| Show VRY s PLACES STAIN ON UNITED STATES SENATOR BURT united states senator joseph ralph burton of kansas who was found guilty of using bis official position to protect a fra concern in its use of the malls has been prominent in the sunflower state for years as a politician and campa agn orator he was born in indiana and after joseph ralph burton senior states senator from kansas and a political leader of wide influence throughout the west was convicted by a jury in the united states dis brict court at st louis march 29 of accepting compensation to protect the interests of the rialto grain cecur aties company a so called get rich quick concern before the department at washington the senator was found guilty on six of the seven counts in the indict ment on the other count the third one a verdict of not guilty a re turned this third count Is similar in charge to that of counts one and two and tor this reason the govern ment announced at the beginning of the trial that it did not desire any con vict on the court ruled that the senators bond of 5 be continued and that the defendant report from time to time pending arguments on the motion tor arrest of judgment and other ie gal steps tal en prior to the appeal to the united states court of appeals the case establishes the precedent of a prosecution under section 1782 of the revised statutes of the united states chich prohibits members of congress t hepting cep ting bompensa com pensa alon fort in any case which involves the interest of the fed eral government senator burton s recourse Is an ap peal to the united states circuit court of appeals which body is the final ar biter ot his case pending the final action of that tribunal he may give bond and obtain temporary freedom in the course of the trial it develop ed that during his term of office sen ator burton had a total income from his law practice at washington amounting to nearly 25 a year the evidence adduced against sena tor burton may be summarized as follows first in november 1902 he accept ed a proposition to become genera counsel of the malto grain ties company a concern whose opera eions at the time were under the iny ot postoffice post office officials second burton demanded 2 for his services but 1 e was satisfied to be paid in monthly installments of each third soon after his employment it developed that the federal grand jury was investigating the brooks broker age company with which major hugh dennis president of the rialto company has been associated fourth in december 1902 dennis was indicted appealed to burton tor help fifth numerous letters written by burton showed that the senator was using ats influence to prevent the in fuance of a fraud order against the rialto grain securities company sixth burton submitted regular re ports to the rialto people telling them how matters were progressing at washington advising them of reports filed at the department and closing with the assurance that if fou look after things at your end of he line I 1 will attend to matters lere senator burton was indicted in jan lary last although as a member of congress he could not be arrested un il after that body adjourned he vol ing a college education began to tice law m 1876 then he moved to kansas and did his first campaigning for garfield two years later in 1894 and he was an unsuccessful sen atonal candidate but was elected in 1901 to succeed lucien baker in the upper house unmanly surrendered himself to the prosecuting authorities he was elected to the senate janu ary 4 1901 so that he still has two years to serve |
