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|\ _ In a towering rage, the Prime Min-- | ister denied the charges in their en-- 'tlrety. as did Mr. Glass. Offers Commission. 'Premier Denounces Signa-- _ tories of Affidavit Charg-- _ ing Interference W i th _ Liquor Control Board as i "a Couple of Black-- mailers®' Angered to the point of fury by charges read by Hon. George S. Henry that he had interfered with the Liquor Control Board to obtain a permit for a hotel, Premier Mitchell F. Hepburn last night chal-- lenged the Opposition Leader to stake his seat in the Legislature on the truth of Mr. Henry's allegations Affidavits alleging that the Pre-- mier and J. J. Glass (Lib, St. An-- drew's) had interfered with the Liquor Board and obtained a beer authority for a hotel which had already been refused a permit were read by Mr. Henry, who said he would not take responsibility for| their contents. The affidavits were | from Walter and Nina Osborne, the | latter claiming to be a first cousin| once--removed of Mr. Hepburn. | Henry Challenged To Stake His Seat _On Liquor Charges ALLEGATIONS DENIED Mr. HMHepburn labelled the two persons named "a couple of black-- maillers";: he called Mr. Henry "a kindred soul'; "a man who is a fit companion of a person who would steal beer money," and wound up his denial by offering to appoint a Royal Commission to thoroughly probe the whole affair if Mr. Henry would stake his seat in the House. Mr. Glass read an affidavit which cleared him of the charges and volunteered to surrender his seat if the statements were not The incident caused the most furious, sensational and bitter con-- troversy the Ontario Legislature has witnessed this session. It was started when Mr. HMHenry read the affidavits. Authority Granted. The affidavit sworn to by Walter Osborne said that he and his wife were approached by Beecher Den-- nis, proprietor of the Hotel Den-- nis, Broadview Avenue, Toronto, and asked to do everything they could to procure a license. The statement said that Glass, Dennis and Osborne visited Arnold Smith, Deputy Commissioner of the Liquor Board, who told them the applica-- tion for an authority could not be granted. On May 17, they saw Premier Hepburn, "who said he would do his best to procure the said license or authority." The controversy over the affi-- davits which Mr. Henry had read earlier in the day, and in which it was alleged they;Prime Minister had interfered with the administration White--faced, his volice ringing through the dead silence of the Legislature, Premier Hepburn last night lashed out at Opposition Lead-- er George Henry in a sensational in-- dictment of "a man who is a {fit companion of a person who would steal beer money." "As I was leaving the said Hep-- burn's office. he said to me: 'What are you getting out of this, Walter®" I replied I was getting a steady job. Hepburn then said: 'I will see wha: we can do about this and let Mr. Glass know before 3 o'cleck this afternoon.' ' On May 18, according to the affidavit, Osborne again visited Arnold Smith and the authority was granted. Henry Denounced. John J. Glass, Liberal member for St. Andrew, reopened the matter by reading an affidavit from Beecher Dennis, proprietor of the Hotel Dennis, in which it was claimed that all the statements contained in the affidavits sworn to by Mr. and Mrs, Walter Osborne were false. of the Liquor Control Board to secure a beer authority for a hotel, rose to a climax when the Premier challenged Mr. HMHenry "to stand up like a man and stake your seat on your charges." Mr. Hepburn, obviously incensed over the whole affair, hit out at his opponent with a withering at-- tack. He repeated what he had said a few hours before concerning his connection with the Osbornes, and told of Osborne threatening to go to the Leader of the Conservative Opposition with damaging affidav-- it unless he, the Prime Minister, went over Mr. Odette's head and either secured re--employment for him at the Hotel Dennis, or cancell-- ed the beer authority. "Should Be Ashamed." "And so they rushed to the Lead-- er of the Opposition," said Mr. Hep-- burn. "And they were rushing to a kindred soul. The Leader of the Op-- position is quite capable of associat-- ing with a man who steals beer money. A lot of his associates in the House are ashamed of him. "This Mrs. Osborne may be a relative of mine as she claims. J never saw her before the day she came to my office." "Why can't it be threshed out in Public Accounts Committee?" askeq Mr. Henry, who previously had asked that the conflicting affi-- davits be sent to this body and the whole matter probed. "Take a little threshing yourself," snapped back the Premier. "You should be ashamed of your-- self," retorted Mr. Hepburn. "Now, if you're a man, get up and say what charges you have against me. Get up and siake your seat in this House. Do what Paul Munro did (the late Paul Munro, Liberal member for South Wellington). Get up and do that, and I'll appoint a Royal Commission." "I