The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1902-03-27
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELTS CUBAN ME-!
PURCHASE OF DANISH ISLANDS
WILL BE FULLY INVESTIGATED

tanning authentic government docu-
ments I have the evidence here. This
is grave charge. ! do not bring 1t here
for the purpose of making political cap
ital Here is a charge that $500,000 was
paid for the express purpose OF bribing
the American congress. yet the gentle
man from New York seeks to interpose q
technical objection"
Speaker Henderson at this point call
ed attention to the fact that the lam
guage of the resolution charged that
newspapers and members of congress
had been bribed.
Members of congress- he said. did
not necessarily include members of the
house. If members of the senate, that
body must be the custodian OF its own
morals"
He thought that If the resolution was
to be privileged 1t should specifically in
clude members OF the house.
II am prepared to aay" replied Mr..
Richardson. that these charges do in
clude members of the house and will
amend the resolution to that extent"
Speaker Henderson thereupon ruled
that the matter held was privileged.
Speaker Henderson's Ruling.
This Is matter of high privilege" "
said the speaker, delivering his ruling.
Exactly what status a report to a for
eign government would have here might
be questioned, but the gentleman from
Tennessee, having stated upon his honor
as a member of the house that the
charges are true"
"Oh, no, Mr. Speaker" interrupted Mr.
Richardson, Il did not say the report
was true. i vouched for the fact that
Mr.. Christmas had made It,"
The gentleman having vouched for
the authenticity of the charges con-
tinued the speaker, the chair holds the
matter is one of privilege and recognizes
the gentleman from Tennessee"
BY this time the interest In the house
was intense. Almost every seat was oc-
cupied and the members listened eagerly
as Mr.. Richardson proceeded to present
his case.
First. he read extracts from the press
at Copenhagen. These were followed by
an affidavit from Neils Gron concerning
his dealings with certain people here
but they were not particularly sensa-
tional.
Caused Sensation.
The real sensation came when he
started to read from what pur-
ported to be the report of Walter
Christmas concerning the negotia-
tons He prefaced the reading
by the statement that 1t would show q
corrupt bargain" worthy of the con-
sderation of the house. The report was
too long to read in full, he said
II will only read the luscious extracts
which, IL true, should bring the blush OF
shame to the cheek OF every American,
said he. for the statement will disgrace
this country in the eyes of every foreign
country in the world. This is what this
corrupt bargainer says"
| He then proceeded to read Mr.. Christ
| mas account of his interview with the
prime minister of Denmark, in which he
| was said to have told the minister Of the
necessity for the use of money 10 bring
| the negotiations for the sale of the
islands to successful termination.
He told of his acquaintance with Abnel
Mckinley, President McKinley's brother
and his law partner, Colonel Brown, two
gentlemen whom Mr.. Christmas de-
scrlbed as Having the entry to the
White house and being familiar with
the ways of American politics, and what
members Of congress would have to be
paid to accomplish the results desired
The report then described how Mr.
Christmas had enlisted not only Presi-
| dent Mckinley's brother and his partner
but two press associations, one in New
York and one In Washington, and q
, prominent banking house in New York
in the sale of the islands.
In the report, Mr. Christmas said,
among other things, that he had as his
special assistants c. W. Knox, an inti-
mate friend of Senator Hanna and a
Washington lawyer named Richard p.
Evans, who represented Mr.. Gardner and
his friends in the house.
The Danish foreign minister was re-
ported as disgusted with the methods
which had to be pursued, but, as finally
giving his acquiescence.
Made No Specific Charge.
Mr.. Richardson said he did not charge
that any senator or member of congress
had been bribed. He had simply pre-
sented the allegations of this agent that
money had to be used for bribing con-
gressmen.
Mr.. Richardson said there was one un-
paidonahle feature TO the affair, In that
the state department must have known
of these charges and had not brought
them to the attention of the senate prior
to the ratification of the Danish treaty.
The house unanimously adopted the
resolution for an investigation of the
charges in connection with the purchase
of the Danish West Indies, and Speaker
Henderson appointed Representatives
Dalzell, Hit, Cousins, Mccall, Richard
son, Dinsmore and Cowherd as the In.
vestigating committee.