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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 25, 1914)
THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL, PORTLAND, SUNDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 25, 1914. BOOTH TELLS HOW TIMBER 'I LAND HOLDINGS ACQUIRED BOOTH IN CLOSING SPEECH ENTERS EMPHATIC DENIALS Money Paid to Eugene Paper Was for Advertising; lands Which Are Said to Have Been Bought From Rel atives Declared Sill Theirs. Candidate for Senator Reviews Land Fraud Prosecutions and Accuses West of Being Burns Detective, Act- !;l'f. ing Through Political Motives. iLAMATH TRANSACTION IS REVIEWED AT LENGTH CROWD'S INTERRUPTIONS INTERFERE WITH SPESKEff 1 : ' . ' ! 8 VERBATIM REPORT OF JOINT DEBATE BETWEEN WEST AND BOOTH I 1 , . p OPPONENTS IN GREAT POLITICAL DEBATE FRIDAY NIGHT I j . - - - v ii t r .1r in m i mmmmtmtmmtammtmmmamm 8 y : i ' ' ' y' - - " '"7- " BOOTH EXPLAINS HIS POSITION I take it that everyone in this presence understands that I am not here simply in my own defense as a private citizen or to attempt even to defend a good name, if I have such, but I am here because I am the DOminee ot the Kepuoican party lor me united oiates senate, seeking to represent the people of Oregon in the United States senate, be cause 70,000 people in this state gave me their vote at the primary more votes than was cast for any other candidate in any party for any office. "What I owe to them and to all people who are inclined to give me their support, I desire to now pay to the utmost farthing, that my state may be fairly represented in the national haHs of congress by the majority party of the state, and that I will do, unless 1 am proven un worthy by the governor of this state or some of his supporters. "Now as to political manipulation. I never received a favor of the commissioner of the general land office, or any senator or any con gressman; and hear me when I tell you that I have never asked it, never wrote a letter that affected any title to a single acre of our lahd. "Why did not Mr. West tell you that all the lands, more than a million acres that we have handled, more than 99 per cent of it- more than 95 per cent of it had" the title initiated before our company was organized? 1 speak from the records. "And furthermore, men, never has there been yet actual disposition and final disposition of an acre that we own; not an acre; and there never has been attacked more than five claims, less than one-tenth of one percent of the lands that we have handled. So you see that we go up in the Royal Baking Powder's class, our governor notwith itanding." . , . "W "HERE did Mr. Booth get Mm Umber?" This was the theme of the great meeting last Friday evening when Gov rnor West presented proofs in sup port of the charge that much of the Yast timber holdings of the Booth Xelly company wua scoured through fraud, and -It. A. Booth, the head of the company, and now a candidate for United Statea senator, " undertook to refute the accusation. ' According to previous arrangement Mr. Booth made the o'pening state ment, speaking for 30 minutes. Gov ernor West followed, occupying an hour. ' Mr. Booth concluded the de bate, being allotted 30 nunutea for the purpnuc. According to previous announcement The Journal now pub lishes the full stenographic report of all that was said by the two speakers. In his opening statement Mr. Booth said. "Ladles and Gentlemen I am not here for applause. All that I ask for, expect. Or am entitled to, is a fair hearing from open minded voters, ar.d I beg every friend to cease from ap plause that we may hurry this thing along, and ask the chairman that In case there is any disturbance it shall not be deducted Irotn the time or either speaker. . "I take It that everyone In this presence, understands that I am not hero simply in my own defense as a private citizen or to attempt even to defend a good name, if I have such, but I am here because I am the nom inee Of the Republican party for the United States senate, seeking to rep resent the people of orgon In the Uni ted States senate, because 70,000 people In this state gave me their vote at the primary more votes than was cast for any other candidate in any party for any office. "What I owe to them and to all peo ple who are inclined to give me their support, I desire to now pay to the Utmost furthlrrg, that my state may be. fairly represented in the national halls of congress-by theinajorlty party Of the state; and that I will do, unless I an "proven unworthy by the governor Of this state or some of 'Ills supporters. . Declares Debate "Sideshow." "If 1 am unworthy, if there is any one better qualified, then it is to my Interest as well us yours that they represent you, and I shall have no quarrel with you If you vote for them. But what I want to impress upon you la this: If the charges that have been made against me are true, then pos sibly, you will decide to vote against me. "t understand, however, full well, that this is merely a sideshow to a Senatorial campaign, to divert the at tention of the people from the real is sues, arfd that possibly it is unwise to heed it; but, as I said before, 1 want you to know what part I have had iff developing the industries of this state and how the accumulation of what I and my associates have come about. But I want to call to your attention something of the type of the man whb has accused me. If lie has done it in good faith, well and good. Whether or not he has, it is up to the people of Oregon to decide. Let me review a little bit of some of the hounding that he and other men like him have given reformer in his time but now believes that through graft and moimpi v everything has gone to hell and It it too late to save the country. (Laugh ter) Ho la one who would be in for convicting anybody, especially if he were a Republican politician.' And his name went in the box. (Applause). "Another sample report from Mr. West, on Walter Lowe: 'He is a sup porter of Ed Crolsan; he is a strong anti-Mitchell man. In talking, that occurred on November 9, and remember that thLs box was not filled until the 17th 'about Herrman, he said: 'I hope they send him to hell; I am glad they got Mitchell.' This man's name went also in the box. "Mr. West made reports on met calling them good and reports of Mr. Burns on the same men said: 'These men would convict Christ. "Were these the kind of men Mr. West considered good and would be Impartial on a jury? Evidence Declared Clear. "The evidence is clear that Mr. West was a Burns detective, acting through political motives; the same Burns, who traced me from ocean to oceajjfvho shadowed me in my home, whatgrfaced me around this city; he Is the same man who has traced other men, among them Samuel Gompers, un til he was Indicted, tried and acquitted, as 1; yet, this is the type of man who has accused me that was a party In that prosecution. (Applause). "Mr. West collected, according to the records, $365.20 ,mileage and wit ness fees from the government Janu ary, 1910, claiming mileage from Wash ington to Portland and return, when he was served with papers in Portland. When he was called a grafter by the federal officers for making an affidavit to collect tnis money he later re turned $350.20 into the stat treasury. For the same trip to Washington ha coiiecieu. accorauiK 10 me recoras, $253 from the- state of Oregon for his expenses. L "Campaign literature furnished to West when he was governor was fold ed by the convicts in the penitentiary instead or given to tree labor,, as.ptn- er men had to do. (Applause). And this man, of high moral purposes, and supposed to be fair rrjinded, reprsent- ing, or mirepresenting, this state, for sonye cause vetoed the1 morals court bill, recommended by the Portland vice commission. Why was it? I leave it to you to answer. But it la this man, with this type of character, with these things staring him in the face, and the records where anybody can see them, that is making the charges against me and other men in this state. The Journal Article Quoted. "What were the charges? According to the stenographic reports in the Portland Journal he charged that we commenced business with a little plant and -""a?, few trees; that the for tune 'was based upon the purchase of 17,000 acres of railroad land, gotten by corrupt practice, in league with corrupt officials, who were taken into' "our company, and discharged by their superior officers; that a railroad was built into the timber under our con trol, and that we had secret rates xm W ,h, f I 4 , , ill S' aOF" 4 I ,4T -':'. lilt LA RAUTS BOUGHT FOR THEMSELVES ij "Five cases were involved. Four of them were LaRaut cases. jRThe evidence shows that Ethel La 'Raut. one of the ladies h-ere, came to me, asking about a timber claim; that I said to her that we would furnish the money, carry it, sell it with our own timber, if we sold it; or cut it and pay her by the thousand feet, if we ever operated tfiere," which we never have. That was my testimony; that was - her Jffesti mony. No other person could possibly know the-facts. It was;teor roborated by the bookkeeper of the company, who sits here. , "Judge Gilbert's decision was rendered on this