New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-01-27
CONANT DENIES CHARGE
Saws He Never Sent Bribery
Offer to "Journal of Commerce"
COMMITTEE SUMMONS HIM
A. w. Dodsworth Tells of Offer
of $4,000 from French Pan
ANA Canal Company.
frrom TIC Tribune Bureau. J


Washington, Jan. 26-After receiving
telegram from Charles \. Conant FORMER
Washington correspondent Of The Ne"
York Journal Of Commerce denying tha'
he had ever submitted a bribery offer from
the Spanish government 20 his paper 'he
House committee investigating the alleeeu
ship subsidy lobby subpWnaed Mr.. Conan'
this afternoon 10 appear next Monday
\ subpoena has also been sent 70 John
Dodsworth managing editor OF The Jour
nal OF Commerce. Who II appears faiten
20 tell the committee when he appeared
before II last year Of any or the several
attempts said 10 have been made TO in
huence the paper 70 supper; the ship sub
sldy programme.
Alfred W. Dodsworth. who told the COM
r1ittee yesterday OF four separate attempts
70 bribe HIS publication. bur who could not
reveal tho names OF any OF the alleged
hribers was again on the stand to-day.
over night he recalled another instance
where tho influence OF his paper had baen
sought. il was when De Lesseps visited
this country, he said. thai \ representative
Of the French Panama Canal Company had
offered "The Journal OF Commerce" $1,000
20 aid IN loading tho canal on the United
States. This offer had been refused az
he'd all previous bribery offers. for various
reasons. said Mr.. IIodsworth.
During the examination of a witness to-
6sy Representative Longworth referred 10
John Dodsworth az the "timid brother Of
The witness who had Just left the stand.
The committee proposes 10 give John
Dodsworth an interesting time when he ap-
rosrs before IL next Monday. On the stand
tlfred W. Dodsworth described his brother
as "a man of quiet disposition. who does
net Ike 10 indulge in sensationalism. and
think he would rather I had not brought
cut this information to-day
This was in answer 70 repeated questions
as to why John Dodsworth had not related
The bribery stories 10 the committee last
session.
do you know this timid Mr.. Dods-
WORTH asked Representative Longworth
when Herman Winter. Of the North Ger
man Lloyd Steamship Company, was on
the stand to-day. AIR. Winter said he did
rot Mr.. Winter also declared that he
knew Of no attempts 20 bribe Tho Journal
~ Commerce" by any subsidy interests
Mr. Commits Denial.
Charles A. Consnt sent the following ielc-
gram to-day 20 Representative Olcott. a
member Of the committee:
Referring to reported testimony Of \. ".
DodswOrth before your committee, admitted
~ him 20 be based on hedTsay [ desire to
say thai | vas never interested in any
manner In shipping legislation I have
never submitted any offer from the Span
.eh goverpment. or from any other source,
n bride "rhe Journal of Commerce or 10
influence It's editorial opinion on any SUD
Mr. Dodsworth is la6oriue under misap-
rrchcnsion II ne has suggested that any
,f,h proposition was submitted by me to
r.. father William podsWOrtU, or to any
"ve on "Thc journal OF Commerce The
frt evidence that / am correct IN this
.-.7 'omeDt ought 20 be the fact that | con-
t.U Oh until the close Of 1901 10 represent
The jour al Of Commerce in Washing
'lu. and during considerable part of this
period was trusted with tho writing of edj-
torial articles upon many questions OF pub
lic policy. I do not believe that William
Dodsworth would ever have permitted this
f he had believed that I had been a party
o any proposition To bride him or the
PAPER
I think Mr.. Dodsworth's impression. IL
he IS correctly reported. grows ont Of the
fact that J was among those. including
high officials In the outgoing Cleveland ad-
ministration and leading Republicans of the
incoming Mckinley administration, who
believed that 10 was uuwise for tho United
states to recognize the independence OF
Cuba until Spain had been given a further
opportunity 20 suppress the Instruction
and carry out tho political and economic
~oforms which she had promised 10 this
government 7 discussed this subject with
William Dodsworth and recommended the
publication IN the news columns of the lih-
eral offers Of local self government made
ny Spain 10 the Cuban people and commu-
nicsted 10 Secretary Olney. but this was
the beginning and the end Of any effort to
influence the policy Of the paper IN that
regard. The policy which ! advocated pre-
vailed. and the United States was deferred
from going TO war until more than year
later after tho military and financial po-
sition OF the country had been much
strengthened.