The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1910-03-25
FIRE INSURANCE INQUIRY DE-
vELoPs STRONG EVIDENCE
AGAINST BUCKLEY.
HAD STRANGE INFLUENCE
Testimony Tends to Show That He
Exercised Such Power at Albany
That He Could Even Tell What
Court Decisions Were Going to Bo
Before They Were Made Public.

New York. March H.-Bit by bit.
ance inquiry today the story Of the
career Of william II. Buckley, the
Albany lawyer who for years was
legislative agent for the fire insurance
companies. ON the face OF docu-
mentary evidence produced, Buckley
was well nigh invincible at Albany.
If letters entered on the records. con
tained statements of fact-and for the
most part they were letters exchanged
between Buckley and the late George
r. Sheldon. who was president of the
Phoenix Fire Insurance company Of
Brooklyn -Bucklcy's power with the
legislators was well worth the money
he admits he received.
Rucklcy's influence at Albany went
even further. according to his own
words. He was able to learn I'm advance
"a decision of the court of appeals. he
said and would keep Sheldon in
formed as to what was coming off in
court. Miles A. Dawson. u consulting
actuary of New York. said under oath
Buckley had informed him that he
could not get action on bill In which
money to the boys
When evidence was produced show
ing II. u. Mccall. now a state supreme
court justice, had written Buckleys
name above his own on a check for
5000. which was one of the three
loans made by the Phoenix Fire
Insurance company of Brooklyn
through Sheldon. Mccall knew moth
ing at all of the transaction and had
merely acted In the matter at his re-
quest He had admitted he had not
endorsed the check and Identified the
hand writing in which his name was
written as that of Justice Mccall. Mr..
Hotchkiss said he would be glad to
have the matter cleared up by the
justice. but did not say he would ask
him to appear as a witness.
Will Not Talk.
When seen this afternoon Justice
Mccall said he did not care to dis
cuss the insurance inquiry except to
say he had never any relations or
transactions whatever with Mr.. Shell
| don, with his company or with any
| fire insurance company except the
| Munich. He said he was for some
| three years the retained counsel for
the Munich company.
| The letters relative to the court OF
appeals were read later in the after
noon. There were two of them. The
first. dated April 80, 1903, was from
Sheldon to Buckley, 1t read in part.
II note the court Of appeals has
decided the franchise tax law is con
stitutlonal. | wish | could have go,
onto this early enough. for | am sat
| isfied this Is one Of the things which
have been hanging over the market
and If could have learned previously
what the decision was likely to be
there would have been mo"ov In this
for all Of us. Whenever anything liz
this is pending In Albany, 1t vii
| always pay you to advise me, IL yol
can, of the probable outcome"
Buckley replied the next day as fol
lows:
Hc Knew 1t.
II am sorry did not know II Woult
be of interest to you to have informa
tion about the franchise decision.
told some of our friends two week.
ago what 1t would be, but / wa
advised from very important quarters
that as long as the decision would b.
that the law was constitutional !
would not have much effect ON tn
market and ! did not think 1t advlsabl
to say much about it. II 1t had bee
tho other way, you would have bee
advised, because | know of your In
terests In big gas In the future
will keep you advised
Henry Evans, president of the Con
tnenta Fire Insurance company, wa
OH the stand today long enough I
say he contributed $500 to fun
Sheldon raised in 1903 to defeat legis
i, lation adverse to the companies.