supposition, iich t every man has a right to believe or not, as you like: That the La Rluts, ' whom you see, that Mr. Durbar, who is our secretary, that George Kelly, who is our manager, and John Kelly and myself, sVore falsely. If you want to believe that, believe it-" & HE debate was concluded by Mr. Boothy who was allotted 30 min utes In which to reply to Gov ernor West's charges. Mr. Booth said: '. "Iadles and gentlemen: I will speak as rapidly as t can. You have heard accusations, by the governor. oT the Weyerhaeusers, of the Hammonds, of the railroad, of Geer and a lot of other people. He has said, or intimated, that Left to right Oswald West, governor of Oregon, and R. A. Booth, Republican candidate for United States senator, who debated Friday evening the question of how Mr. Booth acquired his timber holdings and his fitness for the office he seeks. Governor West Bares Details of Booth's Timber Land Deals at at at X Masterly Presentation Brings Cheers From Great Audience GOVERNOR WEST DRAWS A COMPARISON There was a man in the prison who had a good record while there; he had earned his credits and when he asked me for a pardon it was given to him, a pardon that set forth his record and carried out to the people of the state the fact that he was a man that was trying to do good, and asking the help of those with whom he might come in contact; and after a time word came back from an adjoining state that this man was being given a position as a guard on the walls of a prison in another state; and I saw a picture of that man walking that wall with his rifle, an emblem of authority, as it were, watching the men in the prison, and I thought I saw a prisoner approach him and say to him, 'Brother, you are one of us; you are not of the people on the outside; you are one of us; you have worn our stripes; you have eaten our food and you have walked to your cell to the time of the lock step; you have answered to the count. Now come, brother, give us the gun that we may break these unnatural bounds and once more prey upon the public' "And my mind went to another picture, and I thought of the help that I had given Mr. Booth in his hour of trouble, and I thought of the good things that I had said of him from time to time. I wished him the best in the world. But when the time came that Mr. Booth, notwith standing his transgressions in the past, presumed to aspire to the office of United States senator, then it was no longer a personal matter with me, no longer a matter of duty between me as an individual and Mr. Booth and his brother, but it was a public duty; and I saw a picture of Mr. Booth armed with his commission, his emblem of authority, at his post of duty in Washington; on one hand was the people,- on the other the interests, and among them the Kribbses and the Blodgets and the Joneses and the other big timber operators, and I could see them com ing to the senator and saying: " 'Brother, you are not of the people, you are one of us. (Applause). You have walked with us through the magnificent forests of Oregon. We have bought railroad lands together at a low price; we have taken advantage of the fact that we held the key to the situation, and we have made the humble homesteaders give us claims that were worth four or five thousand dollars apiece for five hundred dollars. We have taken unfortunate brothers and paid them a paltry sum to assist us in robbing the people of the. state of Oregon of their birthright. Come, give us the power that you have and we will tear away these unnatural fetters that are protecting the natural resources of this great nation and we will once more roam in green pastures. We, the self-annointed, are the ones to care for these great resources, not the common herd.' That is the picture I saw." G some of the btst citizens that over ne never could have built up a trade tlssed this state. Just a word about It. Ztnd Xrttd Prosecution Bevlewed. "You know that the question of my Integrity and the accumulation of the timber lands of the company came about through the prosecution of this government, represented by Francis J. Heney and Mr. Burns. With these tnefi, whom every citizen of this state now knows, and that are known from the east to the west of this country, Mr. West was associated. The evi dence I take from the brief that was furnished in the Jones case to the pres ident when he asked f(5f pardon. "When it was decided to stuff the Jury box" in the land fraud cases and names were submitted every man was Investigated before his name went in to" the box, and the man had to ba known as a convictor before his name