Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-06
Resumption Of the Defense Before
the Senate Committee.
an INTERCEPTED LETTER
Executive Session Taken to Con.
slider a Question.
EXPLANATIONS OF VOTES

| dlOF Cidrk OIL Montana De1Ore the senate
committee on elections began today will
another wrangle between attorneys ovel
the letter Intercepted in Mr.. Campbell
office while 1t was being carried from Mr.
Bickford's Office by Ben HILL Mr.. Camp
bell presented the letter, asking, as he die
SO, that 1t be returned, as it might be i'm
| portant to have it in a suit in Montana
To this request Mr.. Foster took excep
ton. saying that as the letter was not the
property of the prosecution they had Nc
| right to its return.
This brought Senator Edmunds to hi,
| feet with the declaration that the defense
could only get the letter by a process OF
| law with which, he said, I'VE will b.
| glad to accommodate them in Montana o,
| elsewhere"
Chairman Chandler cut the controvers,
| short by announcing that he had the let
| ter In his possession and would himself
hold it for the present.
The letter was read. 1t is on paper con
tanning the card of Walter NJ. Bickford
| and is as follows:
BUTTE, Mont, August 13, 1899
| MY Dear Root: l have had a talk with
Mr. war this am. and with Mr.. Falk
When you next see Falk find out from him
| What his expenses would be and ask him
about Mc1ntire as a lawyer. Perhaps the
expense money was thought too little
Yours W. NJ. B."
| The envelope was addressed Jesse B.
Root. Politeness Mr.. Hill"
State senator Phillips.
The first witness of the day was State
Senator Phillips of Chateau county, Mont
| (republicaD, who had voted for Mr.. Clark
| He said he had known Mr.. Clark for thirty
years, and that in a talk with Mr.. Clark
he had told him that if the republicans
voted for a democrat for the Senate the
democrat must be a protectionist. Mr..
Clark had then announced himself as I'm
favor Of a tariff on lead, wool and other
raw material, and as an expansionlst and
mad agreed to write letter defining his
position. This letter, the witness said, was
written, but he was not able to produce It
Mr.. Phillips admitted having talked with
State Senator Mckay at the republican
legislative caucuseS concerning Mr.aClark' s
| candidacy, but denied that he had told that
gentleman that he could get $1,000 for a
vote for Mr.. Clark, and of having told him
that Representative Ingersoll was to get
$4,000 for his vote.
DaIy's Alleged Threat.
State Senator Cullen (democraD from
Dawson county, who had voted for Mr.
Clark. contradicted fatty the testimony of
Mr.. Whiteside to the effect that he was to
have received $4,000 for his vote for Mr..
Clark. saying that he had not been offered
nor had he received any consideration for
his vote.
Mr.. Cullen is a railroad conductor on the
Northern Pacific and he testified to a con-
versation he had had with Marcus DaIy
on the train in December prior to the meet
ing of the legislature. He said that Mr..
DAILY had brought up the subject of the
contest for the United States Senate ask
ing him what he thought of the outlook.
Witness said he had replied that he
thought Clark would be elected. To this,
he said, Mr.. Daily had replied: II will tell
you that every man who votes for Clark
Will be published as boodler and bribe-
taker. If you fellows elect Clark I'll see
that he never takes his seat in the Senate -
He had not voted for Mr.. Clark on the
first three or four ballots because of the
Whiteside exposure, but had been assured
by Mr. Clark in a conversation that the ex-
posure was the result of a conspiracy and
tended when elected to vote for him, and
then after making further Investigations
decided to give him his vote as he had
originally intended.
On crosS-eXamination, Mr.. Cullen said
that his family had spent the winter in Cal
ifornia on account Of his health, but that
he had borrowed the money for them to
live on. He denied having told Mr.. White
sides brother that he had seen Clark and
fixed the thing and that Whiteside was
fool If he did not get $4,000 for his vote.
Alleged Conversation With Whfteside
Harry Ringwalt of Great Falls detailed a
conversation he said he had had with Mr.
Whiteside prior to the meeting of the legis-
lature. He was at that time deputy county
treasurer. Mr.. Whiteside had come to him
asking him to enter into a scheme to pre-
vent Mr.. Clark's election to the Senate
He knew 1 had been friend of Mr..
DAILY" said the witness. He said to me-
You are just the man I want, as you are
an old-timer and know a lot of people.
- I want you to go to Helena with us,
Mr.. Whiteside added and assist us in a
tight on w. A. Clark to prevent his going
to the Senate 1 asked him who he meant
by u.s. and he replied that he meant Mr.
DAILY and his friends. He added that l
might as well get into the band wagon and
take ride-that If 1 would do what he
wanted me to do, see the legislators, etc,
l could make a pile of money-more of it
IN two or three months than / could make
In my then position in many years. l
declined, and Whiteside then told me to
keep quiet and 1 would hear a bomb eX-
plode soon-that he was going to spring a
sensation to prevent Clark's election, and
that there was $4,000 in it,
Mr.. Ringwalt also said that Mr. White
side had told him as early as 1897 that he
was going to get even with the Helena
people and Mr.. Clark for their part in
the state capital fight.
On crosS-examination Mr.. RinRwalt said
that he had never told this story before
because he did not want to get mixed up
in the natter
BENJAMIN Falk ON the Stand,
No little interest was manifested in the
committee room when Benjamin Falk was
introduced as witness. This was due to
the fact that his name had been brought
into the investigation in various connections
and especially, in connection with the let
ter from Bickford to Root, which was
Intercepted in Mr.. CampbelPs office. and
which was read in the committee room
at the beginning Of today's proceedings
Mr.. Falk did not proceed far before tho
noon adjournment. He had only stata,i
that he was deputy clerk of Flathead co,,nl
ty in 1898, and had handled the election
returns involving the election ffi whici,
Mr.. Whiteside was candidate for tha
state senate.
Attorney Foster, for the defense sought
to bring out the fact that Whiteside had
offered 81, 600 for access to the returns
before they were counted.
The question was objected to as collateral
The committee found it necessary to con-
slider this point in executive session. prom
ssing to give a decision at the reassembling
affair n NJ