read affidavits that Y felt it would be wrong to conceal," said Mr. Henry. '"There is no need of that," replied Mr. Henrv. "T'll not appoint a Royal Commis-- slon on the affidavits of two black-- maillers," thundered Mr. Hepburn. Glass Replies. "I'll stake my seat on the truth of this affidavit," broke in Mr. Glass. "Let the honorable Leader of the Opposition do the same and we'll fight it out." When Mr. Glass started out to read his afflidavit, he said the Oppo-- sition Leader would not take respon-- sibility for the facts contained in them, but read them to the House just the same. "If the Prime Minister thinks the people of this Province will be satis-- fied with his denial--" began Mr. Hentry. -- "According to custom," observed Mr. Henry. "According to the custom of one as contemptible as you," exclaimed Mr. Hepburn. Mr. CGlass read the affidavit in full, Mr. Dennis said that the orig-- inal arrangement between himself and Osborne was for the latter to invest $2,000 in his hotel for neces-- sary alterations and furnishings. Later Osborne advised him he was not in a position to invest the money, but he promised to assist in securing a beer and wine authority which previously had been refused because of objections from a near-- by school and church. March 20 Mr. Dennis, in his affidavit, clear-- ed Mr. Glass of the charge that he asked $700 for securing the license. He said the member for St. Andrew's acted as his solicitor; had acted for him on previous occasions in court proceedings, and his fee for this, together with his work in securing the withdrawal of the obiections to the boer--and--wine authority, was $300, At no time had he agreed to pay, or had paid, Mr. Glass sums of money for use of his influence or the influence of the Prime Minister, for the securing of this authority, the affidavit set out. Glass Cleared. Osborne was short in stock and cash an average of $40 a month for many months, and when he refused to accept responsibility for further shortages in his handling of the revenue from beer and tobaceco sales. he was discharged, according to Dennis, HMenry Attacked. "The said Walter Osborne threat-- oned me on several occasions that if T discharged him he would use his influence with the Prime Minister, who he claimed was related to his wife, to cancel my beer authonty, and after his discharge he actually altended at the Liquor Control Board _ laying certain _ charges against me and the said Mr. Glass, to the effect that the said Mr. Glass had stated that ho had io give $500 to some one out of the fees received by him, which state-- ment is absolutely untrue." _ "My honorable friend says I am not taking any responsibility in connection with the affidavits." said Mr. Henry. "Is that unusual?" "Not for a man like you--a man used to wallowing in muck," flash-- ed back Mr. Hepburn. Ngt.? "And what about you, Mr. Pro-- vincial Secretary, is it unusual not to accept responsibility in this man-- "Any more insulting remarks?" asked Mr. Henry. "I can think of a lot more things I could say," retorted Mr. Hepburn. ner: "I say it is not only unusual but it is contemptible," declared Mr. Nixon. "If my recollection serves me right, he said he would stake his seat in the House," retorted the Provincia) Secretary. "What about Paul Munro?" asked Mr. Henry. 7 "I have been in politics a long time," said the Premier. "I always: regarded Parliaments as being like} gentlemen's clubs. But I am sadly| disillusioned." ' The affidavits were produced at the afternoon session by Mr. Henry, beginning the controversy which continued at evening sitting. -- * "It is absolutely untrue, and so is everything else in the affidavits." declared the Premier, when Mr. Henryv had finished reading them "I believe I am entitled to rise on a point of personal privilege," said Mr. Hepburn. *'These people wrote to me and represented themselves as relatives of mine. I had never met them before. Mrs. Osborne wrote and said she was a distant cousin and that she had something confidential to discuss with me 1 knew nothing of the nature of the request. I wrote and told her that, as the session of the House was at hand, I would be exceedingly busy, but that I would be glad to see her later. "Later on a delegation waited on me, including Mr. and Mrs. Osborne, Mr. Glass, Major Snelgrove and some others. Mrs. Osborne asked me if 1 would help in getting a beer authority for the Hote! Dennis. I told her that I made it a practice never to interfere with the admin-- istration of the Liquor Control Board and that I could not inter-- fere. I said that sometimes cases were reviewed by the board. "They later went to Mr. Odette, the Liquor Board Commissioner, and asked Osborne's reinstatement in the hotel's employ, be secured, or the hotel's license cancelled. He refused to do anything !n the mat-- ter. The Osborne's tried to reach me by telephone and ! refused to speak to them. They then came to the Parliament Buildings and de-- manded that I see them. They told «999