went in. "August 2, 1906, Mr. West received & telegram to go to the federal build ing in Portland, and Immediately thereafter to betome a Burns detective Investigating men, learning their Views on conviction, and traveling in several counties. Mr. W est has acted as a Burns detective for two weeks, at which time, August 1", Burns tele graphed to Washington, 'Jury commis stoner cleaned out the old box from Which trial Jurors are selected, and put 600 new names, every one of Which, was. Investigated before they i were placed in the box.' West's Keports on rile. l"Mr. West's reports are on file at "Washington, together with his vouchers for his expenses' in traveling. They are -the documentary proof that he 'as engaged in stacking the jury box. Here Is West's report on D. E. Swank t Marlon county, and Is a fair sample: Pretty good old man, a straight Fopu list and Socialist; has been a ran it on that sort of a thing that others could not buy or operate on this line. "By political manipulation, he says, that we acquired land in the Klamath Indian reservation; tha. I robbed wid ows, working girls and servant girls by selling lands through larceny schemes; that I am a tax dodger, and prevented the passage of bills that would have Increased the tax in tim ber; that I robbed my relatives, whom he. refers to as weak-minded mountain people (laughter); and, further, he re fers to charges and the trial of my brother, and says that 1 was indicted. Asked for Trial Many Times. "So I was, by the process and by the methods of that type of man. But he does not say, like a man, that I was tne only man who pieau tor a trial. Seventeen times my lawyers went asking a trial. For four years it was held over my head, because they would not come up with the evi dence, and give me a chance. He does r.ot say that I am the only one that did not put in a dilatory plea; he does not say that we did not put a witness on the stand; he does not say ttiat the jury said "not guilty' on the first bal lot. CApplause and cheers.) "Please, let's not have applause. What we want Is the cold facts. "Now, men, this la the sort of thing I have been up against. If I had been guilty, if there had been a line of evidence against me, with Gov ernor West and men like him hound ing me, I would not be here to tell the story tonight, and you know it. (Applause). "Now, what are the facts? (A cry of "Hurrah for West). (Laughter.) "Just a word. If I prove untrue a single charge that he has made, then according to all fair evidence he is OVERNOR WEST followed Mr. Booth and spoke for an hour. He devoted much of his time to reading from the records of the federal courts in the suit brought by the government against the Booth-Kelly Lumber company to cancel certain timber claims. He read also from the printed brief of United States District Attorney John S. Mc Court in the same case. "My friends, this is a most import ant meeting, because serious charges have been maae against mr. oum by me. If the charges that I make cannot be proven, men no um done a great wrong. If the state ments I make tonight can De proven, then the people" of this state have been done a great wrong through Mr. Booth's presuming to be electea to ine United States senatorshlp. "Now I am not going to take the ttm nf the evening to answer some of the charges that have been made by Mr. Booth. 1 am not running lor the senate. (There were cries from the audi- ence of "answer them," mixed with hisses). Governor West: "Tomorrow even ing I will be glad to take up any charges Mr. Booth has to make against me." (Cries of "louder." "Do it now," and cheers.) Governor West: "Now, menus, l have one hour, which I am going to take in Setting forth the charges against Mr. Booth. Mr. Booth has mentioned my naming his brother as a member of the state board of agri culture, which is true. His brother was named by Governor Frank Benson, a man whom I highly honored; we were personal friends, and I was pleased to leave him In that position. Helped Booth and Brother. "Mr. Booth might have gone further and told you that when his brother Henry and himself were on trial l reached my hand out to them the same as I have done to men in the penitent1 tiary who have transgressed the law (applause and hisses) because I didn't want to see them convicted, and I went down " (The speaker's voice was drowned by the uproar in the audience). i-i Wott " 14 a tnltrht Vqvm told you that I was on the witness stand" (The speaker's voice was drowned by. continuous uproar in the audience). Mr. Booth: "I would like to say a few words, Mr. Chairman." Chairman Sabin: "You