The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-05-03
Senator Gronna Made No At
tempt to Influence Senators
to Acquit Oowan
SENATE COMMITTEE MADE
ITS REPORTS ON CANARD TO-DAY
Statements Of Senators Who We're
Charged With Having Been Ap.s
preached Prove the Story Vas ana
Entire Fabrication.

E00fc Fabf1C8ElOn.
Bismarck, N. D.. May S-The spe-f
cial committee Of the impeachment
court. consisting Of Senator's Plain.,
Talcott and Duis, which was sppomt-{
ed to investigate the charge that Unit,
ed States Senator A. ]. Gronns had
sought to influence members Of thss'
court to vote to acquit Judge Cowan-i
made it's report today. The report inI
full follows:
Your committee to whom was n.
ferred the rumor that certain mem.
bers of this body comprising the high
court Of impeachment, during this i'm.
peachment trial had been communi-
Gated with or approached by Honora.
BILE A. j. Gronna, United States sen.
ator from North Dakota, beg le9ve to
report as follows:
That we have interrogated the vari.
GUS members of the senate whose
names have been brought up in con.
nection with this matter in the Fargo
Courier-News and append hereto the
statements made before the members
of the committee by Senators Besses-
sen and Davis, which statements are
as follows:
Senator Bessessen-About
week or so before | came down to
Bismarck to attend upon this i'm
np2cNn1onf trial hot ic
week or so before March 2S. while
| was in my Office in Harvey, I
was called up by long distance
telephone and the following con-
versation between myself and
United States Senator A. j. Gron-
ma Of Lakota. North Dakota, oc-
Cured. in substance and effect az
I follows:
"Alr. Gronna said: is this
Senator Bessessen? l answered
yes. He said: This is Senator
Gronna Of Lakota. want to thank
you for the nice speech you made
this last winter in seconding my
nomination for the United States
senate. also want to tell you
that the articles contained in some
of the recent newspapers to the
effect that Judge Cowan is a stall
wart, are not true. He is a pro-
gressive; have campaigned with
him and know him to be good
progressive at which point 1 in
terrupted him saying: 1T doesn't
make any difference to me wheth-
er he is a stalwart or progress
sive. All l can do is to give him
fair and impartial trial upon the
evidence, as a fair and impartial
juror To which Mr.. Gronna an
swered: I know you would do
SO. SENATOR We then changed the
subject of conversation to other
matters, such as reciprocity and
MIR. Gronna's position upon the
same. The foregoing is all that
was said between US upon the
subject Of Judge Cowan. He has
never written me any letter con-
cerning the trial Of Judge Cowan
at any time, nor has he talked or
phoned to me concerning the
same during this impeachment
trial or at any time after l was
sworn in to try this case as
member of the court of impeach-
ment. The above conversation is
the only communication, oral or
otherwise. that I have ever re-
ceived from Mr.. Gronna concern
ing Judge Cowan and the I'M
peachment trial.
Senator Davis-I acknowledged
having received a business letter
from Senator Gronna but there
was nothing contained in that let
ter which indicated to my mind
that Senator Gronna purported to
use his influence in determining
my vote in the matter of the i'm
peachment proceedings Of John #.
Cowan.
Martin Thoreson, state senator from
the Thirty-eighth district, Barnes
county, has stated to your committee
that he has never, at any time, either
before or during this impeachment
trial, received a communication nor
conversed with United States Senator
ia. J. Gronna. concerning the impeach-
ment trial of Judge John F. Cowan
in any manner whatsoever and makes
this statement for the purpose q
denying absolutely the truthfulness
of the rumorS to this effect.