The evening world., 1906-03-06
Continued from First Page)

trict-Attorney that there is reasonable
ground to believe that evidence is now
available which will prove beyond a rea-
sonable doubt that at a time within the
statute of limitations in criminal actions
the executive officers or trustees or di-
rectors. or some of them, of large cor
porations chartered under the laws OF
this State have from time to time con-
trihuted large sums of money, the prop
orty of corporations in which they were
executive officers, to certain individuals
tn be expended in advancing the inter
ests of a candidate or candidates for
political office. or to be expended in
advancing the interests Of political par
ties at elections.
fne Grand Jury is informed by the
District Attorney that it may in
any case ask the advice of any
Judge of the Court, or Of the District
Attorney of the county and we are ad-
ysed by the District-Attorney that the
questions of law involved in these trans
actions are Of such character that 1t
would be wise for us under this pro-
vision of law to resort to Your Honor
for advice in the premises. We there
! fore make this presentment that we
may receive from Your Honor such ad-
vice In regard to the law as may guide
us in any course of inves tgation that
we may pursue"
Askcd Advice of Court.
Mr.. Van Valkenbergh stated that from
| the representations of the Dlstrict-At-
| torney tae Grand Jury was led to be-
| lieve that the investigation Of these
/ matters would occupy considerable
| time, and as the criminal business Of
| the county is. at the present time. ex-
| tremely heavy, the Distric ct-Attorney
suggested that the Grand Jury should
not take up the investigation of these
matters until the advice Of the Court
had been obtained as to whether or not
the fact constituted crime.
The foreman then read from the pre-
sentiment:
Assume as a first statement Of fact
thu it can be shown by lawful
evidence beyond reasonable doubt
that executive oficsrs or trustees
Ior directors of corporations gave
property belonging 10 the corpora
ton 10 the representatives of one
national political party: that sueh
property was so given within a
short time prior to an election at which
Representatives In Congress and Fed
eral officers were elected that the in
tent with which said property was
given by said officers was that the po-
litical party in whose aid said property
was given should succeed at the polls
and ad yocate certain economic doctrines
in Federal legislation, such officers then
and there believing that It was import
ant that suoh doctrines should be advo-
Gated by the Congress end President OF
the United States II the property of the
corporation which they represented was
to maintain the value 1t had then and
there and which would be greatly depre-
ciated in value II such doctrines were
not maintained
Contributions for Politics.
Second: That a similar contribution
was made Ito each of the great National
political parties with the intent to so
[ ingratiate the corporation IN favor Of
each OF the great political PARTIES that
in the future there would either be no
Federal legislation affecting the inter
ests of the corporation, or that, II there
was legislation, 1t sou1d be friendly, or
at least it should not be hostile
Third: Assume that peraons related
to corporations gave porh N
of the property of the corpora
ton which they represented to one
of the national parties as organized
in this State Immediately preceding
an election in the State of New York,
and that the property was given with
the intent to 80 ingratlate the corpora
ton in the favor Of the political party
to which It contributed that said po-
ltical party, II successful ~
campaign, would preYept any legB-
SfatiUn or.fnvsBtig gation w4I4sI fiiis5lae- -