Arizona republican., 1913-01-07
Judge of Commerce Court and His Wife Are Wit nesses Before the United States Senate Sitting as Court of Impeachment
CANNON LETTER
 IS PRODUCED
This Embodied an Invita- tiOn for Accused Jurist and His Wife to Make European Tour at Ex- pense of Relative
[AssocIArEn PRESS p1spArcu1

ASSOCIATED PRESS DIsPArCHJ
 WASHINGTON. Jan. 6.-Friendship for his Scranton associates with whom he lived and worked for years was the motive that led Judge Robert w. Archibald, of the United States Commerce Court to negotiate with the officials of the Erie and Lehigh Valley railroads over the settlement of coal land matters, and that induced him to indOrSe certain notes, accord ing to statements the accused jurist made today when he took the stand before the impeachment court of the senate to testify in his own behalf.
 Archibald followed his wife on the witness stand He repeatedly denied that improper motives influenced his actions or that he sought to use cor ruptly his power as federal judge to do induce the railroad officials to do certain things.
 Mrs Archibald telling of the trip to Europe, which Judge Archibald enjoy ed at the expense of Henry w. Can non d director of the Great Northern and other railroads said that Can non is her cousin and that the two
 
 The invitations for the Archbalds to go to Europe in 1910 came 70 Mrs. Archibald personally. She gave the senate a letter from Cannon. This anl other letters which passed be- tween Cannon and Judge and Mrs krchbald were filed with l discus sion or the trio and with personal cx- c1..n-e the emphasize. close rCltti"n- sh D which txIssed.
 Archibald admitted association wit:
 Edward I. Williams of scranton, and negotiations fer tle Karvtiid rriuse c al dump cWr ed jointly by 'le sub sldiary Erie railroad and the firm of Robertson and Law. He admitted he talked to Second Vice President Richardson and General Counsel Brownell, of the Erie, in an effort to expedite a decision as to whether the Erie should grant an option on it's part of the dump, but denied that he tried or intended to influence them to act in his favor.
 Archibald declared he had no in terest whatever in the settlement of the Marion Coal Co, of Scranton, against the DeleWare, LackaWanna and Western railroad. He went to officials of the railroad in that case he said. as friend of George M. Watson, attorney for the coal com Danv. and G. G. Roland one of the owners of the coal company. He had no thought of reward for the effort he said, and no purpose to influence tbe railroad to make a favorable set tlement
 Archibald denied that he tried tc get credit from litigants in his courts He declared that he never had at tempted to conceal his interest H.
 the Katydid Coal Dump deal. or ih the settlement of the Marian Coal company case.
 Upon one point only will the jurlst be subjected to much questioning by the members of the senate. This is in reference to the charge that as a member e the commerce court he had written to Helm Bruce, attorney for the Louisville & Nashville rail road, as to the evidence presented in the case of that road against the interstate commerce commlSSloh' tried before the commerce court Archibald declared that certain Doints in the evidence were not clear and that he had written Bruce to clear them up. The points at issue
 he said. were no part in the settle ment of the case Members of the senate asked if he had shown the correspondence to other members ol the commerce court or informed them of it. Archibald said he had not. Senator Reed asked if he thought | it proper for a judge, in passing on doubtful points in evidence to ask
 the opinion of an attorney likely to coincide with his own views. q do not" Archibald said.
 He declared he had no knowledge of making silent party" agree
 ment in the offices of William r. Roland, of Scranton, through which
 it appeared that the Katydid dump was controlled by E. J. Williams, w.
 H. Roland. and a silent party
 known to a few persons. Represen- l tative Sterling of the house manag-
 CTS fought against allowing Arch bald's attorneys to ask him direct questions as to his motive for going 1 to the railroad officials in the var | ious coal land deals that form a
 basis of the impeachment charges | against him. Senator Racon, presid- l ing over the impeachment court, rul- 1 ed the direct questions out as inn proper, but permitted the attorneys 1 to ask Archibald his motive. In the (Continued on Page 3.)