of a serious research mo Gel
tain alleged acts of unlaWful'less WHICH
were fully and completely set Out IN
memorial laid before the Senate uncec
the sanctity Of the oaths OF the men WHo
subscribed to it.
The Investigation had not been under
way more than three or four days "iFeu
it was apparent the facts alleged were n't
TO be proven, and the evidence laid be-
fore the committee in order to prove
the assertions OF the memorial grew
more grotesque-as the days wore on. tft
the close Of the last hearing enc OF the
spectators, as he left the CO nnlis-ec 1cafi,
was laughing heartily.
HEARsAY EVIDENCE.
..Do YOU know said he, addressing
his query to q fellOw-spectator, that
this testimony reminds ne OF an ola
man up in the country VINO peileNeu
everything he heard, no matter how rlclc-
1,ious it might be? When he heard
ru,nor he would say TO his friends ut
the village post-ofiiCe: This Is absolutely
true for it comes to me so direct that
there can be no doubt about it. DIG
Sam Jones told Jim Smith and he told
it to my cousin Dan. Dan told 1t to my
wife, and the old woman told 1t to me.
Now. a thing coming TO the village so
straight as that must be true. There
ca-,-f he any
continued the good-humored spectator Is
the kind of testimony they have been
getting ut this investigation. never
heard more hearsay evidence in my lille.
Testimony has been admitted that "oGid
be ruled out by any court in the coun-
try. l actually heard one witness tell
the committee something he had been
told as coming to him from c third party
The whole thing is ridiculous.
With all this hearSay testimony 1t is
only fair to Senator Clark to say that
there has been nothing SO far to asso-
ciate Senator Clark, or anyone acting
as his authorized agent with these al
legged acts of bribery. This is the key
note of the situation. The most PAINS
taking questioning on the part Of counsel
for the prosecution has failed to strike a
lead pointing to Senator Clark, or any
one acting for him, with his knowledge
as having been guilty OF either bribery
or attempted bribery.
Some OF the testimony offered at the
end OF the week had little or no bearing
upon the case, and yet great deal OF
weight was attached to it by the attcr-
neys for the prosecution, especially Con-
gresham Campbell, who appears to have
captured several .'waterhauls' during the
course of his examination of witnesses.
THE ECTOR LETTERS.
The celebrated 1ctor letters, written
to Senator Clark and some of his friends.
which were referred to early in the hear
ing. were read to the committee on Tues
day last and proved a boomerang. The
attorneys for the contestants had led
the committee to believe that these let
ters contained sensational matter. They
proved to be quite harmless. Their con-
tents consisted chiefly of begging appeals
on the part of DR.. Ector for money. 1t
was shown that he had been paid $3.50
for campaign expenses and work per-
formed during an election for member
of the State Legislature. but that he sub
sequently insisted that he ought to have
more money. because he had received an
offer from the DAILY faction.
In one of his letters Ector said the
Daily faction had offered him s5,CGO to find
out what the Clark people were doing,
and in another of these letters he in
formed Senator Clark Of the SCHEME that
had been concocted TO bring the charge CT
bribery against him. and at still later
date he wrote to the Senator telling him
that this scheme had been carried out
just as he heard it would be. Ector ap-
pears to have become disSruntled be
cause he could not hold up the friends OF
Senator Clark for big sum of money,
and he admitted on the stand, that out OF
a spirit OF revenge, he told the contents
Of these letters, and made them thlnk
they contained discriminating material,
and sent them on to Washington. Ector
admitted this was done on the advice OF
Fred Whteside, the man who ORGANIZED
the plan to "eXpose" bribery, which was
referred to by Ector in his letters. DR..
Ector was compelled to admit that he had
not bribed any one, and that he knew of
no one who had been bribed. He had
done everything possible in order to force
Senator Clark or his friends to give him
money. and admitted that all his state
1nents were mere bluffs, intended to Sc
cure money.
A GOOD SAMPLE.
The testimony OF this man is good
sample of that upon which the contest
ants base their hope of cloudinS the title
Of Senator Clark to his seat In the Senate.
The contestants have made much OF the
fact that ten Republican members Of the
Legislature voted for Clark, and have
charged lavish use Of money in con-
nection with these Republicans. 1t was
shown by the statements of their own
witnesses that it was decided in caucus,
after receiving numerous petitions, that
the only way to break the deadlock was
for Republicans to vote for Clark; tiiat
>ten Republicans declared such Intention
and that at no time either in the Repuo-
lican caucus or elsewhere had there been
any charge of money having been used
to effect this result.
So far in this hearing the evidence mas
been purely ex parte. The Clark sioe VIII
be commenced next week. and then the
committee will begin to be able to SIT
the truth from the falsehood and ascer-
tain the real facts. BY their own admin
sions many of the witnesses SO lar heard
told different stories at the investigation
held by the Montana Legislature They
have told conflicting stories before the
Senate committee SO that there Is no es-s
cane from the conclusion that perjury
has been INDUCED in. The friends of Mr.
Clark are confident the charges will be
absolutely refuted and, If one may judge
from the casual remarks of members of
the committee, that body has been un-s
favorably Impressed with the character of
A,..f,,,,txoecac EhrODoht before If ami the