may." Mr. Booth: "I would like to ask every friend that I have in, this audi ence to give the governor a respect ful hearing (cheering);- and further more, if the time allotted him is not sufficient I most cheerfully will grant a request that the chairman extend it." Governor West. "All I ask is an hour. Thana you. I would have told you that I went on the witness stand. and I went out of my way to say good things about Mr. Booth and his brother. "That reminds me of a little Inci dent. There was a man in the prison who had a good . record while there; he had earned his credits and when he asked me for a pardon it was given to him, a pardon that set forth his record and carried out to the people of the state the fact that he was a man that was trying to do good, and asking the help ot those with whom he might come in contact; and after a time word came back from an adjoin ing state that his man was being given a position as a guard on the walls of a prison in another state; and I saw a picture of that man walk ing that wall with is rifle, an emblem of authority, as it were, watching the men in the prison, and I thought I saw a prisoner approach him and say to him, 'Brother, you are one of us; you are not of the people on the outside; you are one of us; you have worn our stripes; you have eaten our food and you have walked to your cell to the time of the lock step; you have an swered to the count. Now come, brother, give us the gun that we may break these unnatural bounds and once more prey upon the public.' "And my mind went to another pic ture, and I thought of the help that I had given Mr. Booth in his hour of trouble, and I thought of the good things that I had said of him from time to time. ' I wished him the best in the world. But when the time came that Mr. Booth, notwithstanding his transgressions in the past, pre sumed to aspire to the office of United States senator, then it was no longer a personal matter with me, no longer a matter of duty between me as an individual and Mr. Booth and his brother, but it was a public duty; and I saw a picture of Mr. Booth armed with his commission, his em blem of authority, at his post of duty in Washington; on one hand was th people, on the other the interests, and among them tne uriDDses ana tne Blodgets. and the Joneses and the other big timber operators, and I could see them corning to the senator and saying: Another Picture Been. " 'Brother, you are not of the people, you are one of us. (Applause). Ton have walked with us through the magnificent forests of Oregon. We have bought railroad lands together at a low price; we have taken advan tage of the fact that we held the key to the situation, and we have mads the humble homesteaders give us claims that were worth four or five thousand dollars - apiece for five hundred dollars We have taken un fortunate brothers and paid them i paltry sum to assist us in robbing the people of the state of Oregon of their birthright. Come; give us the power that you have and we will tear away these unnatural fetters that are pro tecting the natural resources of this great nation and we will once more roam In green pastures. We, the self annolnted, are the ones to care for these great resources, not the common-herd.' That is the picture I saw. "And I will tell you, my friends, it is my duty not only as a public of ficial, but as an individual, to fight a man whose record of the past shows that there may be a spark of the old still flickering in his bosom which may be fanned to flame by the en treaties of his friends who would meet him in Washington in the late hours of the Bight, (Applause, mixed with cheers of "Booth"). "Now, ladies and gentlemen, I am here to make some charges against Mr. Booth, -who is a candidate for the United States senatorshlp. 'In the i court of public opinion of the state of Oregon this is an Indictment: Os wald West, plaintiff, versus ft. A. Booth, defendant. R. A. Booth is ac cused by this indictment or navmg looted the public domain, proven un faithful as a public official, and of being a pious fraud, as follows, to- wit: (Laughter). Governor Maker. Hls Charge. That the said R. A. Booth has resorted to fraud, violated the laws of the land and betrayed his trust as a public official in order to .add to his timber holdings and his wealth; that he has Ignored the laws of the state of Oregon and used his power or place to prey upon his less fortunate brothers, has Bought through monop oly to control natural resources, which are the birthright of all, and thus enabled the house of Booth to levy tribute upon generations to conic; that