The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-03-30
SHINN DENIES
BRIBERY CHARGE
Ocean County Seuator Will
Demand a Full Investiga-
ton Of the Pawnbroker's
Story
PUBLICATION PREMATURE
CITY COUNSEL McLEAR, OF NEW
ARK, DECLARES THE USE OF
THE STORY BY A PAPER FRUs-
TRATED HIS WELL-LAID
PLANS
lspscial to ..The Jersey city News,

george IL. SnlnIl. oI Ocedu NouAtys W
clared yesterday that when the. Senate
met next Monday night he would arise
to a question of personal privilege and
ask the Senate to appoint committee
to investigate the public charges that he
had agreed with Newark pawnbroker
to hold UP two bills affecting the pawn
brokers' interests which were reported by
the committee of which he was chairman
and Senator Martens, also accused, the
minority member.
Il intend to push this matter to the
fullest extent said Senator Shinn. sand
I shall spare no effort, legal or other
wise. to punish the persons who are re-
sponsible for these. outrageous charges
when the correspondent of Newark
newspaper called upon me and asked GER
tain questions about the alleged holdtup
Of the pawnbrokers, added the Senator,
II supposed that he was jollying me. l
did not, at first, think that he was at all
serious. When / found that he was l
was surprised. but did not hesitate then
any more than / do now to deny these
charges from beginning to end. OF SO
much Of them. as he presented to me.
now brand the charges as absolutely
false in so far as they relate to me. and
to my consent to hold-up for price,
any bill or bills in the Senate or any
where else. / shall bring libel suit, #
that course shall be deemed necessary,
to protect my honor against the publish
ers Of these yillifying and malicious allie
cations which are intended to defame my
character"
Senator Shinn further said that the
hills Nos. 1S4 and 185 were handed to
him by Senator Martens to introduce.
After looking the bills over he believed
them to be good measures, and he had
introduced them in good faith, and ne
had ever since-their introduction, he said,
advocated their passage, as he had done
an hour before with No. 184 on the floor
of the Senate, until it was passed.
He did not know. he said, where SEN
ator Martens got the bills. He only knew
ssthat pawnbrokers were quite frequently
regarded as sharks and. believing that
the bills were all right, as ne still be-
lieyed, he introduced them and worked
for their passage, consenting to amend
ments to them when they were offered.
He w;ll NOT delay one hour longer than
necessary by the circumstances of an
earlier adjournment for the weeks, IN at
tempting TO bring about an investigation
by the Senate
It now dcvelopes that the publication
by newark newspaper OF the attempt
of Senators Shinn and Martens to ex-
tort $500 from Louis Krimke, represent
ing the New Jersey Pawnbrokers' Assoc
citation, for the purpose of holding up two
pawnbrokers' bills was premature and
that plans which City Attorney Malcolm
MacLear, counsel for Krimke, had de-
vised for the purpose of capturing the
State Senators in the act Of accepting a
bribe was fustrated thereby.
Mr.. AIacLear said yesterday that after
hearing Krimke's story that Senators
Shinn and Martens were willing to ac-
cept 5000 each to defeat the two bills af-
fecting the pawnbrokers interests, he
went to Trenton Wednesday primed with
the necessary material to catch the two
Senators, as he put it, with the goods
on them.' He had provided himself with
some marked bills and he had planned to
have Fred. Kissanl, the lobbyist, who
Senators under suspicion, and he was
then going to have both legislators inn
mediately placed under arrest, searched.
and when the money was found on them
the case against them would have been
much more convincing from the laws
point Of view than at present.
Mr.. AIacLear fcat very indignant when
he returned to Newark and found that all
Of his carefully planned scheme had come
to naught through .he publication Of the
charges.
IF that had not happsned,n he said,
"anl if my plans had been carried out,
we would have had the man accused and
the others implicated IN the charge be-
hind prison bars.
My. MsuI.ear sllia 6s MAD not decided