Norwich bulletin., 1913-11-20
Mcclure Had a
 Poor Memory
PROVED AN EVASiVE WITNESS
 ON THE STAND
SANDBAGGING INQUIRY
District Attorney Whitman Establishes Fact That He Gave Suizer $3,5oo- OH and Asphalt Commissions.

New York, Nov. 19-George H. Nc Guire of Syracuse, pale and often weak of memory, whispered corroboratlon or charges made by John A. Hennessy against grating politicians in re- lentless three~hour ordeal of exam1- nation this afternoon by District At torney Charles $. Whitman. Mcclure was the days sole witness in the John Doe inquiry through which MT. Wnlt- man is seeking to bare corruption among demQcratio and republican col Iectors of campaign contributions from 300 or more contractors on state barge canal and highway work.
 Would Not Reveal His Informant. Mcclure testified that he had heard forty or more charges of contractors being forced to make contributions to politicians. These he. told to HennaSSy last October at Utica and HennessY had written them down as he talked, The memorandum was introduced and Mcclure scanned it. but failed to Ee- call some of its contents. Nor would Mcclure give the district attorney the name of a single person who had told him of the grating
 How did you learn this? MT. w hit man asked repeatedly.
 T heard it,'' was McGuire's invaria- ble answer.
 Then would follow the inevitable question by the district attorney:
 "Who told ycu?'
 And McGuire's stock answer was:
 E'I don't recall
 Mcclure Profited by Commissions.
 What Mcclure knew of his own knowledge was that he and his broth CT James K. Mcclure, for six years mayor of Syracuse. had prof1ted by commissions on the sale of asphalt and oil to the state and to contractors on state work They had been credited will 1iGC gallon on 200,000 gallons of asphalt sold the state and 250,000 gallons sold contractors, and with a commission Of 1 one cent a gallon on 25O.0O0 gallons Of oil sold the state, altogether between | $4 500 and S5,Q00. Of this sum, $1, 300 had been paid, he testified, and the rest | was still owing.
 Where is your brother now?" asked 1 MT. Whitman.
 He went to South America three or four days ago. replied the witness slowly. You see. he was interested in asphalt works there, and When is he coming back?" snapped the district attorney. I'm interested in knowing that.''
 T don't know. Possibly in three or four weeks"
 Gave sulzer $3,500.
 Mcclure corroborated his previous i testimony that he had given Sulzer $3,500. Of this sum, he said, $2,5OO was given "out of sympathy last June, when the governor sent for him and told him he needed money; $500 was given him after the Syracuse con- vention, and the other $500 was given to aid in the direct primary bill fight.
 "After I had given the $2,50O,' Mc- CSufre was made to say, T got to think ing it over and concluded that it was | a larger contribution than l could af- ford. So I went to Arthur Johnson he was the Barber Asphalt company 8 1 agent-and told him about it. told him I wanted him to reimburse me for some of it. if he felt that he could. As well as I recall it. Johnson said he would pay half of it. In any event, l got check for S750 from him few days later."
 MoGuire Evades Question. Whether this check was in payment of commissions or to reimburse him for a portion of the SuIZer contribu- tion, Mcclure could not say.
 "Why did you give MT. Sulzer $3,- 500?'' asked MT. Whitman. Mcclure evaded the question several times. At length he said that it was partly out of sympathy and partly be- cause he felt that it might be to his advantage to see that the state got