The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-17
TIE TESTIMONY.

man who was three times approached
with a bride was Charles Makepeace,
a house clerk, and he thought it was
made at this session. Makepeace
testified that the approach" was two
years ago, twice by a man whom he
did not know, but was rather feshy
and had red hair and who had a bill
in his hand which he didn't look at
on the calendar.
Not So Rampant.
Leahy in his testimony admitted
that in the six weeks of the present
session that the only. charge of graft
| which he could offer to the senate was
the approach" of Doc Moore of the
Pittsburg Headlight.
| Leahy in his charges, based con-
versation on this matter as grounds
for belief that he had been approach
ed with a bride to defeat public utility
legislation. All this happened, how
ever, in the house.
after a meeting of a committee of
| citizens. scaid Moore. in his testi-
mony, in response to series Of ques-
tons 81 came to Topeka to help in
| the passage of the bill. I talked to
five or six representatives, devoted my
time to the work and spent my own
money for expenses of the trip. 1 had
known Mr.. Leahy for Is years and
we were both old newspaper men. One
dav went into his Office and consult
ed with him about the BILL
Moore denied he intimated any
crooked dealing or bribery, or had
such intent
|'UnfaithfuI' Now the Word.
Asked why the Moore charge was
| hurled at the senate. when the crime,
! if any, was committed in the house,
| Leahy declared he had not placed the
blame on either body. He declared
| that the stand pats had been unfaith-
| full.
| On motion of Senator Price, Mr..
| Leahy was requested. not command
/ ed" to hand to the secretary of the
senate the names of all witnesses he
might desire subpoenaed. and the SER
geant-at-arms was instructed to pro-
duce, at the expense of the state, any
and all witnesses that Mr. Leahy
might desire to have summoned. Sena-
| tor Price also moved, when Mr.. Leahy
said he was not ready to conclude his
| case until he could put his witnesses
| on the stand, that permission be given
Mr.. Leahy to set the time when the
| investigation should be renewed.
Later certain senators at 'Leahy's
| request took the stand.
Considers Price Honest.
The consideration of Senator Price,
one of the leading standpat senator's
! caused Mr.. Leahy to state that he con-
! s1dered that senator absolutely honest
and fair and that, while he had voted
against the initiative and referendum.
! he had been absolutely honest about
| it as he had never endorsed the meas
ure, but had also declared himself
against it, so that he could not be ac-
| cused of deceit.
! w. A. Whites Testimony.
| In his testimony William Allen
! White declined to give names of sena-
| tors from whom he received informa-
ton, saying that as newspaper man
he had promised to withhold them.
| He declared, however, that he was
. fc-fr 10 +
/ ing to go on the stand; that the brib-
| cry he referred to was political" not
| "indicta ble"; that he might himself be
susceptible to this sort of bribery; that
he never had seen a senate wherein
the personnel and INTEGRITY were as
high: he made various apologies:
: that what he had charged was some
| thing on the program and might hap
pen if an alarm was not sound ed. The
| following is taken from a report of
Mr.. Whites testimony:
do you still believe that no stand
pat senator dares go on the stand?"
well, might say that later returns
| have put this estimate in doubt" re-
torted Mr.. White.
81 don't charge any man with dis
honesty. and L hope to God that the
! temptation never came to me. If I
was in the legislature, I might be
tempted myself" said the witness.
The Natural Pork Barrel.
Concerning the pork barrel. Mr..
! White declared that it was no more
than natural that the senators had de-
sired to land institutions for their dis
tricts
Don't you know that the senate
utilities bill. which the governor
thinks is such a good measure. was
| drawn by a committee composed part
ator Brewster.
Commends Standpatter
| Eyes. sir; and 1 have prepared an
editorial which will appear in my pa
per tomorrow in which I complim ent
you for your work on that BILL de-
clared the witness.
! Mr. White denied that he had in
tended to imply that the senators were
| open to bribery in the corrupt sense
The trading of support en- measures
and the pork barrel methods, he said
were not indictable bribery, but politi-
cal bribery, not punishable and for
which the recipient could not be Sc
Verely blamed
| Integrity of Senate.
81 have never believed that any
member of this body could be corrupt
ed with money" declared the Emporia
| editor. Il have never seen a senate in
this state where the personnel and in
! tegrlty of its senators were so high as
in this one"
You say in this article that Dave
L.eahy everlastingly made good" said
II Senator Brewster. DO you mean that
his charges that there are political
crooks in this body is true?"
i L meant that he had sustained the
charges that an effort had been made
to tamper with an official of the leg
islature."
Senators Not Desperate.
Then you didn't agree with him
that the standDat senators are des-
perate. that Senator Reed and Sena-
tor Brewster, to put names into that
article, are desperate?"
NO, sir; for the reason that Reed
and Brewster are not Desperate said
the witness, who offered to apologize
to the senate if his article had intfm-
ated that there had been any actua
criminal bribery in the senate. He
said that he had not charged that the