The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-10-06
Paid S30,oOo For ] Cigars And Beer In
 Campaign Fight
United States Senator Stephen son Spent That Amount But
 Denies Corrupt Use of Money

Milwaukee, Wis Oct 6-When Uni- Red States Senator Isaac Stephenson lfound that his expenses for nomina- hion at the primaries in 1908 were rum ming so high that the item for beer hnd cigars alone amounted to $300O( land the aggregate was fast approach ling the final total of $107,793 he re- lmonstrated and told his campaign managers "I want to win the nomina- lfion. but I don't want to buy it'
 This was part of the testimony giv- len yesterday before the United States fEenate committee which is if1vestigat- !3ng charges that bribery and corrup- !fion contributed to Senator Stephen ieon's election.
 In reply to his complaint, Senator l8tephenson was told that the three other Republican candidates for the Ifjrimaryf nomination-Former Con- lgressman Samuel Al. Cook, who spent I$4e 203, former State Senator William fH. Hatton, who spent s30,002 and tFrancis R. McGovern, now governor making a hard fight, The expenses finally aggregated $S2.26S and this, iwith Senator Stephenson's expenses, made total for the Republican Sen
 atorial campaign that year of $191, ,061 s It was testified by B. A. Edmonds,
 
 tthat the Senator usually issued checks flor more money when told of the ac- hfvities of his opponents.
 He sometimes was provoked that iso much money was being spent, and lafter prefacing his remarks with his tsay: "I want to win the nomination but I don't want to buy it" Then he {would supply whatever funds were fneeded," testified Edmonds.
 s1n a report made by previous lleg1slative Investigating committee the Ietatement is made that s30,O00 was lspnt for cigars and beer. Do you tknow if that item is correct D. asked kSenator George Sutherland
 sT do not" replied the witness. "1 tsuppo9e the committee which esti7 lmafed that the various items for beer and cfgars aggregated $8Oo00 might Hhave been considered not unfriendly f1o Mr. Stephenson
 f Senator Stephenson'e vote, it pre- kviously was 1howm, was 52,0o0, some lof the voters being in prohibition ter fritory.
 Much of the questioning of Ed monds was devoted to the original charRes made by State Senator. J J Elaine, alleging that Mir. Stephenson's felection was due to bribery and cor f fruption. The charges. as fnvestigated kby tho Wlsconsin legislature and pre- V fin detail to Edmonds. He admitted that many sums of money named in 1.-the charges were paid, but he denied the truth of the phrase used cor ruptly and in violation of the law as included in each charge. He de nied that the fund was used corruptly to purchase editorial support in vari- ous Wisconsin newspapers or that money was paid to any one except fol Legitimate campaign purposes. The charges also mentioned that approxi- tmately $250.000 was spent in the nom- kination of MT. Stephenson. Edmonds ksaid the amount spent was not in ex- kcess of the $107, 793 as made in the final report to the state.
 The committee announced that MT Blaine had been summoned to appear for questioning on his charges.
 Senator W. B. Hepburn chairman of the committee, made an announce ment which was regarded as impor- ! tant He said when charges of un- Lawful use of money were officially made relative to campaign expenses the presumption was that the money Twas wrongfully used when no detailed account was forthcoming and the bur-
 den of proof was on the accused.