he has borne false witness and caused others to commit perjury in order that he might retain such of hia holdings as were - gotten unlawfully; that he has for years been deceiving the brethren of. . his .church, in that he has led them to believe ha was a Christian in spirit' and truth when in fact he has merely used his religion as a cloak to cover his preda tory activities. (Applause and cheers. with hisses). " 'Dated at Portland,- Multnomah county, Oregon, this twenty-third day of October, 1914, and sighed Oswold West.' "The witnesses are- the -records of the federal' court and the. records, of the state of Oregon." . A voice: "Now prove them." Governor ' West: "That is what am here for. (Applause). Now, my friende, Mr. Booth in his Albany speech said 'The title to almost the whole of our lands was secured by the railroad company and settlers years before our company was even organ ixed. The small fraction remain In: was honestly acquired by purchase from owners who at their own in stance Initiated their title and per fected their rights. We never ex ploited the public domain by locating people thereon. "Listen! "We never exploited the public domain by locating people thereon, as has frequently been charged against timber concerns Don't forget that statement. 'I wish specifically to state that we have never by any method wrongfully ac quired title to an acre of land. No one knows this better than representa tives of the government who investi gated it.' Extract Front -Brief Bead. "Now, my friends, I am going to read from a brief supplied by the gov ernment when the case in which Mr. Booth's company was interested went up to the United States circuit court of appeals. The decision in that case was rendered by Judges Morrow, Ross and Gilbert. This brief was prepared by United States attorney long after ine time or iieney ana burns, by a man who Is a member of - his own party, whose appointment was secured by many of Mr. Booth's friends and who never dreamed when he wrote the brief that Mr. Booth would be a senatorial candidate. "Now I want you to remember this when we start in, that between Janu ary, 1902, and January. 1903, J. H. Booth, faenator Booth's brother, was secretary of the company and re ceiver of the . United States land of fice at Roseburg, Or.- "Now Mr. Booth had some boor re lations. One was named Alice La Raut; one was named Stephen La Raut, another Lucy La Raut, and un other Ethel La Raut. (Lauehter.) xnese lour relatives took claims on what is known as Brumbaugh cree wnicn i unaersiana is a Drancn of a river which runs into one fork of the Willamette river, in the territory in which Mr. Booth has been operating. Ihe United States attorney in nls nrief says: 'Alice La Raut, Stephen La Raut, Lucy La Raut and Ethel La Raut took their claims, under a prior agreement with Booth that they were to be paid one hundred dollars each for doing so, over and over '.he costs and expenses of the claims. Ed ward Jordan entered his claim under a similar Agreement with John F. Kelly. Patents Delivered to Kelly. " 'In accordance with said , prior agreement all details of perfecting title were attended to by the defend ant company and perlimlnary expenses were paid by it, the applicants giving no attention whatever thereto. " 'The company paid for publication and charged same to its stumpage ac count. It made no charge therefor against the individuals. "'All patents delivered to Frank A Alley November 9, 1904, at request of john F. Kelly. "Remember that. Here are a num ber of people who have gone to the land office to file on timber land, Mr. Booth says not for him but fojr them selves. Now remember when the pat ents were issued by the federal gov ernnient that John F. Kelly goes into the land office. What business then did. he have to go into the land of fice and say to- the register and re ceiver, 'Turn those patents over to the attorney' for the Booth-Kelly Lum ber company?" And what right did Mr. J. H. Booth, who was receiver of the land office, and Mr. Bridges, who was register of the land office hese people were associated with us. Any statement that any Weyerhaeuser or Hammond or anyone that he has lamed is now or ever was associated with the Booth-Kelly company is false. (Applause. Cries of "Prove it. Also hisses.) 