The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-10-06
NOTHING IN THE
BRIBERY CHARGE
Standard Oil Attorney Gives
History of the Monnett
FiaSC0 in Ohio.
CASE OF MISTAKEN ZEAL
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO UNANI.
NOUS IN TAKING ACTION.

Cleveland, Ohio, Oct. SIS. H. Tolles.
member of the firm of Kline, Tolles &
Foff, attorneys for the Standard Oil
company, tonight issued the following
statement, giving the Standard Oil
company's side of the charges of at
tempts to bride F. S. Monet, formerly
attorney general of Ohio:
The charge that Mr.. Monet had
been offered and had declined a large
sum of money to drop his prosecutions
against the Standard Oil company was
first made public by one George Rice,
in an interview at Marietta, and given
to the newspapers on March 8. 1894.
The charge at that time received no
,credence. Mr.. Monet himself was at
first reported to have denied the
charges, but afterward made some
general limitations that there might
be some truth in them. The particu-
lars of the attempt were carefully con-
Cealed by him.
Names Demanded.
THE public press at once began to
demand that he name the guilty person
or persons, and on March 20, 1899, not
having done so, Messrs. Elliott and
Kline, on behalf of the Standard Oil
company, wrote him the following open
letter;
- On March (. inst. George Rice an
noUnced to the public press that
bride of 100000 less 500, 900 commits
sion, would be offered you to induce
you to stop or delay proceedings
against the Standard Oil company now
pending in the supreme court of Ohio.
You are reported to have denied
entirely the Rice story, but by the time
you arrived at Columbus on the even
ing Of the same day, you concluded
that the story was true and accord
ingly. in various newspapers on the
evening of the 5th instant. you made
the statement that the Standard Oil
company, through some friends of
yours, had offered you 100000 to in
fluence your action with respect to the
cases pending against it and other
Ohio.
Newspapers Wanted to Know.
Reputable newspapers ofthe state,
notably the Cleveland Leader, Toledo
Blade and Ohio State Journal, have
called upon you to disclose the name
of the friend who thus corruptly ap-
preached you.
You are reported in the Cleveland
Plain Dealer of the 7th inst. as saying
that if you were to give out the name
of your friend half a dozen depart
ments of the trust would be after him
at once, and it might be that they
could force or persuade him to keep
his mouth shut
You do not seem TO realize that
the reason given by you for refusing
to disclose the name Of your friend
is an admission that the company
does not know the name of the party
whom you say it commissioned to offer
you 100000 and therefore you must
have known the alleged friend made
the offer to you without the authority
or knowledge of the Standard Oil COM
pany.
Would Not Expose Friend.
I'm the New York World on the
9Th inst. you are reported as saying
you had written the friend who tried
to bride you that you would not ex-
pose him until the public interest de-
manded it,"
In another interview in the Gin
cinnat Commercial Tribune of the
9Th inst you are reported as saying
that your friend had agreed to pro-
tect you" The arrangement for pro-
lection, therefore, seems to be mutual.
so far as any connection of the
Standard Oil company with any at
tempt to bride you is concerned, it is
totally false.
You have the names, or claim to
have, not only of the friend who ap-
preached you, but also of the others
acting with him. because on the 14th.