Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-01-19

was being pressed for the money Sc
cured by mortgage. If they could be
satisfied that the eases would be con-
sidered soon and without any great de-
lay, they would remain here until act
ion had been taken; otherwise, they
would return home at once.
The senator replied in substance that
he thought they were giving them
selves unnecessary worry; that as the
cases had been made special he had no
doubt they would be taken up, con-
sidered and acted upon at an early
date. AS he was going to the capitol
he volunteered to stop at the land Of
fee with Puter and find out if posi-
BILE how long before the cases would
be considered. When he spoke to Mr..
Hermann about them, the latter ex.
pressed the opinion that the considera-
tion of the cases would not take long
time, but that as he was very busy he
thought he would turn them over to
Assistant Commissioner Richards for
consideration. This he did, in his (the
senator 's) presence. The senator then
introduced Puter to Richards as re-
spectacle citizen of Oregon which, 4"
he continued, 81 had then every rea-
son to believe him to be-and the man
interested in the case, who was anx-
ious for as early consideration as possi-
bic. This is my connection with Pu-
ter and with these lands.''
Had No Suspicion, Took No Pay.
81 had not the slightest idea in do
| ing what did that there was anything
wrong about the entries or any of
them. j did understand that some one
had made some objections to some of
the entries at one time months before,
but the same had been thoroughly ev-
amined and reported on favorably by
the register and receiver at Oregon
City and by two special agents in the
field.
"For what l did before the land Of
fee in connection with these 10 entries,
as L heretofore stated, l was not Of
fered, neither did i receive at any
time, either $4,000 or any other amount
of money, or any other thing of value,
from s. A. D. Puter or any other per-
son.
"I further state that not until more
than two years after the consideration
of these cases in the land Office, as
above mentioned, had 1 any knowledge
or information to the effect that there
was any claim upon the part of any
agent of the government or anyone
else, that any of these ~ homesteads
had been acquired wrongfully or fraud
ulently.
The speaker then recalled that in
the past three years he had been over
whelmed with letters from all over the
state of Oregon requesting him to as
certain the status of entries and seek
ing his aid in getting the consideration
of cases expedited in the general land
Office. He had invariably responded to
these requests, both by personal visits
and by letters to the officials here, and
frequently urged the expedition of
their consideration. He had done this,
invariably without making any
charge or accepting any compensation
of any kind or character, and so long
as l shall remain one of Oregon's SEN
ators shall continue to do these things
for my constituents, so help me God,
even at the risk of 100 indictments. "
Says Heney Sought to Involve Him.
Then the senator attacked Francis
j. Heney, United States district attor-
ney at Portland, in the prosecution of
the land fraud cases, accusing him of
unprofessional conduct in the jury
room and asserting that subsequent to
the conviction in the land fraud cases,
early in December, and before sentence
had been imposed, Heney, engaged
with United States District Attorney
John II. Hall in representing the gov
ernment in prosecution of said case,
entered into an agreement with the
said s. A. d. Puter, Emma L. Watson
and others included in said conspiracy,
by which they offered elemeney or len
ieney Of some kind or character, pro-
vided they would, by their evidence,
involve myself, Mr.. Hermann and 9th
ers in these frauds"
The senator referred TO his long ca
reer in the senate and said that not un-
til this time had any charge ever been
me de against his integrity, either as a
man, member of the bar or member of
the senate. 1t may be thought, he
said, by some that he had violated pre-
cedent in coming to the senate at this
time, but he declared; 81 am an in