The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-05-18
BARNES EXPLAINS.
$4,000 SALARY
Was Just in Payment for
Contract, He Tells
Court.
PUTS BLAME ON COLONEL
Reiterates Statement that He Took
Hand in Race Track Fight Only
on Roosevelt's Order.
By JAMES }. MONTAGUE.

own behalf in his 5000 libel suit against
Theodore Roosevelt, William Barnes this
afternoon told the judge how he hap.
pened to have a $4,000 salary claim
against the ]. b. Lyon Printing Company
in 1899.
by the defense to impeach his testimony
TO work in this explanation. All the
printing matter in the case had been ruled
out But Mr.. Bowers. for Roosevelt
hoping to trap the plaintiff into some
sort of confession. brought up the
subject of this salary assignment which
had been dug out of the yellow minute
book Of Barnes Albany Journal Com.
pany
Barnes was quick to get his version
of the business into evidence. He had
bought n printing contract from the Nc
Carthy> Company he said, for $2oOO0 and
sold it TO Lyon. In the settlement Lyon
asked that the matter he charged as
salary.
But why put it in the form Of u
salary" inquired Mr. Bowers.
Il don't know said Barnes with a
touch of peevishness. Mr. Lyon did
that
The claim. he said. was finally settled
up for $1,000.
Blame on Roosevelt.
BY way of countering to the Roosevelt
charge of a bipartisan combination on
the race track bills, Barnes repeated his
assertion that he took no interest in
that matter until Roosevelt sent him
10 New York to see Belmont and ar
range to beat the bills. He admitted
that he had promised the late Senator
McCarren. who bossed the fight against
the bills to see Senator Grattan
about his vote on them. McCarren,
Barnes testified. came to the Barnes
residence and asked him to talk to Graf
tan, announcing that Grattan's vote
would defeat the measures.
Barnes promised to talk to Grattan
What he said to Grattan he did not dis
close, but he did talk with him the
morning of the vote. he said. .Grattan
voted the way McCarren wanted him to.
When the Albany editor. whose tenn
per became pretty thin-edged as the
croSs-examination proceeded. had told
about the Lyon contracts, Mr.. Bowers
sought to get from him admissions
about the way the Albany Journal got
city, county. and State printing con-
tracts Here Mr.. WINS, as the guardian
of his clients rights, arose and OBJ
served that this had about as much
relevancy as the solar system.
Il don't see why you should object"
said the court. THE defense is bound
by the answers the witness makes. This
gives you a chance to make any ex-
plantations you may choose to make"
WINS persisted in his objections.
Turning to Mr.. Bowers, Justice An
drews said:
You say. Mr.. Bowers. you are ask
ing these questions as tending to test
the credibility of this witness. II you
can prove that he has committed a
crime. or has been guilty of serious
moral delinquency. what you show will
affect his credibility. Do you expect to
do that"
Mr. Bowers. after some thought. de-
cided that he didn't. Whereupon, fur
Their Investigations into the ruled-out
printing matters were barred.
series of editorials from the Albany
Evening journal were quoted. in one Of
which Barnes said it was a matter OF
against Hughes in the race track fight
Barnes admitted the legal and financia!
responsibility for these.
What about the moral responsible
ity?" asked Mr.. Bowers.
There is no moral question involved.
I would be responsible in case of a libel
suit
is that all you are worried about"
Refuses to Worry.
81 am not worried about anything, Mr..
Bowers said Barnes and his mouth ex
tended into the wide bias smile he en-
ployes to denote extreme serenity of
spirit
Although the little gray bearded law
yer worked the pump industriously all
day. he got very little from the big i'm
passive witness.
Col. Roosevelt listened keenly to
quently shifting his vision so he could
look into the face OF his political ad-
versary. When Barnes. asked If he had
been friendly with Roosevelt. repudi-
ated the word friendly" the Colonel
grinned sourly.
81 should say we had political rela-
tions," corrected the witness.
Did they become closer" asked
Bowers.
They did
When were they broken off?''
when | voted against him in the
in 1910"
The witness defined his efforts to
get State printing. as shown by his
letters to Plat. as justi-
fed by the fact that everybody else
was getting theirs and he thought he
ought not to be Disseminated against
He said he did not expect any discrim-
ination in his favor.
Il regarded a contract as a legitimate
piece Of patronage" he said.
What is patronage" inquired Bowers
Patronage" said Barnes, sententious-
ly. lis anything that goes by favor"
Mr.. Barnes admitted talks with Grady
about the primary fight, but disclaimed
any deals on that or any other matter.
He said he was at the capitol the night
the primary bill was beaten. He sup
posed Grady, being q Democrat. was op-
posed to 1t.
He reiterated his assertion that Col
Roosevelt was the real leader Of the Re-
publicans in 1906, 1905 and 1870 "A
leader" he said, in response to . Ques-
ton, is anybody who leads"
Asked il he opposed Hughes in 1901 he
observed contemptuously:
why certainly"
Bowers will finish with Barnes to-
morrow morning. There will be few
more witnesses for the prosecution.
William Loeb, jr., whose correction or
insistence on his own testimony Of the
first week of the trial 10 highly impor-
tant. came in last night and will be
one Of the first witnesses on sur-re-
buttal
This morning ten or fifteen Republic
Congressman James F. Par
Travis. swore that Barnes never told
them how to vote ON the Senatorship.
1t In the purpose Of the defense to
call every man now living who took
part In the night on the Republican
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