The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-10-12
Testifies He Paid Political Toll To
 Barnes Machine

E
 Albany, Oct. 12-It takes lot of money to keep a political machine moving smoothly and to insure it's continuance in power. The Barnes political machine here has been kept revolving without any perceptible jar for well nigh a generation, and during nearly all of that time it has been the controlling element in Albany city and county affairs. How some of the funds which have performed such wons ders for the Barnes machine were col lected and where they came from was written. down for the first time on any official record at yesterdays session of the Senate committee Investigating Albany affairs.
 The evidence adduced on this sub- ject vied in interest with the testi- mony given by Mayor James B. Me- Evan, who was the star witness of the day. Mayor McEwan, besides be- ing the chief executive of this city and the Republican candidate for re- election, is the right-hand man of Re- publican State Chairman William Barnes, Jr., the Republican boss of Albany. He was grilled for over an hour by James W Osborne, counsel to the committed, and testified that he was financially interested in companies which furnished gas and electric light 
 public institutions. and cement to con- tractors on city jobs.
 Jermaine c. Graham, who is an in spector on public works for the city of Albany, and as such a civil service employe, was on the stand when MT. Osborne asked him if he was mem Der of the Lincoln League.
 Purpose of Lincoln League.
 Those who are accurately informed and frank enough to state the truth as it has come to them declare the Lincoln League to be a subterfuge by which the Barnes machipe has exact ed law-forbidden toll practically from every emp,oye in the city and county of Albany from the top of the civil service list to the bottom to help the machine fight it's political battles.
 Are you a member of the Lincoln League?" Mr Osborne asked MT. Gra- ham.
 Am I a member of the Lincoln League?" repeated the witness in a dazed manner.
 You needn't ask me; do not know; am asking you.'' said the in- quisitor in the soft, purring tones he sometimes assumes for effect.
 Well, I think that possibly I am,' said the witness. T believe receiv- ed communication that I had been made a member of some league, and I think the Lincoln League was the name.''
 Did you make an application for membership ?'
 NO, sir.''
 A But after you received this notice I take it you began to pay dues at the rate of per cent. of your sal ary?'
 T have paid in all in three years s20, and I paid that voluntarily and without question:
 What He Paid in Fees.
 My, did they let you off as easy as that?" exclaimed MT. Osborne. You had better go down and settle if you don't want to lose your job''
 After he had been grilled for a while the witness said that he did not. quite remember the amount that had been collected fro1 him-that it might have been $25 or 80 or $35 or perhaps only $15
 "But tell us how you were separated from the S20 you have been talking about" urged Mr. Osborne. .
 The witness in reply to a series of questions on this subject said that one day he had received a notice in his mail that he was in arrears in his dues to the Lincoln League and that he had better pay up. He did not remember that he had gone to any
 
 might have paid the money to some person he met in the street, but fin- ally, after much fencing, he said he thought he paid it to lone Joe Gir< ven," stenographer in the office of the city engineer This, according to the witness. was in August last year.
 Senator Howard R. Bayne, chairman of the committee, tried to find out from the witness whether the notice of dues was signed. MT, Graham re- piled that it was not. In reply to further questions he said that if the Lincoln League had headquarters he had never been in it, and if it had any officials he did not know who they were.
 You must have had some motive in paying the money?" urged Senator Bayne.
 Well" said the witness, "I realized that it takes money to run an organi- zation."
 You understood then that when ra