The Penn's Grove record., 1910-04-08
SENATOR G0NGER RESIGNS
admits HIS FAULT
Regrets Delay in Exposing Brl-
berry at Albany.
ATTACK ON HIS CRITICS
Man Who Brought About Downfaii
of Aids Reads Himself Out
Men Knew Leaders Guilt anu
Still Voted For Him.

Albany, N. Y.-Senator Benn Con
ger, whose bribery charge against eX-
Senator lothian P. Aids was sus-
tanned by a vote of forty to nine IN
the Senate, filed his resignation with
the Secretary of State. Before DONG
so. however, the little man with the
iron nerve" who has held the centre
of the stage for sc many weeks at
the Capitol, walked quietly into the
Senate Chamber, sat down for the last
time in the seat he has occupied by
right of election, and delivered a
valedictory which will linger long in
the memory of those who heard 1t.
The Conger-Allds episode has fur
nished many sensations, but the scene
in the Senate Chamber has not Deen
matched.
1t all passed off very quietly, but 1t
was intensely dramatic. me man
from Groton read his farewell address
from typewriter manuscript very
much as he would read a business
letter to a partner. 1t seemed as
though he was anxious to have it over
with. Not a word was lost to those
who sat in the Senate Chamber or In
the galleries, so profound was the
silence.
Senator Conger did not spare him
self or seek to avoid responsibility for
the admitted part he bore in the
bribing of Aids and the other legisla-
tors in 1901. Nor did he mince
words as he addressed himself to his
colleagues.
ION January 4 last, in a private
conference where the qualifications
of ex-senator Aids for the position
of Republican leader of the Senate
were being considered by members of
this body whose duty it was to help
make the selection, and after they
had expressed their views concerning
his .unfitness for the place, l was
asked to declare my position. l re-
piled that l would not and could not
vote for him because 1 had personal
knowledge that he was morally unfit
for the place, and that the interests
of the people of the State demanded
the selection of some other man.
81 was then asked to tell what l
personally knew about him. l told
them in confidence what 1, as a wit
ness on the stand, have since then
told you, namely, that I personally
knew that in 1901, when Republican
leader in the Assembly, he had held
up and demanded of the bridge COM
panies and had received from them
the sum of $1,000 to influence his off,
cial action, and that l did not propose
by any act of mine to place him again
in a position where he could levy
blackmail on the business interests of
this State.
"It appears that this statement be-
came known to Mr.. Aids on the fol-
lowing morning. On January 10, on
this floor, he denied the truth of those
statements and demanded an investi-
cation thereof. ~Thereupon, this body
ordered an investigation of the mat
ter and called upon me to present the
charge to the Senate and to appear in
person or by counsel and make good
by proof in public the statements
which l had made in private.
80 the alternative was presented
to me of becoming a liar and thereby
remaining a member of this body in
good standing, or of speaking the
truth and thereby greatly injuring
myself financially, politically and So
cially, and bringing upon my family
undesirable %notoriety and sorrow. /
determined that the only thing I
could do and retain my own self-re-
spect was to speak the truth what
Eve the cost. That 1 have done, and
forty of your number, by your votes,
have certified thereto.
II do not seek to excuse, nor do I
ask you or others to excuse, the part
which / took in the transaction of
1901, which you have had under in
ve~stigation. The n great and sor-
rowful regret of my brother was that
he had submitted to the demand of
the worst gang of %plunderers that
ever infested this or any other Capt.
toll; my wrong, and for I have always
been ashamed and sincerely sorry,
was in standing by and permitting the
thing to be done instead of then and
there denouncing it.
Notwithstanding the fact that the
policy of the State as declared in its
Constitution and in the acts of the
Legislature has been and is that the
crime of official bribery is of such a
serious nature that its detection and
punishment ought to be encouraged,
and that, therefore, ven the bride
giver who by his evidence assists in
%uncovering and proving the offense
ought not to be punished, and not
withstanding the fact that 1 have
made full disclosures of all transac-
tions, not only because ex-senator
Aids demanded that I should do so
but as we'll because of your express
invitation and direction that I should,
and Notwithstanding the fact that the
transaction occurred nearly nine
years ago, since which time 1 have
been elected to my present position
in this body, and so under the prece-
dents, cannot be removed therefrom,
and Notwithstanding the fact that it
is contrary to sound public policy and
is in the interests of wrongdoers that
any one who makes known or assists
in bringing to punishment official
wrongdoing shall be punished, 1 am