Show ALLEGED contribution A statement has been published by a contemporary that 1 mr arthur y pratt warden at the p penitentiary contributed 26 25 toward the democratic campaign fund last fall the effect of this assertion can be understood when it Is known that mr pratt is an ardent republican the statement referred to is made on the authority of col S A merritt an explanation is also made that marshal dyer put mr pratts name down without the batters lat knowledge under the impression that he would contribute and then paid the amount himself col merritt is credited with saying 1 I have this to say that in october last mr dyer asked me to drive with him to the pen saying that his employed emp loyes there would contribute to the national democratic committees commit mit tees campaign fund As chairman of the democratic territorial committee I 1 had charge of the subscription books sent me by the national committee and taking one drove to the pen with mr dyer while there I 1 obtained subscriptions of 25 eatch each from nine employed emp loyes and wrote the name of each berbon mr pratt being among the number and mr dyer on his return to the city gave me a check for in payment of such subscriptions I 1 saw each of the employed emp loyes except one man who was asleep he having baving been on guard the night before I 1 understood der stood all of them to assent to the subscription and that the amount subscribed would be deducted from their pay I 1 certainly never understood that mr dyer was subscribing or paying for any of them if such had been the case he ought to have so stated to me it appears now from mr dyers and mr pratt prattis Is statements that I 1 have been laboring under an hallucination although ing I 1 0 pine opine that had mr cleveland been reelected elected re I 1 would have still remained under that hallucination if mr dyer had intended to contribute out of his own funds what was the use of taking me to the pen to see his employed emp loyes I 1 never charged mr pratt with being a democrat never thought he was one and even his employment by mr dyer would be no evidence to ny my mind that he was a democrat I 1 never mentioned that alleged subscription by mr pratt to any one until a prominent local republican asked me the question and I 1 replie i substantially as I 1 have above stated at the time the quest ton was ask asked ed I 1 was not aware mr pratt was a candidate for mars marshal baland and the party then asking the question stated his reason for doing so was that he understood der stood mr pratt was a candidate for the and denied ever h having av n g con contributed erlb u ed to the democratic c cam campaign f ud fund campaign laign C col 0 o merritt jerritt h has probably forgotten a conversation between himself and mr pratt which occurred in the marshals office in the presence of a reporter of the NEWS about the time named and which sheds some light on the controversy col merritt entered the marshals Mar office and said I 1 I 1 pratt what will you do on this mr pratt inquired what it was and the colonel explained that it was a subscription for the national nation al democratic campaign mr pratt replied my name is on the other list and that is enough for me colonel merritt remar i you tou have been benefited by the democratic administration and want us to win again dont you he then used further brief arguments in this line to induce mr pratt to subscribe mr pratt prattis Is answer was I 1 1 ca I have contributed to the other fund and have nothing for this one col merritt then walked into the inner office the reporter who had previously been conversing with mr pratt remarked 17 so 0 you are a republican mr pratts prates answer was yes although I 1 have been employed by a democratic marshal we publish this statement for the reason that mr pratt is absent from the city and is therefore ther efort taken somewhat at a disadvantage by the assertions that have been made further than that we have not the slightest interest in the matter |