CHARGE OF CORRUPTION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 800, 25 April 1910, Page 7

CHARGE OF CORRUPTION.

■....■ 9 . -.. .' DRASTIC INVESTIGATION. RESOLUTION BY NEW YORK ASSEMBLY. Bj Telerr»ph-Presa Association-Copyright. • New York, April 22. _The New York State Assembly, without debate, resolved to order a drastic investigation regarding charges of legislative oorrupfon, which is believed to ■have some connection.with;,the recent Congressional by-election, ■ THE ALBANY SCANDAL , Tho New York "Independent" of February 17' states -—The oleaning-up of the Republican'.politics at Albany looks •as if it ought.to result in a cleaning out. Such a dramatic case of 'apparent exposure, of corrupt methods has nevor been known hereabouts before. Usually the proof of political or legislative bribery, is indirect,, by comparison of bank accounts, of money received here and paid there; but in this case the very man who carried the money, who went with the messenger, is .the accuser, and declares, he saw it paid, one thousand dollars of it to Mr. Allds,' who has lately been chosen as leader of the Republican members of the Senate. Here are two witnesses and their witness agrees. It looks true, and we do not see how Mr. Allds can disprove it. Allowing it to be true, neither the accused nor. the accuser can remain in the Senate; both would have to v be expelled. But in this case tho guilt of the accuser, Mr. Conger, is very much less than.-that of Mr. AUds. It was not Mr. ■ Conger, but' his. deceased brother, that provided the bribe. The bill may have been a good one, but it was not to the advantage ■ of the' concern of which the brother was president, and Mr. Allds, so it is testified, threatened to have it passed, and demanded 1000. dollars as a condition of holding it back in committee, and so Mr. Frank Conger sent by his brother 6000 dollars, to be paid to three men, of whom Mr. Allds was one. It was a case precisely like that when a Black Hand extorts money on threat of blowing up a man's house. The victim does wrong to pay, but the chief crime is with the other man. The "Black Horse" crowd of half a dozen years ago at Albany are on a'par with the Sicilian Black Handera;- The "Evening Post" is to be praised for bringing out the scandal, and we hope it will be exposed to the bottom. Messrs. Allds and Conger resigned from the Senate of New' York State, which recently appointed a committee to report as to what measures are expedient to prevent legislative corruption. In conscquence of the death of Congressman J. B. Perkins, an. election was held last week for the thirty-sccond Congressional district of New York State. Mr. Havens, a Democrat, defeated Mr. Aldridge, the Republican "boss."