The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-03-31
SENATE SAYS GUILTY
JOtham p. Aids Branded as a Bribe-
Taker by His Senatorial COlleag-
ups

ueS.
Albany, n Y, March 29.-Jotham
p Aids went 10 his home in Nor
wich tonight a private citizen, brand
ed as bribe-taker by his former
colleagues in the Senate, and by his
own act no longer a member OF
that body. Senator Conger, who on
January 2S filed the charges against
Aids which resulted in the investi-
cation that ended today, stayed here
to fight
The battle that confronts Conger
is no longer to prove his charges. To
this eAaent the Senate vindicated him
today when forty of its forty-nine
members voted that the charges had
been sustained by the evidence
brought before them during the past
seven weeks 1t is believed that Con-
ger came to the Senate today pre-
pared to resign as soon as he re-
ceived this vindcation. However
that may be, he did not resign, and
Developments make it likely that he
will not do so. The cause of this is
resolution introduced by Senator
Cobb, the majority leader, providing
for the appointment of a committee
to present to the Senate charges
against Conger growing out Of his
connection with legislation and the
use of funds to influence the men,
bers Of the Legislature or other per-
sons with reference thereto" Even
Congers enemies admit that he is a
fighter and the belief is that he will
oppose this attempt to deprive him of
office as vigorously and with as free
an expenditure of money as he at
tack ed Aids.
| The Cobb resolution was referred
TO the judiciary committee. 1t is ex-
pected that the committee will re-
port IL to the Senate unless the lead
ers conclude that its adoption would
plunge the Senate into another inves-
| tigati III and cause further delay to
legislation. Although forty senator's
voted against Aids today, by no
means this number can be counted on
to stand by Conger in personal con-
fiict now that the Aids charges are
| Of ha M ha
Cobb resolution reaches the Senate
it pro 5ably will precipita.e a lively
fight
There seems to be no longer any
doubt that the present Legislature
will conduct a general graft" inves-
tigation. With the Aids case out
of the way the question of thor
ough search into the dark alleys of
past legislative history lies unavoid-
ably before the Republican leaders.
and it must be disposed or before
the Legislature can really get dow
to the routine work of making new
laws There are several PROPOSE
tions before the two branches of the
leSisla ure prescribing methods for
such al investigation. Which one OF
these WI be accepted as the basis of
the enabling r:easilre to be adopted
is still in dol bt.' The program to be
| followed, : .e>-I. can be pre- l'cted
With sOr.e 'tc: '.ao.;. 1t is DNbable
that the comin., investigation will he
condu, ,tel by joint commission of
Senators and assemblymen, who will
be emp( wered to take testimony
wherever they see fit and have full
power to make witnesses testify. The
scope OF the investigation probably
will enable the probers to go as far
into the past as they wish. AS a basis
for this investigation the members of
the commission would have ready at
hand the disclosures of the Aids
case and the revelations of the insur-
ance inuqiry now being conducted by
Superintendent Hotchkiss in New
York.
The resignation of Aids today
was unexpected, and it upset the
plans of many Senators. While
Aids attorney, Lewis f. Carr, ex-
planned that his client had taken this
! action because he found that "politi-
cal expediency" had made his cause
hopeless, there is no doubt that the
vote would not have been so over
whelmingly hostile had Aids stayed
in the fight.
Aids resignation absolutely closes
his case. All that the Senate could
have done after sustaining the
charges against him would have
been to put him out; and such pun
ishment his own act forestalled.
While bribery Is crime under the
statutes. the allegations against Aids
concerned something that occurred
ten years ago and the statute of lin
itations would prevent any criminal
prosecution, had anyone felt in
clined to bring such proceedings.
The Senate hnauoa committaa die