St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-03-16
COAL COMBINE CASE,
The Committee Decides to
Hold Fast to the Rhodes
Books,
And to Secure an Indictment
by the Ramsey Grand
Jury.
Attorney General ChildS' Ad-
verse Opinion Will Be
Disregarded,
And Both Houses Asked to
Pass the Necessary Res
olution.

bines, etc, increases from day
10 day. and the final out
come Is exceedingly problematical.
The attorney general has receded
from his position of Tuesday night,
when he advised the committee to hold
the books of the combine that had been
seized summarily by the committee.
This places a new phase upon the
enigma, although the committee is tlrm
i'm It's belief that il has not exceeded the
supreme right vested i'll inqulSlti0nS
into fraud and crime, despite the opinion
of several senators that the proceeding
was violation of the. common law OF
personal rights.
Yesterday morning John j. Rhodes,
the conductor of the Northwestern bu-
reau, from whom the books were seized,
presented this petition to the senate,
through Senator Lienau:
Rhodes Petition.
Between the hours of II and u o'clock
this forenoon the private office of your
petitioner, in the Endicott building, st.
Paul, was entered by two persons, one
claiming to be j. w. Wells, assistant
sergeant-at-arms of the house of repre-
SentativeS or the state of Minnesota,
and one J. Scheffer, claiming TO be ser
geaDt of the committee Of the senate OF
the state of Minnesota, and the
said two persons took by force
and violence, and against the pro-
test of the petitioner, from his
said Office the following property: One
tonnage book, one blOtter, one Journal,
one ledger and one impression letter
book. and one letter file. That said
books are and always have been the
property of the petitioner, and contain
the entries and transactions of his pri-
vate business and of his personal CORE
spOndence, as well as MS business CORE
spondence. That such taking OF such
property by said persons was upon the
pretended ground contained in a paper
left by said persons at your petitioners
office. inStructing the Sergeant-at-armS
to secure the books for the coal lnyeStl-
eating committee.
The petition then proceeds: Your
petitioner further states that the books
so, as aforesaid, taken by said two per-
sons do not relate to any coal combine.
so called, or to anything else than to the
private and personal business OF this Pc
titiOner: and that no committee of either
the house or senate or said joint COM
mittee have requested or ordered your
petitioner to produce the books so taken
from his office; nor has said joint com
miJtee or any other committee of either
of your honorable bodies required him
so TO do, nor has your petitioner at any
time or place refused to produce
before such committee or committees
any books or papers Of any kind; that
the seizure of such book Is a high
handed and unwarranted outrage upon
the rights and privileges of your petit
- nil oft N faf of
sofa: that there is no power or author
ity in any body or in any of the branches
of the government, whether legislative,
judiciary or executive, for any such act
or conduct. That the means by which
the production of such books can be en-
forced is well known and understood,
and that the foregoing acts OF said per
sons constitute and are breach of all
the rights and privileges or your petit
toner as a citizen of the state Of Mime
sofa, and is in violation of section 10 of
article l of the constit ution of the state
of Minnesota.
Your petitioner therefore prayS that
inaSmuch as these unlawful acts have
been committed in the name of and un-
der the pretenSe of the authority of
your several honorable bodies, acting
through said joint committee, and As
such Outrages upon the personal and
private rights of your petitioner have
been committed by persons styling
themselves respective officers Of your
respective honorable bodies, that you
will forthwith require such persons tC
Immediately return such books and al
of the same to your petitioner, and grant
and extend to him such other remedy IN
the premises as is just and proper.
DOnneIIy Indignant.
Senator Tawney Immediately moved
to grant the petition and made a flOwery
speech upon personal liberty, and Sen
atOr Donnelly replied with great force.
He recited the incidents of the investi-
CATION, which are familiar TO the read
erS of the GLOBE. diSprOving the vita
points in the petition. Rhodes had been
broug hit before the committee, and he
had sworn positively that he had NJ
books nor papers. incidentally letter
proving that Rhodes keeps letter copy
book fell into the hands of the commit
tee. Still Rhodes denied the existence
of such a book. and the knowledge a
the hands of the committee influenced
the descent upon Rhodes Office and the
capture of the books. Every one Of
them pertain to the coal combine.
the bar of the senate and punished fol
perjury" cried Mr.. Donnelly. -
listened Yesterday with pride and pleas
ure to the eloquent and argumentativt
speech OF the gentleman from Winonf
upon measure L felt a great interes
in, but am aStonished now to hear him
attack committee of this legislature
l am ashamed of the senator from Wi
mona. He owes it to me to frs
become informed of the facts, fOl
he should know that the petition
contains mass of falSehOOds. We have
secured evidence that this coal com bine
Is one of the most hideous organizations
that confront the people. Not an ounce
of coal can be sold in a free market
The market is controlled by the pre-
| ducers in Pennsylvania. 1t is one OF
the most unhOly trusts that has ever
been conceived"
Mr.. DOnnelly proceeded at length
and the petition was finally referred t
| the investigating committee.
To Retain the Books.
The committee had very interestin!
| session at the Astoria hotel last even
| ing, and the attendance of the member:
was larger than usual, possibly owins
| to the exciting incidents of the past twC
days. The advice of the attorney gen
J eral, in which he recedes from the pc
! sitiOn he assumed on the previous even
! ing, was considered in executive session
until nearly midnight. Senator Don
nellY-no one questions with his lift
! study of parliamentary law-ought t,
! be right in any positive conclusion III
may arrive at, and he is certain that tn,
committee has made no blum
der, and the result of the meet
| ing last evening was to de
eide upon a resolution that will bC
introduced in both branches of the
Legislature this morning, asking 70
| further instructions to tie sergeant-at
arms to retain the books for an inspec
ton by the cOmmittee. Should tn,
books give the information that cur
sorry investigation would indicate, tue
case will then be called to the attenti OF
| Of the attorney OF Ramsey county. WHIT
! will he directed to take the case before
! the grand jury of this county for an in
| dictment.
Moreover, there can be little dOub
that Rhodes will be arraIgned befor'