The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-04-22
Copy of the Report of the Bayne
Committee
Offered in Evidence and Admit.
ted to the Record.
SHOW CONTRACTS FARMED OUT
With Barnes in Control of Pub
lie Affairs Generally.
Newspaper and Magazine Arti-
cleS Placed in Evidence.


Syracuse, April %. - Theodore
Roosevelt again went on the witness
stand in the supreme court today to
submit to cross examination at the
hands of VIM. WINS, counsel for VIM.
Barnes in the 1atter's suit against Col
onel Roosevelt seeking $4,000 dam
agec for alleged libel. 1t was the
former presidents third day on the
witness stand.
There was some delay in opening
court today because of a conference
between attorneys and Justice An
drews in the latter's chambers. When
the conference was over court was
opened. A copy of the report of the
Bayne committee which investigated
Albany county affairs insofar as it re-
lated to printing, was admitted to the
record. This had to do with contracts
| for state printing let to the Albany
Journal, Mr.. Barnes's paper, and 9TH
er concerns, and the assignment of
certain of these contracts.
Excerpts from the report then were
read. The first part had to do with
gambling, diSorderly houses, and the
payment of money to various officials
for doing various things. The report
OF the committee was made in 1911.
The majority of the stock of the Jour-
was owned by William Barnes. Con-
tracts let to the Journal company were
farmed out to the Argus company,
which paid the Journal company Is
per cent.
The report stated william Barnes
controlled printing in Albany, practi-
cally was owner of one company,
owned one-fourth of another COM
pany, collected tribute from the third
company, the report declared. An
employee of the Argus company tes-
titled before the committee that the
company gave up IS per cent in order
TO get printing business. 1t was stated
the Argus company bid lower than
other competitors for state work but.
was unable to get the business be-
cause it was outside the ring.
Padding Public Printing.
1t was said further that public doc
uments supposed to have been printed
by the Journal company and bearing
that concerns imprint, actually were
printed by the Argus company. Pad
ding of public printing for the benefit
of the Journal company, was de-
scribed by the report. Another part
read:
duplicate payments for public
printing made to the Journal COM
pany."
One excerpt was: 1.-The most con-
spicuous~ beneficiary of graft, public
extravaganza and raiding of the mu-
n1cipal treasury we find from the evil
as the owner of the majority of the
stock of the Journal company How
much more than the majority of its
stock he owned he refused to dis
Close
Another excerpt read:
Mr. Barnes dictated where the
printing goes and the Argus gives up
to the Journal in order to obtain print
ing
The par value of Mr. Barnes's stock
in the Lyon concern was $4,000, the
report stated, with the comment that
Mr.. Barnes would not say how he got
It, Articles which appeared in the
New York magazines and newspapers
about Albany politics were then ad-
mitted to the records The terms.
machine politics." Boss Barnes" and
Boss Platt," appeared repeatedly in
these articles.
Murphy-Barnes Conspiracy
The Murphy-Barnes conspiracy
was also mentioned in the articles
After the articles were read, Colonel
Roosevelt resumed the stand In re-
ply to questions by Mr.. Bowers, he
said:
81 received a letter from Mr..
Barnes about the state printing house
after I had recommended that one be
esta ablished- Mr.. Barnes called on me
later and SAID that such a printing
house would be in line with socialistic
propaganda, which would interfere
with enterprise in private business
Colonel Roosevelt then explained
how he gave out the offending state
ment.
'I dictated the statement and gave
1T to Mr.. McGrath, my secretary, and
told him to give it to newspaper cor
respondents at Oyster Bay. ! desired
the statement to be published in full
throughout New York state. / be-
lieved it would receive some publicity
outside the state. 1 wanted to reach
the voters. 1 knew of no other means
except the newspapers"
The cross examination then began.
Mr.. WINS began by asking Colonel
Roosevelt about his early life.
Did you ever study the constitu-
tion?"
II did, while 1 studying law in
Columbia university. Later, however,
became an author"
Have you always been an authOr?"
II have been naturalist, an author
and a public official. Sometimes L
have followed all three pursuits
simultaneously"
The crowd il the court room
laughed.
What district were you elected to
the assembly from?"
The twenty-first."
Mr. Hesse, a boss, was the leader,
wasn't hep
Yes: we beat Hesse,'' replied the
colonel with a smile
Because He Did 1t.
Mr. WINS was sitting in a chair di-
rectly in front of the witness stand.
when you read the constitution Of the
state did you see anything about eli
gibility for the gOyernOrShip.' he