The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1906-03-16
f" ANDY" HAMILTON
LETS THE CAT OUT
Says Campaign Contributions
Were Fully Sanctioned by
Finance Committee.
Of THE NEW YORK LIFE
Declares That If Mccall and He Arc
Responsible and Should Make Res
titution, Every Member of Com
n,ittee Should Do Likewise.

Albany, n. Y. March 17--.Antlrew
Hamilton appeared before the insur-l
lance investigating committee yesterday,
afternoon and broke the silence which
he has maintained except for his
T, statement brought from Paris by John.
&c. Mccall. ever since his name was,
first mentioned in the investigation in,
connection with the great sums of
money shown to have been paid to him
during the past ten years on account Of
his legal and legislative work for the
New York Life and other Insurance.
companies.
1t would be difficult to exaggerate
the sensation produced by his unex7
ipected appearance and by the speech
which he made or the intensely
dramatic character of the whole
episode. His face flushed and his,
voice trembling with passion. his arms
appraised and his fists clenched. Judge
Hamilton poured forth food Of de-
nunciation and invective upon the
members of the board OF trustees of
the New York Life Insurance company
several of whom were present. designat-,
ing them ours and traitors and pay!
ling especial attention to one unnamed,
whom he described as the Pecksniff Of
three administrations. the confident of
the Beers scandal and author of the
Beers pension, who rotates through one
administration and another and thinks
that he Is going to be an indispensable
member of yet another"
And do you think" he demanded,
that the man who held the same re-
Mccall could sit for thirteen years
and not know how the expenditures
were made and were to be dis
bursed? Yet, he and such like him
sit. not judging me as peers, but judg-
ing me as conquerors. talking about
yellow dogs"
The only name he mentioned was
that of the late President Mccall in
reference to whom and to whose death
he displayed marked emotion. He spoke
of Mr.. Mccall as q victim. as having
been shouldered with the blame-"the
only one, the dead man-killed-whom
they drove to his grave and deserted"
and declared that the memory of this
man appealed to him ito come down
here and say something for him and
Just word for myself"
New York, March 1.-THE World to
day says: Before his departure for
ALBANY yesterday Andrew Hamilton
settled upon his line of defense In the
legal actions ordered against him for
restitution and accounting of sums ag-
gregating nearly $1,OOO,OOO
accuracy of the Fowler Investigating
committee which held the late John A.
Mccall and Hamilton alone responsible
for 81, 347,0 900 paid to the former legis-
lative agent out OF the funds of policy
holders"
Summarized, Humiito,,'s defense fol-
lows:
Tint every payment made to him
except $59,310 was taken from the rrof-
Its of the United States Steel s., ndi-t
cate, and the S144,5O0 drawn from the
Paris office was known by reported to
and passed upon by the auditing COM
mittee of the New York Life
I Political Contributions Sanctioned.
' THAT every political contribution
made was first discussed by the finance
committee Of the company and then d.
rected to be paid. No entry of political
contributions was made in the minute
books Of the finance committee, the
transactions being secret as far as the
regular records of the company were
/ concerned.
! "Hamilton's contention that all pay
ments made to him with the two ex-
ceptions, above noted, were repeated to
and passed upon by the auditing COM
mittee is borne out by the by laws Of
the company, defining the duties Of
that committee. Hamiltons contention
is that If Mccall was morally, legally
and financially responsible for the com
pany's moneys paid to Hamilton, ev-
cry member of the auditing committee
who passed upon the payments, is
equally responsible. and should be so
held by the Fowler Investigating com
mittee which directed that suits FOR re-
covery should be brought against Ham
ilton and Mccall only.
If One Guilty, All Are.
] "He also contends that If Mccall or
his estate is responsible for The nolitt-
cal contributions. made by the New
York Life. every member of the finance
committee who sanctioned them is
equally responsible, and that in addi-
tion to ordering suits for recovery
against the Mccall estate, the Fowler
committee should order similar actions
against the responsible members Of the
finance committee. year ago when
the contribution Of $4S,0OO was made by
the New York Life to the republican,
national campaign committee which
was working for the election Of Roose-
welt, the finance committee was com
posed of the following:
| alexander E. Orr. John Clafifn.
George w. Perkins, John A. Mccall,
Edmund D. Randolph. John 8. Ken
hedy. Woodbury. Langdon. G. A. Nor
Tison."
BUSINESSES EMPLOYEES.