New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-16
Slusll Fund Of
$4,000 OH Lusk
Bill Disclosed
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tor 1.usk, spent the better part of yes
terday on the stand. Their testimony
gave vivid and somewhat original
picture of Albany.
/ One of the witnesses, Detective Ed
win j. Burns, president of the Detec-
I tives' Endowment Association, at one
/ part in his testimony exclaimed:
"You can't buy much legislation in
Albany for s1,0O0!"
/ Another, Detective Bernard j. De-
vaney, who handled part Of the slush
fund-the $4,000 in cash which has
been traced asked who would
have received the slush fund il the
bill became law, replied:
| 81 don't know"
! Detective Thomas II. Conkling has
\ in his possession, as :; token Of his
efforts to lobby through legislation,
/ papers in suit for $4,000. This
amount he borrowed and gave to
| kleist. and when he called upon the
! Detectives Endowment Association to
| make good the loan the organization
/ w S'iHNQi dloaOUSu tHc ItSLiDlUUy SHOWS
! that it had considered assessing the
/ membership for at least $4,000 if the
| hill when through-the total amount
! Ccnkling raised.
$50 you are the goat, aren't you ?'
observed Commissioner Hirshfield when
he heard Conkling's story.
at looks that way answered Conk-
ling with a note of sorrow in his voice.
Conkling, in answer to other ques-
tons. gave this explanation of why
Senator Smith abandoned the bill
which Lusk later took up.
Senator Smith laid down or got
weak or somebody with influence got
i to him, and so he did not take the bin
out of committee. So Mr.. Lusk came
along at the request OF Detectives
Brown and Gegan. who represented the
| associat ton at that time, and intro
ddced this bill for them"
Conkling testified further that after
Mayor Hylan vetoed the bill he called
on Kleist.
Got $4,000 Back After Veto
Il saw Klcist," said Conkling, cat
his Office on Seventh Avenue, between
Thirty and Thirty-eighth
streets, the Van Buren, Sign Company's
| Office, and l said: Jack, the bill has
been vetoed, and you know l must have
| back the money. So he gave back the
$4,000 check"
"You never got the $4,000 back?''
"No, and what is more ! have never
seen Klest since Every time I look
for him I am informed that he is out of
town. Devaney says he is out on the
| Coast. l says to Devaney: 4 am obll-
gated to Mr.. Shotwcll for $4,000 This
fellow Kleist is doing me. There is
only one thing to do. You and me
should go to Albany and start an &C
ton there, because that is where gave
him the money But Devaney says:
! NO. / can't do that, because I did not
see you give Kleist the money"
At this point Conklng mopped his
forehead, leaned forward in the wit
/ ness stand and said to Commits soner
Hirshfeld:
I "But know, just as l am looking at
you. DevancY did sec me give him the
money!"
Conkling then told of his meeting
with Senator Lusk in Albany the morn
ing the minority leader introduced the
bill.
detectives Gegan and Brown came
over to Devaney and myself and said ::
we want you to meet Senator Lusk.'
to Lusk. And Gegan said to Senator
Lusk: will you tell the boys what
happened to the Smith bill . And Lusk
says: Smith got little weak. There
was too much opposition to the bill
from people who came to him and
asked him not to support it. So l am
friendly to Gegan and Brown and
went and put the bill in in his place.
Conkling, when asked if Kleist had
told him why Lusk had introduced the
bill, replied that Kleist said that Lusk
did it because che owed the boys q
favor"
of that was the case" followed up
Hirshfield, "whv was it necessary for
you to pay $4,000 to a lobbyist when
you had the leader of the Senate tax
ing up your bill?'
Said Lusk Wanted to Do Favor
"This is what Kleist told me- re
piled Conkling. "He said that Lusl
came in and asked Smith to withdraw
his name so that he could do the boys
favor. Kleist said the bill could e
through with Lusk's name on it JUS
the same as with Smiths name"
Conkling was asked why he did no
&C to Kleist, after Senator Lusk tolt
him and the other detectives that h'
! was going 20 introduce The bill, and de
= mand the $4,000 casn and the $4,000
check.
~ did" said Conkling. ~ told it t.
Klest that Senator Lusk was gong t.
save our bill. Kleist says to me: ooh
you know that is political move
: