The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-02-20
RA|LEY GOES ON
WITNESS STAND
Gives History of His Life Up to
The Time of Election to
h the Senate.
nFNlES ALL CHARGES MADE
<.crs CONCERNING GIBBS LAND
DEAL.

,.,,., Tex. Feb. Ex-senator Joseph
- poilsv. testifying today before the
Tits, :" investigating committee. de-
- the truth Of the charges preferred
INST him By Representative Cooke
riding his alleged relations with the
,rotsrs-Pieree OIL company.
NJ bailey reviewed his life's history
It'll his election 10 the United States
senate in 1901.
ua said he met David r. Francis of
MISSOURI in 1891, when Roger Q. Mills
mas a candidate for the speakership of
,ba bosIse. He cultivated the acquaint-
onoe7 of Governor Francis and his as
..ociatss. among them members of the
missouri delegation, hoping thereby to
s5,,snos Mr.. Mills interests He had
scrn,ed a close friendship for Governor
Francis. and never passed through st.
louis without stopping TO see him.
sibIey an Honorable Man.
In reply to the charge that he (Bai-
is1-1 had been in a deal with a brother
Of Governor Francis and other persons,
Ioserh Sibley among them. in the Gibbs
zach transaction. Senator Bailey said
thar he had first known Mr.. Sibley i'm
1892. ard that he was then, as he is
now. a delightful. clean and honorable
man.
Mr.. Bailey said he had no intention
at first of purchasing the ranch, but
frat Mr.. Gibbs had told him about the
land and said he wanted to sell a quar-
Ter each to Governor Bob. Taylor of
Tennessee. Senator Charles A. Culber-
son Of Texas and 10 himself tBailey),
and keep quarter. He told Mr.. Gibbs
frat only Senator CulbersOn was finan-
.cialIv able to purchase the land, but
AZ Mr.. Gibbs solicitation he went to
look al the land and was greatly
pleased with it. He later held several
conversations with Governor Francis
about going into a deal for its pur-
chase. learned about Mr.. Francis lands
in Texas, and told him that he might be
able 10 turn this land for him in the
deal.
Secured Option on Land.
Senator Bailey said that he secured
an option on the property, which he
later closed with the understanding
that the deal would not be cOnsum-
mated until after his campaign for sen
ator had closed.
Later Governor Francis transferred
his PecOs county lands to Mr.. Gibbs
end the Gibbs property was transferred
10 Governor Francis. who had fur
nished the greater part of the purchase
price by putting in these lands. There
was due to Mr. Gibbs above his mort
cages and the Pecos county lands about
$500. Of which he paid $4,000 obtained
from the Red River National bank of
Gainesville. and the remainder was
paid 10 Mr. Gibbs cut of the sale of the
crops.
There was also a debt of $4,000 on the
cattle, and later he negotiated with the
help Of Governor Francis a loan of s15,-
900 from a St Louis bank. with which
he paid debts of $4,000 and $4,000 owed
10 Texas banks.
Mr.. Bailey explained that after he
had been charged with receiving the
Peeos county lands as a fee from the
Oil company, he had de-
termined 70 relieve Governor Francis
of any further embarrassment and per-
suaded Gibbs to deed the land back to
Francis.
Made $4,000 on Deal.
Mr. Bailey said that he made about
$4,000 on the deal and would have |
made more could he have held the land, |
but. not having the money, and the pO- |
htieal differences arising. he preferred |
10 sell Governor Francis, he added, |
never discussed any legislation with |
him or sought his aid for any measure /
except the Worlds fair appropriation.
He had never known of any legislation
before congress in which Francis was
directly or indirectly, except
as good citizen or Democrat. nor was
he connected with or interested in any
Texas legislation. He said Francis had
never mentioned H. c. Pierce except
through the letter Of introduction.
Francis and a man named Cobbs, said
Mr. Bailey, had asked his support for
The Worlds fair appropriation. and he
told them they were wasting breath as
ne was unalterably opposed to appropri-
atlng public money for such purposes.
he said he thought he had been paired
Nnen the proposition for the s. 600 coo
appropriation came up. When the mat
Ter was considered a second time he
vas IN the senate and he had opposed
u and almost defeated it, offending his
- Louis friends. who had thought he
Would support il because a provision
,ela1iFe TO shipment of cattle feDm be-
~ me line had Leen made a part of
-