The Washington times., 1905-01-17
DEFENSE OF OREGON SENATOR.

resenting the Government in the land
fraud eases IN Portland, Ore, goes be-
fore grand jury and insists in the
most strenuous manner and in a way
altogether unprofessloEaal, remaining,
as am advised, IN the jury room while
the jury was delipeTating. arguing and
insisting, as I an ad.'.sed he did tnat
what 1 did IN aiding the advancement
o. the consideration OF these heEnestead
entries was crime, although less ttis4l.
a month before he had stared 70 jury
in open court that my actions IN re
matter We're simply those OF plnile OF
ficer serving one of my CONSTITUENTS
who had been recommended 10 ne ana
stating further that II he. on tnat sVl-
dence. had tried 10 bring me into the
case he would have peen open 70 cen
Collision Charged
And further assert that subse-
ouent 20 such conviction and before
sentence 1.,ot one OF them having yet
been sentenced1. that Francis J. Hen
ey. assistant United states district at
torneys for the district OF Oregon tan
firapcrtatio.4 from Cz1f:foruia3, engaged
v-ifF, rated Ssa.S> xszs+FEat- Attorney
John H Hall in representfT1g the Gov
ernment in the prosecution on seic
case, entered into an agreement Win
the said s y d. PJ1ter, Emma L Wat
spiracv, by which they were offered
cIa-oencv or leniencv OF some kind or
character provided they would. by l-elr
evidence. involve myself, Nr her
mann. and others in these fraud
What, therefore, is the case against
me? Here is the statement IN open
court by the prosecuting officer OF the
| Government on the trial against Puter,
/ watson. and others, that what 1 had
! done for Puter and Watson, IN SettanSe
their cases advanced fer consideration
was simply that OF pubic oiiicer
serving ors OF nay constituents VINO
had been recommended 10 me, ana
which action on my part IS now con-
etrue,j into a badge OF crime. and this
construction OF my action is sought 10
/ he s,1nported by the testimony OF
con.FeTnned land thief, forgeE, ana Pc:
iurer seeking to save hInaSeil ! ara - u
/ partners in crime from tEle poiiiSiiiiie1is
they deserve
Never Before accused
IN conclusion, permit me 70 stare
have. for the last forty-four ara one
/ half years been a citizen OF the St1lIe
OF Oregon For about ol1e-haii OF liiS11
/ time have been . member OF this sen
ATE. and ROW in my seventeen year u
age. / an. nearing the close OF my fourth
!
not TO ny knwIedge. either openly OF
| bz tunuendo. has any Charge ever been
bafe against ny integrity, elt;-er as q
nan. member of the bar. or as mer
Der of this Senate
! II am deeply humiiiated and ineNpres-
sibI< grieved when I realize th2t acts
| OF kindness en- my part fer persons /
supposed. and whom had the rlgnt at
! mat tfr~ o suppose, were honorable
citizens of my State and respected con-
: st:tuents of mine. ana who had been
recommended 20 ne by n letter from
friend of mIne, a former United States
| district attorney for the district OF Ore
gon and who at that time stood as Sne
of the I1aders Of the Oregon bar, with
4 reputation without = stain. should De
considered crime on NY part, ana
that nv acts should be thus WnoltX ms
construed ard sought 10 be supported
By the testimony Of ii convicted ana per
! iuJeG land thief. and my name be p!2e-
/ arded in every newspaper IN tee land as
= conspirator and a brlbe-tak ker
Throws Down Del
Criticisi-ag these pubic officers who
| knowingly nlisconstrlle the pubic acts
of Il public man and thus seek 70 dis
tort and convert them into badges of
dishonesty Senator Mitchell said IN
CGtiCAllSAbtl
Permit me 20 declare that the repre-
sentatives OF any government who viii
tolerate CT permit this. much less sane
ton II, are unworthy CT the exalted po-
sitions they occupy
AS fer myself. 7 defy them here and
now TO produce any evidence, worth a
moments consideration. which viii con
meet me in any wrongful manner what
ever with any hand frauds III oregon. or
elsewhere Now, having said this
much IN explanation O. and II answer TO
the charges ag3iI,sS ne. and thanking
YOU all sincerely foT yoslr courteous at
tentior I VIII not further lntcude on
your presence
Mitchell Is AapIauied
At 1:1O o'cloc.- Senator Mitchell con-
cluded his remarks As he sa. down
there wz.s 4 burst OF applause in enc OF
the public galleries. and l.5r, Foraker.
who was IN TIE chair, gave the usual
warning that tae Senate rules co not
permit such demonstrations. Senator
Mitchell remained IN the chamber for
five minutes after concluding his speech.
The regular order CT c1ilalldar business
@aS then taken IL