Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1913-02-13

| with the matter justly dho idiif. VIC
think that our side should 90 to the COM
mittee through the Senate and in the same
public way that the memorial went.
wish to say to the Senate that my
election is as clear, that there is as little
blot upon it within my knowledge, as the
election of anv Senator now before me or
who ever was elected to this body. MY
colleague makes the same claim, ana
firmly believe that he was honestly NOM
mated and elected. do know that he is
an honest man and a valued. respected
citizen OF West Virginia, without a blot
upon his private or public life. 1t there
is anything wrong connected with my
nomination or that OF Senator Watson, or
with our election, we know nothing about
il. 1t is most gratifying to us that not
single human being who ever voted Tor
us in the caucus of our party, now at
tackled, has ever had the integrity OF that
vote questioned in this or in any ether
presence.
Mr.. President, whatever the Senate
NAV do. it will meet with the approval OF
the Senators of West Virginia. They
crave the fullest investigation. There is
not one word of truth, to my knowledge,
in any charge that has ever been made
or any alleged charge, or in any news
naoer article that has ever attacked their
| election.
now send to the desk and ask to have
this statement OF Senator Watson and
myself read and referred to the Commit
tee of Privileges and Elections, and what
ever that committee or the Senate may
do to that bow without question.
The President pro tempore-The pa
per will be read without objection.
The Secretary read as follows:
To The Senate of the United States:
For the information of your honorable
body we de ire to reply to a certain
memorial now before your committee,
signed by William E. Glasscock, William
Seymour Edwards, h. Z. Ogden, David
B Smith, and Frederick A. Macdonald,
and in order 10 be as brief and as clear
as possible We will answer according to
the order in which the said memorial
sets out the several matters.
The first allegation is the statement
made by the Hon. Nelson {. Hubbard,
a member OF the West Virginia House
OF Delegates, to the joint session OF the
legislature before a ballot for United
| States Senator was taken, IN which ne
gave his reason for refusing to vote Tor
| The nominees of the Democratic caucus.
An attentive reading OF what Mr.. Hub
| bard said, as stated in The memorial, VIII
show that he does not predicate MS
charge of corruption upon any tact or
upon the testimony OF any witness, but
made ii purely upon his belief, Tor which
| he offers no sufficient reason. he me-
mortal, however, deliberately SuppreSSeS
that part OF Mr.. Hubbard'S statement IN
which he admitted that he had no EVIL
dence of bribery, and for the information
| OF YOUR committee we call attention 10
that part of Mr. Hubbard'S statement,
the omission of which the memorial indl-
Gates by stars. The omitted part is as
| follows:
Il do not pretend to say that | have
any more information which would justify
anyone at the present time as a juror
under the evidence TO convict any man
OF bribery, and do not say tnat Kno"
any court that would"
When read in connection with what
| the memorial quotes from Mr.. HuooardS
speech, il is thus made plain that he was
simply willing to declare his oenef IN
corrupt pracuces, though compelled IN
Inc same connection to admit that ne mao
| no evidence.
The second allegation Of the memoir
| ial Is the statement OF Senator george
". Bland, winch, outside vi some vague
and general inSinudtlonS that charges OF
orIoery had been made throughout the
olale, was based npon statement made
by Mr. L. Shock, a member OF the
| House OF Delegates. That statement
was that one Hamrlck had given Shock
| ST 900 and promised him ah additional
| al $40 10 vote for Mr.. Watson and Mr..
InnIon, and two reputable citizens OF
Wei Virginia we're called IN TO see
Shock count down the 81 900. We do
not question that Shock exhibited the
81 ,0O0 to Hon. John J. DAVIS and Hon.
W. u. Bennett, but that he had been
furnished with that money Tor the very
purpose or exhibiting It TO these honor
ob!e gentlemen we think the committee
Will mol DOUBT when they have read this
statement Ii will be noted first that the
so-cdlled statement OF Shock read by
Senator Bland was not signed, and II is a
further TACT that though he was present
dt the joint session, as shown by its rec
uTdS, when Senator Bland read his state
ment he did not utter a word on that
subject.
subsequently, and within few days after
| Bland ndu read Shocks statement Shock
was asked 10 produce the 81 900 which
| II was charged he had received, and he
explained his inability TO do so by saying
| that two men had taken the money away
| from him. He further stated that he had
never seen either OF these two men be-
tore Trey took the money from him and
had never seen them since.
Ii is not pretended that Shock raised
any outcry against the men who took the
money from him or even related the Cir
cumslances to any one until he was asked
| to produce the money.
| Shocks explanation OF why he was
unable to produce the money which he
was asked to do as basis OF an inveStl-
| CATION which we had requested at the
hands OF the legislature was so ridicu-
lously absurd that every sensible man OF
| the legislature at once understood that
Shock had been supplied with the 81 900
for the very purpose OF creating a scan
| dial, and that those who supplied him
with il were not willing 10 trust him with
the custody of it long enough to carry
| out the scheme.
| 1t is moi necessary for us, however, to
argue that question or TO ask the conf
mittee TO accept our view OF the episode,
because Shock himself has admitted that
his story of the attempt TO bride him was
a pure inve ltion in the following letter
which he voluntarily sent to Senator
Watson, the original OF which we file
herewith:
huntsville, w. Va,
January s, 1913.