New-York tribune., 1910-03-11

been derelict in his duty II ne didn't
/ know this Also he indicated by his ex-
animation that senator Aids IN possess
| ing this stock was acting improperly.
And you bought that stock knowing
that he Speaker of the Assembly was
interested and other mem bers We're in
terested in IL and never took the
trouble to find out whether il was made
moro or less valuable by your own acts?'
, he inquired. He referred to the fran
chise extension of the Goodsell bill for
which Senator Aids voted.
In the afternoon Mr.. Osborne took up
senator AIlds's record as n title searcher
of forest lands for the state. He Won
dered whether Senator Aids considered
IL proper for a Legislator to draw state
money for other work. Senator Aids
thought it entirely proper. Then Mr.. Os-
borne began to hammer away at him
for explanations of the sale Of land 20
the state by one William Harris.
Aids Passed on Land Title.
Harris. il seems, was fellow Assem-
blyman or Aids in 1901. Aids passed
on the title of the land, some of which.
Osborne said. was land acquired for less
than 81 al acre at tax sales and sold TO
the state for about s6 so an acre within
q very short time. Mr.. Osborne thought
IL was his duty. In the dual capacity Of
legislatrr and title searcher to report
these circumstances 70 the land board.
Much objection was raised by Lewis +.
Carr Of the Aids counsel, and Senator
Grady 10 this line Of examination. and
finally MT. Osborne protested hotly that
he had right To ask the questions and
get answers To show the state Of SEN
ator Allds's moral nature
Lands were sold to the state for s6 30
an acre." said he. and in many instances
they were merely tax titles that we're
sold Those tax titles were acquired by
Harris, who AT that very time was a
brother member of the Legislature with
/ the Senator, and these lands cost Harris
from 20 TO 80 cents an acre With all
these circumstances. 7 think if the land
board had been informed of all the facts
i could reasonably contest the carving
out OF any such contract"
Mr.. Carr objected that if all that were
true il did not show that Aids failed in
OF the land. and therefore was irreIe-
want. Chairman Davis sustained his OBJ
lection
Mr.. Osborne tried hard TO show that
Senator Aids was concerned in some
way in the sale of tax title land by
George y. Ostrander and George r. Tn
derwood 10 the state Aids had searched
the titles of some of these parcels
Checks received from Ostrander. Sen
ator Aids said. were in settlement Of
some litigation in which he was inter-
ested with Ostrander He could not re-
member about a check from Underwood.
who is vice president of the Tnterna-
national Paper Company. in 1904. which
appeared in his bank account
Aids admitted to-day that his Law
firm received 500 month as local at
torneys for the New York Central Rail
road in his home district. but, he said
"a man doesn't have TO quit practising
law because he goes to the Legislature" ="
Knew of Charges or January s
Just al the end Of the days examina-
tion Mr. Osborne brought out that Sen
ator Aids had been told on January )
about the Conger charges. but bad done
nothing toward compelling Coneer TO
retract and had not demanded any in
vestigation until January 10, the day
after the story of the bribery charge was
published
After recess AlIdss examination was
temporarily suspended. and Walter r.
Gale. cashier OF the First National
Bank of Groton. was recalled. Examined
by Littleton. Gale said that Hiram G.
Moe had had accounts at the Groton
bank since 1895. one for himself and
another as commissioner. Littleton
asked 10 offer in evidence the account Of
Moe as commissioner" 10 show that
Moe had a succession Of overdrawn ac-
counts, tending 10 prove that his con-
duct was Of IAN obligatory character"
to the Congers. He purposed 10 show, he
said. that Moe had overdrawn his ac
counts. in violation Of the banking laws,
and to show his reasons for leaving his
position as cashier 10 the bank 70 be
Frank Conger's secretary.
Gale said he believed Moe was town
commissioner. and that Noes over
draft was settled when he left the bank
on DISCRIMINATION Gale admitted
that II was customary for the cashier TO
overdraw his account and TO pay interest
or the amount Of the overdraft. He had
done this himself. he said
Mr. Osborne told the Senate this after
noon that he was nearly through with
Aids. and the cross-examinstion prob
ably will end tomorrow. Aids seemed
satisfied with the way he acquitted him
self to-day, but the interrogations about
his connection with the forest land pur-
chases were palpably unrelished Once
he said IN low tone. as Osborne came
near him
Now. Jim. you're hitting beio" the
belt"
CALLS u. S. RESPONSIBLE.