The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-10-25

fund out OF which $26,U0O was ex-
pended in seeking the election Of Cox
as governor in 1915, had come from
the treasury of the Dayton Metal
Products Company.
Talbot said he did not consider
that payment by the Dayton Metal
Products Company of Governor Cox's
$1,000 note was in reality q corpora
ton contribution. Testimony by Carl
j. Scherer, treasurer Of the Metal
Products Company at that time, de-
veloped that contributions made by
the Metal Products Company, includ-
ing the payment Of the $4,000 check
and the $4,000 Cox campaign fund,
were first charged against Talbot In
a special account, but when the books
were closed at the end Of the year the
amounts were charged of to Tex.
penses."
Later, when raid on the funds of
the Dayton Flood Prevention Com
mittee was made and it was seen that
there was chance Of getting some
of the money back by having 1t voted
through dummy expense accounts out
of the food prevention committees
funds, the account at the Metal Prod
ucts Company was revived, and when
the money actually was received,
through these dummy expense &C
counts, it went back into the treas
Jury Of the Metal Products Corpora
tion under the heading profit and
Loss"
Talbot, as member of the flood
prevention committee, he admitted
on the stand, voted himself back the
money.
When Talbot was pressed as to
why the Dayton Metal Products Com
pany had felt obliged to pay Cox's
$1,000 note he said that in 1917 GER
tain Dayton men, constituting mon
partisan" committee, came to him
and asked him to be the go-between
| in an effort to have both the Demo-
cratic and Republican organizations
in Dayton combine on "non-parti-
san" set of candidates for city COM
missioners, as it was feared that
otherwise the Socialists might win
control of the city and wreck the
commission form of government.
Talbot Says He
Approached Cox
Talbot said he approached Cox,
who agreed to assist, but that the
plan fell through. Then Talbot said
he did not see Cox for several months
but when he did Cox told him that
the Democratic organization had ex-
pected the citizens "non-partisan"
committee to finance their campaign,
because they had been willing to
agree to non-partisan ticket, and
even though the plan failed and the
Democrats nominated their own tick
ct, which ran third to the Socialists,
Talbot said he felt "a moral obliga-
ton to aid Cox"
"Inasmuch as the Dayton Metal
Products Company had some ready
funds not needed at the moment
I instructed our treasurer to draw
check to cover the note" he con-
cluded.
But, Mr.. Talbot" said Senator
Edge, "this check was drawn ten
months after the note was cashed.
Did it take that long to discover the
obligation?"
Talbot said he did not recall the
dates.
Talbot testified he thought the
$4,000 fund taken from the treas
ury of the Dayton Metal Products
company in the 1916 campaign was
to be used for protecting the flood |
prevention law under which Dayton |
is constructing conservency dis
trict. When his attention was called
to the fact that the portion Of it
spent had all gone to aid in Cox's re- |
election he said he knew nothing Of |
that, as he turned the money over to |
Adam Schantz, millionaire Dayton |
brewer, who is a close friend of Cox |
and Schantz had spent the money!
without there being any strings at
tached to it.
II had perfect confidence in Mr..
Schantz," Talbot added.
but you knew he was lifelong |
Democrat and was very active in the
Cox campaign in 1916, didn't you?"
Senator Edge asked.
Mr.. Talbot didn't know.
Collapse Of a Witness -
Aside from the Talbot admissions
interest in Fridays session was con-
fined to the collapse of one witness
on the stand as he whispered the
name Of Clarence Greer, Democratic
boss of Montgomery county, as hav-
ing been the man who received the Il
money from the $4,000 note. Later
this witness, Clarence Keifer, who
was secretary and treasurer of the
City National Bank at the time the
note was paid, sent a physicians GER
tificate stating that he would not be
able to again testify for sixty days, II
or until after November 2. II
Greer took the stand and said
Keifer gave him a check for $4,000 II
and the proceeds were used in the
1917 city primary campaign, which