Omaha daily bee., 1902-06-01


'oEWeTe you ever employed by them?
Q.-By whom were you employed con-
nected with the company Al have
been employed at different times by Mr..
Q-Were you employed by Mr.. Thurston
TO visit the capitol during the session OF
Pacific Railway company? Al was en-
ployed by Mr.. Thurston one time to look
Q.-Wha were they? Al looked after
railroad bills there, TO see what time they
came. W, OF what nature they were. that
not.
Q-when were you employed. how Ions
ago? Al was there last winter.
Q.-How long were you there? Al
think | was there ninety days.
Q.-Was that the entire session? A
Yes, sir. that covered pretty near the en-
tire session, / guess.
Q;--What bills were pending before the
legislature that the Union PACIFIC Railway
company was especially interested in? A
/ don't know, l am sure.
! Q.-What did you do there7 A.-Well, as
1 say, / looked after the bills TO see when
they were introduced and TO see what their
! nature was, and looked after them gen.
Odd you see the bills2 A-weIl, gem
orally made up my mind what the inten-
Q.-What were the bills? A.-There were
quite a number Of them; l could not state
specifically any particular bill
! Q.-Can you name any one Of them? A
/ don't think l could, sir.
! Q.-Who was associated with you at Lin
coin in watching the interest of the Union
Pacific company? Al don't know what
other parties were doing there. l know
many people down at Lincoln.
Q--Do you know of anybody else work
ing with you IN eonneeti9n Witn the inter
! pany2 Al was working alone so far as
/ was concerned.
Well, ! have tried to state. As soon as a
bill was introduced / endeavored to find
S SEs when and az WAS asss na5ie .5 ID &c tome 1eo up Tor
1t in a general way.
oL1what did you do to AK the members
Of the legislature with relation to bills?
A.-Nothing more than talk in regard to
the bills.
Odd you talk to the individual or did
you talk to them collectively Al talked
TO them. individually. not collectively.
Odd they have a room In the halls of
Al have heard of such a room, but 1
never saw it to my knowledge.
the papers, principally through The Bee.
Gas an actual fact you do not know
Of any such room? Al don't know Of
Q.-What did you hear about the oil
room through The Bee? Al simply heard
d%erstood what they meant by it myself.
Q.-What was IL reported that they did
In that room? Al don't know that I can
Odd they have drinking materials?
Was that the allegation? Al don't know,
Q.-were drinking materials as a matter
Of fact provided anywhere In the halls of
Cor in the vicinity? Al could not
0..How were you paid9 Al was paid
Thurston for the work J a!a for him. /
had other work there fov other individuals
Q.-How much were you paid by Mr..
Thurston? Al don't remember the exact
Q.-Were you paid 500 a month? am
speaking Of the Union Pacific legislation.
Al don't remember the exact amount
something like $500 or $500. Probably about
'o-T6at was the total amount, was TT
A1No. that was what he paid me. They
paid my expenses.
I was at Lincoln, living there.
Ing? Al mean my living expenses, my
Union Pacific Railroad companS at the
Gap5ltoiT A-What do you mean by lobby
The Ghairman-1 am examining you.
The Witness-I know, but 1 want 70 un-
derstand the question fully.
The Chairman-I put the question. Did
you do the lobbying Of the Union Pacific
session OF the legislature?
The Witness-I have stated that I was
and look after these bills. They were rail-
road bills. l did so. The employment was
from MIN.
G.Did you ever appear before any com.
.Q1How did you convince the members
Al dent know that ] convinced any OF
them. very often discussed bills thai
Q-can you name one single bill that you
braska legislature? Al don't believe
that l can name a single bill now. There
.o-It didn't make much Of an ,nnrss.
sion on you at the time? Alt might have
az the time but II has escaped my memory
oIDid you ever succeed IN convincing 9
member OF the legislature that he ouehf
70 ehange his opinion? Al dom know
that ever convinced any of them, / an
,Q;-Did any Of them afterward chang,
their opinion2 Al cannot tell
Q-How did you observe the result o.
your work at Lincoln? Al don't know
that did observe the result very closely
Mr.. Rosewater-A series of question:
were then asked as to the persons asso,
eiated with Mr.. Gurley. employed by tn,
Union Pacific in connection with Legislation
4 At Lincoln and after Mr.. Gurley had testi
ned that he did not remember a ~solItar,
person associated with him in the railroad
lobby he was asked, WAS there a mar
there by the name Of David H. MercerY"
Answer-Yes.
Q.was he employed IN the same ca
paeity with your. Al don't know wha
his employment was. He never told me.
e.-Did you have a conversation witt
him when he was there In connection witt
legislation OF the Union Pacific? A.
have had a number OF conversations witt
him. ! don't remember what they were.
Now. then. when Mr.. Gurley comes up 4
tell you the magnificent record that Nj
Mercer made you must take It with som
grain OF allowance. He is ahaicted with al
impediment in his memory and distressln
lapses OF veraeity. He had these defect
already fifteen years ago. Iaughter.) II
did not remember one solitary railroad bill
that he handled only ninety days after tn
session. And yet I have here q list O
more than twenty or thirty. The most i'm
portant measure was the charter Of Omaha
in which he. Will others. labored Arduousl
TO destroy the work OF our delegation act
ing under instructions Of citizens OF Oman
and pledged TO enact a law that would re
quire taxation Of railway property on a
equal footing with other property. The
succeeded in destroying that portion Of tn
charter and also the provision granting IN
right Of eminent domain in the acquisitio
Of parks. II has cost us more than half
million dollars 70 get a plot Of park Ian
which we could have had at tina time 10
| less than one hundred thousand dollars
And vet Mr.. Gurley did not remember a