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Show McCUNE CHARGE! Mlf BRIBERY, n . If . EepiMentetlve Law ef Onchs County Fro-fora Fro-fora the' Obttrco. - , 9 I sir- flays McCnn Agreed to I'ay Him H1.8O0 for lilt Vote,vend Paid BSO Urn to Illnd the lUrsaln-The Charge Creates a flreat Sentatlon anil a Committee It Choien to Investigate It, & gt : P Salt Lako City.' Feb. 21. A. W. McCuno, leading cnndldato for United States senator, Is charged with bribery to socuro his election. His accuser Is Representative Law of Cache- county. McCuno enters a firm denial of the charge, which Is'motby Law with the assertion that he Is prepared to provo tho charge, Utah polities have never known such a sensation as tho chargo has produced and llttlb elso Is talked of. A commission composed of Senators Sena-tors Shurtllff, Whltnoy and Howell and Representatives HOrensen, Stowart, Cummlnga and Mansfield has been chosen to Investigate tho charges. They aro now sitting ns a court of In quiry, but a report Is hardly expected before Wednesday. The commission Is empowered to summon witnesses and compel them to testify. At tho opening of tho joint session Saturday, Representative Law aroso to a question of personal privilege Ills manner indicated that something unusual un-usual was about to transpire. lie spoke with rnestness nnd seemed to weigh his .Js as ho uttered them. THiaa va .(tt1.n,4 .tt1ln,i tw!i,n t clear, positive tones he cbarped that Mr. McCunc had given him money for his vote. After a few preliminary remarks, Mr. Law continued: Mr. president and members of this legislature I will now glvo the proofs for these charges inado. Now, sir, I will state that last Tuesday night I held an Intervlow with that gentleman (Mi. McCune) and In the course of our remarks he said that ho proposed to be elected that ho 'jad spent too much In this fight to lose: And, .sir, on top of that, ho said: "Law, If you will voto lor mo tomorrow you may namo your price." Mr. President, I did not tako advantage of that offer because I am not built that way. I claim to be an honest man and I cannot bo so attracted at-tracted from my line of duty. Had it not boen for tho knowledgo that I might detect the foul schemes of this man and exposc.hem to you and the Jicoplo I should most assuredly havo lung everything back into his teeth. I have taken a stand ngalnst that candidate, can-didate, and I then dtormlnedito-disclose this kind of business. Now, Blr, yesterday afternoon I was telephoned to from the McCuno headquarters head-quarters and was asked to como to those headquarters. I made tho appointment ap-pointment at 5 o'clock, and tho same S reposition was mado mo ns on Tues-ay Tues-ay night. Now, sir, after I leftthoso headquarters I was detained for two hours, nfter which I went at onco to the clilof of pollco, Mr. Pratt, and I agreed that It was our duty to detect and expose and drag Into the Iron arms of tho law, this culprit thts man that was trying to purchase the honor of this great state of Utah. Wo acted on short notice. Wo instantly mado a a-l n h in Minaal tn lltn ntilkMn tlila nnti am A MUM s-vr tviviit i ktiu iiuwttw (Mia avuutuu that had been so fully plotted. Now, sir, I am hero now to present the facts in this case, I telephoned to tho McCune headquarters head-quarters this morning, and after Insisting Insist-ing on seeing McCune personally McCune Mc-Cune himself McCuno came to the telephone. I then reminded him of the conversation Tuesday and told him (God forgive mo for telling a lie; but I did It for the honor of Utah) I told him that I had reconsidered his offer and wanted to meet htm for further arrangements of tho proposition. Mr. McCuno and I then mot nt the Wasatch drug store; aud there and than we held a conversation, tho substnnco of which was how much It would tako to buy my voto. Wo agreed upon the prlco. Tho exact amount Is not necessary neces-sary to bo named, but I will name It If you want ma to do so. (Numerous cries of "Namo It, name It!") It wns 81,500. Fifteen hundred dollars, my fellow legislators fifteen hundred dollars dol-lars for me to sacrifice the honor of myself, my citizenship, our Utah, our great republic! That was tho prlco agreed upon, nnd In a fow minutes it was agreed that I uhonld bo paid 8100 this mornlug, and between 3 and 4 o'clock this afternoon I was to receive the remainder of the sum. Now, sir, I want to tell you Just ho w I proposed to dotcct tho thing and furnish fur-nish Indisputable evldenco for tho scheme-, in order that tho public may not doubt tho foul clTort, and In order that wo might strike a terrific, a staggering stag-gering blow to this corruption of state! Now, I slept in the Jcnnlnge block last night, and It wan our plan to havo Mr. McCuno meet mo there in my room this morning, while Mr, Pratt should be where he could listen to what should be said by us. Hut, sir, when I asked Mr. McCuno this morning to go Into the prlvroy of my room, ho said: "No, let us go let" some saloon." I replied that thero ia too much at stnko for me to gt o so public- a place, and told him my room where I slept last nlghii . .he Jennings block would be the most secret place. Theu Mr. McCune said: "Walt till I get so mo change," and ho bought somo cigars at a stand. While ho wan doing this I saw a friend of mine standing on tho sidewalk, a man that used to work for me, and whom I had not seen before for a long time. I said to hlmt "Fowler, "Fow-ler, when a man comes out of thero and accompanies mo, you follow us and watch what wo say and do," McCuno and I then Joined each other and walked across to the south sldo of Second South and Stale stroots. There ho shook hands with mo nnd said that he was 820 short, and placed four twenty-dollar greenbacks in my hands. This transaction was seen and watched by Fowler nnd tho chief of police One thing more: I then wont to those persons per-sons nnd turned the monoy over to them. An authorized statement has been made by Mr. McCune, tn which he says the chargo is the result of n conspiracy to Injure him. Ho says Law offered to voto for him for85,000, but that ho told Law to "go to h 1," Ho then claims Law trumped up tho chargo to Injuro him. There Is little doubt that Mr. McCuno Mc-Cuno would have been elected Saturday, Satur-day, but for tho chargo. No election is looked for now until after the report of the Investigation commission. Threats to expcll Law havo been mado by some of tho extreme parti sans of tho accused, but no action In the matter will bo had beforo tho com- I mlttce roports. |