'Give me a chance and I will prove. It. Give me a chance. line speaitci could not proceed on account of up roar in the audience and the chair man rapped vigorously for order). Mr Rooth: "Mr. Chairman, the manager ot our company, me swio tary of our company, are on this platform. Here is Mr. iiunnai. (Laughter). Here are men 10 whether the statement is ngni or not. (General uproar;. jusi a. moment." (General uproar). Just a moment.' Chairman Sabin: "Gentlemen, let's have fair play. ' Mr Booth: "All I ask is fair play. (The uproar continued). Governor West: "Please give Mr. Booth a chance. Please do. Now he Is entitled to his time and we want to hear what he has to say." A voice: "All right. Ozzie." (Ap plause). Mr. Booth: "Will you hear me or not? (Applause). All right. Mr. Dunbar says the statement is false." A voice: "Good." Another voice: "Cut it out." (Up- roflj- . Mr Rooth: "Now a word. The statement that I said was false Interruption Are Continued. A voice (interrupting): "Prove it." Mr. Booth: "I did prove it. Here is our secretary " (The uproar in audience prohibited the speaker continuing). Mr. Booth: "All "right. Mr. Dixon, the manager, is here, and I will call on him. and then I will make you this proposition: Any man and I do it on the authority of the manager whom the chairman of this meeting names may go and examine our stock books, and I defy you to do it " (The speaker was Interrupted with applause and uproar). A voice: "Will you pay for it?" Mr. Booth: "Yes, I will pay lor It.' (Applause). (The uproar continued and the chair man rapped for order). Governor West: "Give Mr. Booth a chance, please." Mr. Booth: "After this is done I want to refer to the other charges here. Please give me. an opportunity." A Voice: "How much, did you give him to testify?" & Mr. Booth: "Mr. Chairman, men. lis ten iust a minute. Mr. McLeod, I am Just Informed, the secretary of the Hammond Lumber company, is in tne house, and 1 will ask him to corrob orate what I have said." (Mr. McLeod here stepped to the front of the stage, and was greetea with applause mixed with hisses). Mr. T. B. McLeod: "LAaies ana gen tlemen: 1 corroborate what air. iiooin savs." (ADDlause.) Mr. Booth: "Now just a word. (The uproar continued)."! want to ask you, Indies and Eentlenikn " - V; I . . , t - . (The chairman rappea vigoioueiy iui order.) Booth- Asks to Be seara Mr Booth: "Let me ask you whether I am to be given a chance to answer the charges that were made. Will you hear me or not?" (Cries of "yes.") Mr. Booth: "All right. Tou give me the chance. That statement that was made has been pronounced false by three men besides myself. (Cries of Who; ana general up roar.) Mr. Booth: "I want to talk to you now. 1 want to taia to you now iuuui the matter that was referred to In the brief of an attorney. I will not use the brief of any attorney, but I win tell you what Is in the evidence and in the judge's, decision. Please listen. These poor mountain relatives of mine, two of them are on this platform, and I am going to ask them to arise in a moment that you may see them and then tell you the testimony of the case that is in this book." . (The ladies here stood up on the platform, and were greeted with cheers.) Mr. Booth: "Gentlemen, I want to ask you whether a man is to be con demned unheard?" Cries of "No" and general uproar. The" chairman rapped for order.) A Voice: "Let's hear Miss Hobbs." Chairman Sabin: "We are here, ladies and gentlemen, for a serious business. Governor West was listened to patiently and carefully. Now la the name of Portland and in the name of common sense and good business let's give Senator Booth a chance to be heard. Let's not interrupt any more. The hour is growfrig late. Let s hear what he has to say and make up our mind thereafter." (Applause.) Booth Explains Letter. Mr. Booth: "I will dwell most of the time on the cases at issue; but Just a hasty word about a rew min. Th. Guard never came to my support until after the governor made his charges in Lane county, after he de nied the statements they said he made. and it was proved by 14 arrinavits (Continued on Following Page.) relation to mOney that I pCd the Guard hear me on this poliiU The Guard's manager came to meSiolicit ing money ror i advertising. ;tVe had never advertised, (Laughter.) jig I gav him the $40, and he never returned it. (Applause.) No such letter ; as was read ever came to me from hfim, nor any one else. It is a falsehood! out of whole cloth. (Applause.) jv "Wait a little bit. He eatd some thing about me introducing a; .bill by which we collected toll. I -nev3er intro duced any bill; that had refe)rnce to any toll. I never collected m dollar. Judge him by these statements, "And now to the record as tq -)he La Raut cases, to which he referred." A voice: "What about the-statute books T' Mr. Booth: i will tell yo about the statute. Here is the decision right here. Five cases were