| Show CLARK GOES r Senate CU1llIllitt Drdares ilontanan Not Entitlell to t Occupy Seat OPINION IS UNANIMOUS Decision Reached After a Two I Hours Discussion BUT ONE BALLOT TAKEN Consensus of Opinion of the Committee Commit-tee Appeared Unfavorable to Accepting Ac-cepting Any One Especial Feature Against Mr Clark as Basis for tho Report Against Him the General Conclusion Being that it Was the Cumulative Character of the Testimony Testi-mony that Should be Considered Rather than Any Special Detail Thero were Many Expressions in I Committee Favorable to Senator I Clark from a Personal Point of I View Senator Received News of tho Decision with Usual Comp > sur Washington April 10The Senate I Committee on Privileges and Elections today decided by u unanimous vote to I recommend the adoption of a resolution declaring that Hon W A Clark of Montana Is not entitled to occupy hlH seat as a Senator from Montana The decision was reached after a two hours sitting at which all the members the committee were present except one The absentee was Senator Cattery In > and ho wired his vote In opposition to Mr Clark Tho ballot was not taken until till henlomb lld themselves upon he I question some of them speaking at some length und all expressing different shades of opinion I HARRIS FAVORED LENIENCY Senator JIarrlH of Kansas Indicated tho most pronounced leaning toward leniency for Mr Clark He did not express ex-press any doubt that there had been a lavish expenditure of money In Mr Clarks behalf and while not condoning condon-ing this course he spoke in terms of strong condemnation of the tactics pursued pur-sued by some of his Clarks opponents op-ponents referring especially to Congressman I Con-gressman Campbell and exSenator VhltesIde lie said that whatever Mr Clarks offenses they were but little worse than the methods pursued by Campbell end Whlteslde in their efforts ef-forts to expose tho Senator and he Insisted In-sisted that If 1 tho report was to be antagonistic an-tagonistic to Mr Clark It should at tho same time relate In full detail the course pursued by the two principal witnesses against him PETTUS AGREED WITH HARRIS Senator Pcttus practically agreed with Mr Harris The two Senators also expressed some doubt as to the Justification of lie conclusion drawn by a majority of the committee that Senator Clarks candidacy for the Senate Sen-ate began In August 1SOS when he returned re-turned to Butte from New York The effect of this conclusion was to charge UI the entire 5100000 which Senator Clark confessed to having expended to his campaign for the Senate while the contention was made In Senator Clarks behalf that he had not become a candidate can-didate until after the State election thus eliminating from the campaign In his Individual behalf the amount spent In the general contest I MCOMASS OPINION Senator McComas was among the Senators who expressed himself as convinced that the Senatorial seat wan 1n view from tho beginning Mr Me Comas however united with other Senators In condemning the methods purnued In prosecuting the case The consensus of opinion of the committee com-mittee appeared unfavorable to accepting ac-cepting any one especial feature against Mr Clark as the basis for the report against him the general opinion being that It was the cumulative character char-acter of the testimony that should be considered rather than any especial detail de-tail Senator Harris raised the point In Mr 1 Clarks bfhalf that the cumulative effect of the testimony could not properly be considered but he was overruled In his position PROMINENCE TO TESTIMONY If prominence was given to any one line of testimony more than to another It was that dealing with the transactions transac-tions apparently of a regular business nature between Senator Clark or his agents and members of the Legislature The purchase of property from Senator Sena-tor Warner and Representative McLaughlin Mc-Laughlin and the money tendered Representative Rep-resentative Wood to lift the mortgage I from his ranch were considered as bearing directly upon tho case Of these matters the Wood case received I especial attention The payment of money to Representative Day after Mr larks election also had weight Tho opinion was expressed that no ones qt these facts was sulliclont baslH for HII adverse report but all agreed that all fueLs many of tham admitted together with other occurrences connected con-nected with the campaign were sum I dent to justify a positive position against the Senators continuing tb hold his place FAILED TO MAKE REPORTS The fact that Senator CJark andhis I repr 8 ntatlv > t had failed to make their r oortH to the State uuthorlllpM i of Montana RH required by the State I JAW also wan urged against him In the dlwumlrin In the committee us was the fact that he and JIll representatives had destroyed all their vouchers show tnjr where money had been mused and ton whom pald W1mn attention v cajl3 tcrth fact that this course was usual with campaign managers the statement was met with the contention that while the plan might bo more commonly adopted than It should be still there could be no reasonable excuse for It after the Whileslde exposure It was then known that there would be a contest and the argument was made that every scrap of paper bearing upon the election should have been preserved after this development In the case I WIlL PREPARE REPORT Senators Chandler and Turloy were directed to prepare the report It Is expected to be presented at an early day There were many expressions In the committee favorable to Senator 1 Clark from a personal point of vlftw and more than one Senator gave utterance 1 utter-ance to doubts as to whether he had actual personal part in knowledge of the expenditure Others expressed the 1 opinion that the Senator was in a certain cer-tain sense the victim of environment and of habit The outlay of money In mist elections In Montana was dwelt upon as one of the explanations of the liberal expenditures In this case Senator Turley was among the Senators Sena-tors who dissented from the view that Mr Clark could have been uninformed of the fact that money was being used to promote his election and he made one of the most vigorous talks of the scries In favor of an adverse report CLARK DECLINED TO TALK Senator Clark was at the Capitol when the announcement of the action of the committee was made known He I was surprised at the result but refused re-fused to make a statement until after consultation with his friends and attor ncvs The Senator bore himself with his I usual composure His face appeared somewhat flushed but his voice was calm and hlH manner collected and he discussed other I business affairs as If nothing had transpired Ho was asked If there was any truth In the report that he had decided to resign and he replied as he did to all other questions bearing upon his case I cannot at present answer any questions I ques-tions bearing upon the report of the Committee on Elections Senator Faulkner counsel for Mr I Clark was summoned to the Capitol Immediately after the verdict of the Committee was announced and had a I lomr consultation with his client oer the situation At this conference the determination wan reached that the proper course would be to await the appearance of the I committeoK repon cuntulning Its views on the evidence adduced during tho hearing and tin conclusion upon which Its report will be based This the Senators friends feel will be preferable to Issuing a m statement now while the reasons for the committees action are not olllclally staled It la I not believed that Senator Clark contemplates con-templates resigning his seat at this I time and It Is paid he has not given any consideration to the matter |
