Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1909-03-05
| !VESTIGATION
BROUGHT FACTS
THROWING LIGHT ON METHODS
ESipLoYED-ALyoRD's CON-.
MlTrEE REPORT puBLIsHEp
IN PAMPHLET BY ANTI-sA.
EooNIsIs.

Representatives or the anti-salooa
league have & eanei from the re-
port CT the Alvord invest gatina con-
nittee of the senate certain items OF
testimony favorable TO the eon1en-
tions or the anti-saloong leaders.
and published the eompilati-a in
pannph ct fors. The testimony.
while not discriminating any senator.
declares that fund OF money was I'm
readiness for purposes OF iner.mina-
ito I was necessary. and that Ger.
tain senators We're prcffered large
sums for their votes. These Sffers.
in al instances mentioned In the
committee's report. at least. were
declined. and il any senator accept
ol a bride the faot was not estab-
Dshed in the course of the lavestiga-
ten.
Probably the most starllins tes-
timony gwen before ahe committee
was that of Senator w. C. Grimes
OF Cam ron. He stated unler oath
that I. NJ Underwood, forme,
prosecuting attorney Of Tyler unity
had sent for him TO come to his
room at the Hoter Ruffner during
the present session, and told HIM
That If he would vote against al
lowing the prohibition amendment
to come out OF the committee room
there would be three thousand dol
lars in it for the senator and that
IL he would vote against submission
there would be five thousand dollars
In it for Senator Grimes and five
Thousand dollars for Underwood.
Peter Slman, former state treas
urer and a well known Charleston
tanker testified that during the ses-
sion OF 1908, Senator LittGepage had
stated to him that IL he had been
vi ling to sell his vote in the senate
he would have received twenty-five
thousand dollars for votlas against
the prohibition amendment.
T. G. Martin, Pittsburs business
man, testified before the committee
that Mayor Charles c. Schmidt. OF
Wheeliag,was the custodian of tho
fund raised in 1908 to defeat pro-
hlbition legislation.
w. B. Wilkinson, of the Kanawha
Nat onal Bank, testified that an
agent OF Julius Kessler & Company,
of Chicago, had stated to him IN con-
versation that his firm had contrib
uted ten thousand dollars to al d in
nefeating temperance legislation.
George G. Mcintosh former edit
or OF the Charleston Mail, testified
that Grant Hall, the Kanawha lead
er, had confided to him that Charles
w Swisher, late Republican nominee
for governor, had confded to him
that Swisher, at a previous session
OF the Legislature had proposed to
secure the agency for the whiskey
men before the legislature as sue
cessors to Judge B lizard who it was
reported, would give up the lobby.
Mr.. Swisher, according TO this tes-
t'iiChy, toh Mr. Hall that there
would be a large sum to handle,
probably forty thousand dollars. Mr..
HaP, In his testimony, largely corro-
borated the statements made by Mr..
Mcintosh.
Theodore Alvord, whose innam-
matory declaration made in Hunt
ington at the beginning OF the leg
islativs session were responsible for
the raising of the investigating com
m.ttee, wa7 one OF the chief witness
es. Mr.. Alvord testified that Con
gresham w. P. Hubbard, OF Wheel
ing had stated to him that Charles
w Swisher and Sherman Denham.
OF Clarksburg, were the two men