Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-23
ACCUSES BIG TIM
IN LOBBY INQUIRY
SULLIVAN FIGURES IN OFFER
TO KILL BILL,
NEW YORK MAN SAYS STEWARDS
TESTIMONY ALL HEARSAY
Witnesses at Fire Insurance Inquiry at
Gotham Tell Of Past Briberies
of Albany LegIs-
Iators
Associated Press1

NEW YORK, March 22.-The name
of State Senator Timothy D. Sullivan,
familiarly known as big Tim" fig
ured briefly in the fire insurance in
auiry today, when George F. Seward,
president of the Fidelity and Casualty
| company, testified that a representa-
| tive of big Tim" offered in 1891 or
1892 to put off, bill Objectionable to
| the company for a consideration Of
| $4,000.
Sullivan, who came to New York to-
night from Albany, apparently does
not take the charge seriously. Seward S
testimony, he said, was merely hear
say and does not concern him. The
bill became a law in 1892.
Elijah r.. Kennedy, for years a lob
! byist at Albany for the New York
board of fire underwriters, was on the
stand today, and through him State
| Insurance Superintendent Hotchkiss
developed interesting testimony of in
cidents in years gone by. including an
alleged offer of a one-time assembly
man named TOwne to kill a bill for
$4,000. No testimony was adduced to
show where Towne is at present.
Besides his reference to Sullivan
Seward intimated there has been col
lusion in former years between the
state department of insurance and GER
tain life insurance companies.
Money from Abroad
The Grady insurance bill, which, as
shown yesterday, was passed after
three foreign companies had spent
large sum for its advancement, fig
ured i'm the testimony.
When Kennedy was on the stand he
was asked why it was former Gov.
b. b. Odell after vetoing the bill, re-
called it and approved it.
THE Reinsurance companies wanted
the bill, and they had powerful
friends said the witness.
"Who were they?"
II am thinking Of one in particular.
He was a very prominent man. He is
dead"
He asked to be excused from reveal
ing the name, and Mr.. Hotchkiss did
not press him.
w. b. Noble, cashier of the Nassau
National bank, testified that he had
searched for records of Elijah X. Ken
nedy's transactions with the bank in
1901, the year in which Kennedy says
he got $13,311 for putting through the
bill eXempting reinsurance reserves
from taxation, but he found nothing
which would shed any light on Ken
nedy's transactions.
Got Travelling Expenses
+. II. A. Correa, vice president of the
Home Fire Insurance company
brought back to complete his testi-
mony, produced "A Cancelled check for
500 which had been paid October 25
1909, to the late George p. Sheldon,
who was president of the Phenix Fire
Insurance company of Brooklyn. The
money was paid to Mr.. Sheldon as
"traveling expenses" in connection
with his work at Albany.
Hotchkiss forced Correa to admit
that his company had made an erro-
neous statement in its annual report
for 1904 to the state insurance depart
ment. 1t was brought out by testi-
mony yesterday that the Home Fire
Insurance company paid $2500 to Mr.
Sheldon on September 81, 1904. Today
the books of the Home company were
produced, and il was shown that this
payment was entered as having been
made for "state tax" whereas in fact
ii went to Mr.. Sheldon for influencing
legislation.
Correa declared the classification of
the item as taxes was a clerical error.
Accuses Sullivan
"A man named Brown" said Seward
in his testimony, photographed to me
from Sing Sing that he wanted to see
me. l don't know who he was and
never had seen him before. l went in
response to the telegram, and saw
Brown at Sing Sing prison. l had
dinner with him in one of the rooms
of the wardens apartments, but l am
sure he was not Warden Brown.
This man Brown said to me at din
ner: Tim Sullivan will put this bill
off for $4,000.
What did you reply?"
Il told him l would give my reply
as a telegram to Mr. Sullivan. NY
reply was: Mr.. Seward says you can
go to h"
The witness admitted, after much
questioning, that the Sullivan referred
to was big Tim" Sullivan, the present
senator.
Seward beat the bill, he said, by en-
listing honest legislators against the
"black horse cavalry'-a non-partisan
organization which introduced bills for
the purpose of leVying tribute on in
terested persons or corporations.
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