Perth Amboy evening news., 1910-11-30
N0.GRAFT SAYS
MR.. BELMONT
Knows of No Money Spent
for Brides.

New 1OrK, aug. 81. August Del
| mont, chairman of the Jockey club, at
the session OF the legislative graft In
quiry positively denied that there was
any money raised to defeat the Agnew-
Hart bills by improper means.
Mr.. Belmont denounced the method
of conducting the inquiry in respect to
the alleged attempt to bribe legisla-
tors. He said the procedure of i'm
pugning false motives to reputable cit
liens upon the unsupported testimony
of irresponsible persons as to mythical
corruption funds of hundreds of thou
sands OF dollars and conspiracy din
ners that never took place was not
only absurd, but amounted to perse-
cution.
he Defends Whitney. .
Mr.. Belmont declared that he had
been placed in the light of seeming to
avoid giving evidence before the COM
mittee. when, as a matter of fact, he
was ready and willing to appear at
any time. He characterized as unfair
the aspersions that have been cast on
Mr.. Harry Payne Whitney, who went
to England to attend the international
polo match-a matter of great impor-
lance to him.
The Jockey club. he admitted, was
assessed $ $500, and he said he under
stood that all the other race clubs and
associations also raised funds for race
track legislation. Earlier In the day
the secretary of the Jockey club testi-
fled that in the year 1908 the club had
paid out $4,000 for illegal expenses"
alone.
NJ. l.. Bruce, chief counsel for the
committee, questioned the witness con
corning an entry in tAe books of the
Jockey club which showed an item of
So, 700, which was put down to future
legal expenses"
DO you know anything about that?"
he asked Mr.. Belmont.
REGARDING Persecution"
"That may not be u proper entry"
replied the witness. "All. ] know
about 1t is that in that year there were
several conferences held by racing
| lith anu Ohi daSOSldlrOhs as W. Z
being subjected to prosecutions such
us this is, and counsel were retained
to represent u interests"
what do you mean by, persecution
as this isY"
81 mean this inquiry" said Mr.. Bel
mont. 81 think it is ridiculous to call
me here. At no time have l ever at
tempted to eyade a subpoena"
"Did you ever hear that a fund was
raised by the various race tracks with
the object In view of influencing race
track legislation
"On one occasion a state senator told
me he had heard a runlor that such a
fund was being raised. ] told him that
the fumor was absurd and that no
fund like that had been raised" zee
"sVas there any such fund raisedF"
"Not as far as I know"
The Money Paid Out.
william H. Reynolds, former senator
from Brooklyn, followed Mr.. Belmont
on the stand. He formerly was presi-
dent of the Metropolitan Jockey club.
Mr.. Reynolds said his association
made the following payments to the
funds In opposition to the race track
bills:
TO the Jockey club, $2.5S5; to g. J..
Fitzgerald, $3,412; to P..J. Britt, 1915;
TO e. p. Coyne, $519; to e. p. Coyne,
$2,2o5; to the Jockey club, $4,255; to
treasurer of the Jockey club, 1851;
to assistant treasurer of the Jockey
club, $56S.
The total of this contribution was
S32,936. A portion of this, Reynolds
said, was used to buy space in the up
state papers to present the racing side
of the controversy. Britt and Coyne
were employed as lobbyists by the rae
ing associations.