The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-03-18
COLOSSAL BOoDLING.

Disclosures of Corruption in the Chicago
City Council of Unprecedented Extent.
CHICAGO, March E.-As a sequel to the
recent passage by the city council Of an Or
dinance granting permission to the Chi
oago Power Supply and Compressed Air
company to use the streets and alleys Of the
city in about any manner it sees fit, the in
dictment of number of aldermen by the
grand jury for alleged boodlinp is prom
lsed. The City Press association tonight
says. "B. ibery of the most faRrant kind
will be shown. Corruption and rottenness
beyond the ideas OF the most cynical citizen
will be disclosed, and facts which make
position in the Chicago council ono worth
the hundreds of dollars of preliminary ex-
penditure will be shown up. Tomorrow
evidence Will be presented to the grand iury
showing beyond doubt that certain aldermen
have been paid libsrally for their votes. The
jury Will listen to tale of rottennesa and
corruption to which the boodling of Cook
county commissioners was nothing.' Evi-
| dence has been i'll pieparation for some
| time and meRh now encloses some Of the
city fathers from whioh there is little hope
OF escape. 1t includes the confessions Of
several guilty parties, which are said to be
very circumstnntial. The men who have
been working mp these cases SCARED no ex-
| psnso and made sure of every step. They
nave witnesses who have seen large sums Of
money paid by representatives of corporn-
tlons to individual aldermen. and who have
| heard aldermen promise to cast their votes
on certain measures in Il certain way
| Some received money at their homes, somu
were paid IN the precincts of Che CITY hall.
and two arc said to have sold their votes in
the lobby OF the council chamber
| The investigation, it is said will end onlv
when several of the present members Of
the council are wearing stripes in Joliet.
States Attorney Longnecker said this eve.
ming that he expects to show that the Com
pressed Air, Northern Pacific and Economic
Gas ordinanoos, three of the most
| important measures which have passed the
council for a long time, were gotten
through by the purchase Of votes for hard
cash.
II don't mind saying said he, 'that
there will be the biggest upheaval ever seen
IN this city when all the facts a.e finally
made public" Mr.. Longnecker added |
that he would be aided in the matter by
three or more prominent attorneys in the
city, they having been employed by local
newspapers, who had men assisting to
make out the ease against the boodlers.
Tho states attorney also said several al
detmen would assist in the inquiry. In ad-
dltlon to those who have confessed that
their votes were purchased, several will
testify to having been approached, and
others will tell of colleagues who openly
honBted OF receiving money. One alderman
most every alderman favorably connected
wltn1 the ordinances named above was
guilty OF receiving money for his vote.
Ihls alderman said it is generally admitted
that 1t requires money to get an ordinance
through the council. and many lnemhers
make no secfet of the fact that they
Will not vote for any ordinance unless re-
warded for 80 doing. In some cases
she reward IL IN the shape of a trade in
votes, supporting some Improvement in the
aldstman'H ward, but iii by far the greater
numbar Of cases the consideration ia hard
cash. The gentlemen who are behind tbs
night, which says in part that tha nrouf
acquired relates largely to ynrious Doodle
ordinances and ontangles four or five alder
men IN way that II will be very easy to
show conspiracy. I'VE will have no diff
Guilty, says the statement. .in indicting and
convictlng several well-known aldermen,
itianot ourdeslre to convict only aldermen,
however. We desire alsp to punish those
guilty OF bribinQ sounoilmen, and we will
not stop this investigation until they are