Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1888-10-31
coMsTock's RECORD.
Cronin's Charges Completely
Crushed.
[From the Moorhead News. ]

from the Moorhead News.l
Hon. s. G. Comstook, who has been
campaigning through the fifth congress
sional district for the past three or
four weeks, came home on Monday
morning to spend one day with his
family and to attend to pressing cor
respondence, and left again this tues
day. morning to resume his canvass.
The News took advantage Of Mr..
ComstUc&'s brief stay to interview
him on the charges contained in the
John +. Cronin letter first published
in the Crookston Times, and after
wards copied in nearly all the Demo-
cratic newspapers in st. Paul and the
Fifth district with great flourish of
trumpets, with sounding brass and
tinkling cymbals. In the Interest of
the truth of contemporaneous history
and for the purpose Of setting Mr..
Cronin right before the people, we
give our readers the benefit of the in
terview as follows:
News: Have you seen the Cronin
letter pretending to give your legisla-
tive record? Mr.. Comstock: Yes.
News: Will you please state what
there Is in 1t that is true?
Mr.. Comstock: The whole charge
that l lodged certain bills is absurd.
Most of the measures Cronin men,
tions favored and would have voted
for them if had been in my seat.
Two or three of them | should have
voted against if | had been in my
sea, wheu the vote was taken, because
1hev we're ut,Sound in principle.
N,">: What have you to say
ab~:.t -" general charge of lodging
1uv votes:
Nr. C~m>tock: / was chairman OF
the Judiciary committee and Il MEM
Der of five other committees, and was
in consequence kept constantly very
busy. do not doubt that Cronin
might have found upon closer ex-
animation one hundred other bills
upon which l did not vote, not be-
cause lodged or was opposed to
them, but because I was II working
member and did no; devote all my
time to making a record.
News: House file No. 392, seems
to be an important one as it provides
apenaity for the issuing Of false or
fraudulent stock by railroad COM
panies. Cronin says it was smothered
in the committee on railroads of
which you were n member. What
about that?
Mr.. Comstock: Senate File No. y,
which passed both houses and be-
came a law, accomplished the same
purpose. For that reason the House
File was probably indefinitely post
poned, though have no knowledge
of the matter. Although have not
the record before me, am confident
that many of these bills that he
(Cronln) refers to were reported ia
yorably by the judiciary committee,
OF which I was chairman. A dozen
other gentlemen were Oh these COM
mittees with me and 1t would be just
as fair 70 charge aHy one of them with
smothering these bills as to charge
me with it.
News: What have you TO say to
Cronin's charge as to HouseFile, No.
/?
Mr.. Comstock: I was not men,
Der Of the committee on banks and
banking and do not now remember
that ever saw the bill Or heard it
read. There are some $500 or 5000
bills introduced each session, and it
is about all senator or representative
can do to look after the bills which
come to his own committee, if he is
a chairman. These charges are made
for purely political reasons. If Mr..
Cronin really desired any informa-
ton or knowledge as to how I stood
on any of those bills he might at least
have written to me on the subject,
which he has never done.
News: Do you know Mr.. Cronin ?
Mr.. Comstock: No. I never saw
him or heard of him before, and do
not know who he is now. I repeat
that the charge that / lodged is false
in every particular.
News: Is it expected that senators
and representatives shall :be present
and vote On all measures?
Mr.. Comstock: 1t is only Oh close
Jy contested measures that full vote
is ever called for or had in either
house. Men are constantly absentins
themselves to attend committee
meetings, attend the other house and
for other reasons public and private.
An examination of the journal will
rarely if ever show that any senator
has been in constant attendance and
voting on every measure that has
come up in any stated period. Proba-
bly, this would be true ola single days