Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-09-22
Charges OIL BRIDE
OF HALF A million
FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL OF
OHIO SAYS OFFER WAS
MADE TO END SUITS.
SPURNED BY MONNETT;
THEN HE WAS BEATEN
That Is Story Told by Buckeye State
Official Who Held Position from
1896 to 1eoo-Prominent Men
Mentioned.

columbus, w., Sept. 2l.-Frank S.
Monnett, attorney general of Ohio
from January l, 1896, until January /,
1900, told of the offer made by al.
legged agents of the Standard Oil Com
pany to pay him 100000 if he would
drop the suits which he had insti
tuted in the courts of Ohio to have
the company ousted from the state.
The following is his statement:
I'm January, 1899, | stopped at the
Arlington hotel in Washington the day
before l appeared in the United States
supreme court in suits against Chi
cago national bank. l found card
In my box after being there a short
time from Senator Foraker asking me
to call at his home on Sixteenth street.
l called him up on the telephone and
made the engagement to call that
evening. l called at his home, and,
| after passing social exchanges with
members Of the family, l was taken
| titled copies of my petition In the
Standard Oil custer cases in Ohio.
| His Interview with Foraker.
"As he laid them down he told me
that he was an attorney for the com
pany. | at first discussed the impro-
priety and danger of his representing
these trusts, criminal and civil law
violators Of his own state. as long as
he, as well as myself should be in
| terested in the welfare of the people
OF Ohio. He told me that he never
allowed law practice to interfere with
politics or his politics with his law
practice, and added that he was a
judge Of the ethics Of our profession.
He then took up the cause of action
against these companies, and remind
ed me OF the great power, financially
and politically, Of the Standard Oil
crowd
After talking short time he asked
me to have the proceedings delayed
in order to accommodate him. / finally
declined.
Visit by C. 3. squires.
Il received while in Washington a
telegram from C. B. Squires at Cleve-
land, in which he said: Make no
agreement with any one in Washing
ton about important business matter
until l can see you
On his return to Columbus Mr..
Monnett was visited by Squires,
who said he had a proposition to
make
Mr.. Monnett's statement continues:
"Squires stated at the beginning that
what he said and the proposition that
he made was with the authority of
Frank Rockefeller and C. N. Haskell,
now governor of Oklahoma
He stated that they had all been
to his house and agreed upon the
terms to be offered me and that the
proposition was telegraphed or tele-
phoned to New York and received the
official o. K at 26 Broadway.
Tells of 100000 Offer.
"The conference held at the home Of
Squires resulted in his being sent to
me with proposition of 100000 cash
If the suits that were pending in the
supreme court of Ohio be dropped OF
that amount Squires said he was to
receive 100000 and | was to have the
other 100000.
He told me in this conversation
that Senator Foraker was to see me
at Washington, and that he had
wired me there for fear that l would
deal with him, and he did not want
me to-
1T was after this that | brought
the suit against Squires and the other
men and began taking dispositions In
the case, when | was ordered by the
courts to stop any further proceedings
l was defeated for denomination by
Senator Foraker and his friends"