Mexico weekly ledger., 1901-12-05
SECRETARY OF STATE SAM b
COOK TEsTIFIEs TO MANAGE
MENT OF CAMPAIGN
FUNDS.
NO PROMISES EVER MADE.
Money Was Sent to Kansas City by the
State Committee to Help Demo-
Gratis There Testimony in
Full.



minutes of opening the proceedings
in the case of ex-Representative w. o.
Cardwell against the st. Louis Re
public, it was established that the IT,
tie was misnomer
Col. W. II. Phelps sat by the side
of State Committeeman Frank p.
Walsh throughout the entire session,
by his presence stimulating the battle
which has been opened upon the
State organization of the party.
The witnesses examined were form
er Representative Ransdell, Of Cedar
county, now residing here, and Secre-
tary Of State Sam B. Cook. Cardwell,
the plaintiff, was not present, his
name was not called, and be was not
mentioned but once; yet for two hours
Attorney Walsh, who is also State
Committeeman, conducted an inquisi-
ion, which was as close as he knew
how to make it.
NOT MUCH EVIDENCE OF DIRECT
| NATURE.
Beyond the statement of Ransdell
that ]. M. Seibert had asked him to
vote against a bill lowering stock
yards charges, there was not much
evidence OF a direct nature. Rams
dell said that while on the floor Of the
House Seibert had sent to ask how he
intended to vote on the stock yards
yardage bill. He replied, 50 he testi-
fed, that he notified Selbert he was
for the bill. The witness went on to
say that Seibert said: ~ wish you
could vote against the bill, as the
stock yards contributed generously
toward the campaign"
The witness admitted that no one
except himself heard Seibert make
the proposition, that he did not ex-
pose the State Auditor on the floor Of
the House, though he was sworn to
represenB only the people. He could
not name a solitary individual whom
be had informed, until two weeks ago,
when he told Committeeman Walsh.
He said that be could not remember
all his ''private conversations.
FAILED 10 ANSWER POINTED QUEs-
TIoNs.
"And would you call such an infa-
nous proposition as that a private
Conversations Attorney Jourdan, who
was present in behalf Of the Republic
asked the witness, but no answer was
made.
Ransdell went on to say that Sci
bert had told him that the st. Louis
corporations had contributed $4,000
toward the campaign. He said that
he had never heard of the telephone
bill. This concluded the deposition OF
this witness.
Secretary Of State Sam B. Cook was
then sworn. Handing him copy Of
| the st. Louis Republic, State Commit
teeman Walsh, nominally appearing
| in behalf Of Cardwell, who brought the
suit, but clearly making fight of his
lown, asked him to identify the article
| in question. Mr.. Cock said that he
was the author.
Then the question Of campaign
funds was taken up. Cook said thai
he had received contributions for the
campaign fund.
LITTLE HELP FROM STATE coRPo
RATI0Ns.
81 think" he said, "Col. Phelps
made a personal subscription OF 500
and | raised some money around owe
the State. We had very little help,a
l remember it, from any corporat'
interest. Afterwards, at the close o
the campaign, think Phelps raise'
for the committee about $1,000.
@. "Dld you put that in your re
port which was filed with the Record
er OF Deeds?"
A. at was put in. The treasure
makes the report, not the chairman.
@. elbow did you report it9H
A. at was reported In my name.
@. "Then it came from you, in
I stead of Col. Phelps9"
A. ayes"
Q. "And that money for that cam
paign fund was raised after the Legis
lature was elected, was it?"
A. "It was after the election feV
days; yes SIR"
Q. "Now, in the campaign of lss
did you collect any money from corpo
: rations Of the State for the campaigI
! fund?n
A. ~ did not. Col. Carroll CAV
) me $1,000 for the campaign fund o
1882
q Q. "Did he tell you where he go
I the s1OOO?"
& A. II understand it was his owl
: contribution.
Q. cat any time during that cam
paien did J. NJ. Seibert bring $1,000 D
the headquarters?h
} sErBERr COLLECTED MONEY Fol
> COMMITTEE.
A. "Mr. Seibert collected som
|. money for the committee. Mr.. Sci
b bert came down there at my reques
J, to help me at headquarters, withou
!, any understanding whatever as 3
. raising any money"
Q. GLOW much did he raise from
Z the brewing corporations of 81
Z Louisy'
$ A. "They paid him $500
. @. "Twent five hundred. Wa
that paid into the commlttees'
> A. at was not"
4 o. "Do you know Of your owl
4 Z knowledge what the brewing corpora
: tons money was paid for-used for?
Z BREWERS GAVE 5000 TO THE RE
8 PUBLiCANs.
|; A "My understanding Of the matte
\ was this: The brewers had contributes
d 5000 to the Republican campaign
: There were some Democratic brewer
: who felt that the Democratic part,
ought not to be Disseminated against