The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-03-29
DIGGING DEEP into
INSURANCE GRAFT
Documentary Evidence Shows
That Legislative Handler Was
Well Paid for Work.
TWENTY ONE THOUSAND
DOLLARS FOR ONE STROKE
BOasted About Success i'm Pre-
venting Even Introduction of
Inimical Measure.

NEW YORK, March 2S,-Wiliam p.
Buckley had most uncomfortable time
today In the FIRE insurance Inquiry. He
was on the stand practically all day
State Superintendent OF Insurance Hotch-
kiss continued his examination into the
attorneys services In connection with leg
islaton al Albany. for which Buckley Is
said TO have received many thousands Of
dollars from fire insurance companies.
Aside from Buckley's testimony. the
most interesting incident oil the day was
the identification by George T. Seward.
president OF the Fidelity and Sasualty
company, OF Edward A. II. Brown OF
Mlddletown, n. Y. as the man who In
800 asked for $4,000 on behalf Of Scna :
tor big Tim sullivan 10 have the bill
killed. This request Is alleged to have
been made in Sing Sing prison. Brown
later denied he ever had such a con-
vcrsation with Seward or had ever seen
him before.
William 3. Smith, general counsel OF
the Travellers Insurance company Of
Hartford. testified his company paid SCI. =
400 TO Buckley in 1903 to put through the
liability reserve bill This amount Is the
highest mentioned as having been paid
for lawmaking,
Story Told in Letters.
With Buckley refusing 10 talk virtually
all the evidence today was dug up by Mr..
Ilotchkiss from letters exchanged be-
tween Buckley and the late George P.
Sheldon, who, as president of the PheniN
Fire Insurance company of Brooklyn, col
lectcd from various companies the money
sent 10 Buckley.
One letter from Sheldon to Buckley.
dated August 20. 1904. referred 10 the
coming election OF state senator's and
said
II wish you would bear In mind the
districts where little aid might be rem
dered In the matter of election expenses.
fl,tc I1in .ins. al Tor
the legislature comes together
Buckley, however, did not approve alto
gether of this method. Hs wrote back
| that. las a rule, IL is not altogether de-
have been helped when the crisis comes
II is better to be prepared TO meet the
| crisis when 1t comes"
| At the close OF the 1904 session BUCKLEY
sent in his bill for $4,000, but ne hac
| trouble in getting the money. The bill
was sent on April 10, with letter which
showed Buckley took great pride in tha
| years work.
Pride in Work.
"For the first time in years. he wrote
Strike bills were not even permitted tc
| be introduced.
sheldon sent back the bill. saying
certain particular gentlemen on the
underwriters board objected TO It, anc
suggested Buckley circunlvent TECHNICAL
| ties by putting in an Item for services II
| collecting rate statistics. Subsequent
correspondence showed that Buckley fixed
| the bill as Sheldon directed Matters
| dragged along until fall and still Sheldor
| could not collect the $4,000 Finally
| Buckley wrote twice TO him representing
| he had loans that he must meet. lie adj
mitted In his testimony that he had nc
such loans
"Then that was a lie. wasn't it?' Mr.
| Hotchkiss asked,
| The witness admitted that II was lie
! which he had used TO hasten the collec'
| tiOn OF his money. Late in the fall Shell.
don collected fund 10 pay Buckley anc
sent the money TO him.