Show BURTON TRIAL OPENING STATEMENT IS MADE FOR THE government st louis march 21 at the continuation of senator bartons burtons Bur tons trial today united states district attorney dyer made the opening statement tor the government after reading the indictment he said that the charges against senator hurton were based upon section 1782 ot the revised statutes of the united states according to the statute said col dyer it Is unlawful for any senator or representative to accept pecuniary fees for any service rendered to any person or concern in any matter in which the government la either or indirectly interested te the government will endeavor to show by witnesses that the defendant accepted certain sums of money from the rialto grain and securities company of st louis for his influence in certain matters pending before the department in which the government was either directly or indirectly interested it Is not the contention of the government that senator burton used his influence tor any matter that in itself Is unlawful the government contends that while complaints against the rialto grain and securities company were being investigate by the Pos department and before any final action had been taken the rialto grain and securities company offered a month to senator burton to take charge of its interests in the investigation and that five installments of each were paid to and accepted by him judge chester II 11 krum leading counsel for the defense followed he said that the recapitulation of the ot tenses charged in the indictment Is whether certain sums were received by senator burton from the rialto grain and securities company as compensation for certain services he admitted the employment of senator burton by tha rialto company the agreement waa that senator durton would be employed as general counsel and that hia name would be used on the companas comp anys literature as a guarantee ot its reputability said audgo krum it will be shown that senator burton had asserted on the agreement that he senator burton was not to be required to represent the company before any department of the united in any capacity senator burton did eo to the post office department on the request of major dennis president althe rialto company but it was because major deinla bad received in an indirect way reports that complaints bad been made against the rialto company and requested senator burton simply to verify the report and not to represent the company in any matter before the department part ment on another occasion senator burton visited the department to inquire regarding the standing of an alleged inspector who had approached major dennis in st louis he found that the man wag an impostor and so notified the attorney tor the rialto company in regard to the amounts alleged by the government to have been received by senator burton as compensation for services before a government department general krum stated that according to senator bartons burtons Bur tons contract as general counsel he was to be paid each month in advance and it was in accordance with that agreement that the several anecks were sent to senator burton court adjourned until 10 tomorrow |