Involved;. Four of them were LaRaut cases. The evi dence shows that Ethel LaUaat, one of the ladies here; came to me,: asking about a timber claim; that I said to her that we would furnish the money, carry it, sell It with our own tfrober. If . we sold it; that is remote frorS where we are operating or cut it and ay her by the thousand feet, if we evr oper ated there, which we never hav. That was my testimony; that was Ber tes timony. No other person cowld pos sibly know the facts. It was ifrrobor ated by the bookkeeper of tis com pany, who sits here, saying"! (Interrupted with laughter and general uproar.) j 'J Bays ZiSBants Own Claims. Mr. Booth: "Wait a minute' (Chairman rapped for order!) Mr. Booth:- "Hold on. vf h else could know the facts? Who eJse could know the facts?". ;i (Cries of "West.") i A voice: "Miss Hobbs." (auchter and applause.)'' - Mr. Booth: 'My testimony Jho wed. and our books were dellvere'd tfiere vol untarily, that every charge 'iat was made against them is in thefT name, kept on the books, carried? against them; and, furthermore, thatfwhen I went out of the management of the company, I told George Kelly,; T:ho man ager, ol the status of these clajnis. He passed on, and Mr. Dixon waf, t lected manager. He swore that heboid Mr. Dixon that these claims bejiiged to the LaRauts, and not to the iCpmpany. Mr. Dixon swore to the same t!j!iig;and some five years after I went ojt of the management Mr. Dixon bough iwo of the claims, when the peoplevent to' Canada. My testimony, the Laltauts" testimony, Mr. Kelly"Bftstirr jony , Mr. Dunbars' testimony, and Mr,".' Dixon's testimony says that the LaRahi's own5 the claims yet, and we haTi never . bought them .and any statems-jt to the contrary Is false. (Applause, I hold here the decision ij-f Judge Bean, which says: 'It Is adjufjged and decreed by the court that tjie plain tiff the government, mlndfyou 'is not entitled to any relief in ath Is suit against any of the said defendants as to the said patents, or as to ''.lie said lands therein described, and; that tho plaintiff's complaint as to Ijthe aid lands be and the same is hfereby dis missed'." (Applause.)' .: A voice: "What is the datf thatr' Z.a Xant's Title ITpliel, Another voice: "How aboi!j the cir- -cult court of appeals." '. Mr. Booth: "I will give li to you. if you Just wait. This is tgned in April, 1912." A Voice: "Who was the noiry pub lic?" (Laughter). ' $i Mr. Booth: "Now Just a wpd. Judge Ben presided In the court her, passed on the evidence, and said thathe l. Rauts were entitled to the cfjiims, and. denied one as to Jordan. Nj-w listen. The government appealed ;?ihe four claims, we appealed the one, jj the cir cuit court of appeals. Andtlnow let me tell you something the Crooks do not show. We have advanPd thnite people money repeatedly, repeatedly; not in sums of $100. J( 'Now let me tell you something about Judge Gilbert. Thin jls taken from the record. Judge Gilbert had r.o part In the land fraud 'Nominally except to sit on appeals. ThS records . show, however, that he wajr always In close touch with Burns ad Heney and had a certain shire in falling the jury box in 1905. When Ji)dge De- Haven was trying WilllamsQfj-( inter rupted by uproar) I- beg youjto listen to this Burns telegraphed tn Wash ington June 14, 1905, that lf?rthe Wil liamson Jury hangs Judge Otllbet'will order new names. The jurysagreed. Judge DeHaven was not askrd to try any more land cases and Jud& Gilbert ordered names for a new Jurjjlist, and it was from this list that jZr. West, Burns, and others, packed theury box. (Applause). I? "Judge Gilbert limited thej counties from which the names were jjawn, for Captain Sladen, who had chatjfe of the jury matters, wrote Bush Igtt Salem that Gilbert would limit thFr counties after the Judge knows wrjist names Jury Commissioner Bush subJh'tted. "That is the record. jQ Jury Selection AttacktH. "June 13 Burns telegraph Wash ington that Judge Gilbert rote the attorney general not to mdVp an ap pointment to fill the Judgeship caused by Judge Bellinger's death. f the de fendants would demand thJ Oregon citizens be tried by Oregon imges- Vou know that they were not. if "August 4, while West wai a Burns detective, Sladen sent thefColumbia county list to S. A. Miles,jja promi nent Democrat, saying thatie did so at the request of Judge Gilbrt. Miles lecommended only Democrat on the nt That is the Kind or justice mat That is what brought the Guard to rayh& feeen meted out t0 the people of U"Tbe letter that was read here In (Continued on Following; SPage.) 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