The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-10-17
THE USURY QUESTION.
THE FIGHT IN THE LEGISLA.
TURE OF 1891
The Two Reports On the Question
OF Corruption.

made April ZJUn, 1891, on the QueStl on
of whe ther money had been corruptly
used to influence legislation on the
Usury question. BY accident an in
stance was stumbled upon where the
party could not deny that he as loan
agent paid S25. SO, as an assessment to
protect the money loaner's interests
There are certainly one thousand per-
sons in Minnesota interested in lend
ing money-this would give fund OF
Twenty-Five thousand dollars, and the odd
cents, $1,000 show that the payment
was to raise a specific sum.
The reports will be found interest
ing reading.
Mr.. President: l have announced
the passage by the House of the fol-
lowing Senate Files herewith re-
turned
S. f. No. S73-A bill for an act re-
lating to Carver county.
s. + No. SSC-A bill for an act
amending charter of Anoka.
S. +. No. 7OC-A bill for an act re.
lating to a bridge in Dakota county.
S. +. No. G66-A bill for an act re-
lating to school district in Mcleod
county.
IS. +. No. 76l-A bill for an act relat-
ing to town of Faxon. -.
S. +. No. 67C-A bill for an act relat-
ing to city of Henderson. r"
S. +. No 659-A bill for an act fixing
salaries of officers of Beltrami county.
IS. +. No. e5s-A bill for an act relat-
ing to catching fish in Wright and
Meeker counties.
S. +. No. S60-A bill for an act relat.
ing to Prairie Lake.
). +. No. asa bill for an act relat t.
ing to farmers mutual fire insurance
companies.
S. +. No. IA bill for an act relat.
ing to admission to the bar.
S. +. No. 162-A bill for an act relat
ing 10 highways.
S. +. No. 6S1-A bill foran act relat.
ing to Pipcstone Agricultural Society
S. +. No. 65s-A bill for an act tC
protect fish in Becker county.
S. +. No. S12-A bill for an act relat
ing to city Of AnOka,
S. +. No. STA bill for an act relat-
ing to city Of Anoka.
S. +. No. 396-A bill for an act reiat-
ing to state normal schools
Also, that the House has cOncurred
in Senate amendment to
S. L. Ne 350-A bill for an act relat.
ing to superintendent of schools OF
Dakota county, and repasSed the same
as amended. Z. j. SMALLEY,
Chief Clerk of House of Represe nta
tives.
REPORT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEE.
Mr.. Donnelly from the committee
TO investigate the charges that cor
rupt influences had been used to de-
feat the interest bill made the follow
ing report:
Mr.. President: The undersigned a
member of the special committee tC
investigate the question whether the
bankers of Minnesota have raised $40.
oO0 or any other sum to cOrruptly at
feet legislation, resp ctfully reports to
the Senate:
That your committee has held sew
eral meetings and taken the testi
meny hereto appended. The great
amount of business, and the almost
continuous labors of the closing days
of the session. have necessarily re nder-
ed the investigation brief and imper-
feet. 1t has also been difficult to get
at the facts, since it is in the interest
of those having information to keer
it from the public.
The testimony taken diSclOSeS how
ever, beyond question, that the state
banks are banded together in an as
ISOLATION to resist legislation, which
in their Judgment, is adverse to theil
interests: and that for this purpose
their members are assessed and money
collected and used. 1t is claimed that
this money is used only to employ ar
attorney to advise them as to the
character of bills introduced into the
legislature. 1t seems strange that
tirst-claSS business men, of acknOw
lodged sllrewdness and sagacity
should need an attorney to tell them
whether bills offered in the legislature
are favorable to their interests or hos
tile to them: especially when the sec
rotary of the association. Hon. f. r
Smith, is a member of the State Sen
ate and is gentleman of marked
ability: and when ST. Paul furnishes
many bankers, members of the aSsoci
alton, inferior to no men in the sta te
in business capacity. Moreover the
provisions OF a bill that has not yet
passed, and that may never pass, are
hardly matters to be considered by an
attorney. 1t would seem time enough
to employ expensive counsel to cOnsid
er bill after it had passed and be
test it in the courts. No ether elias.
interest seek to protect itself by EN-
ploying attorneys to study bills tina
are in a constant state Of mutation
and change in their passage through
the two houses. No attorney can par
ticipate in debate, on the floor of
either house; and there is no record OF
any one arguing in either house, where
the cOnstitutionality of such meas
ures is properly considered. 1t woulo
seem that the claim that the aSsocia
ton assesses its members to raise
money to employ an attorney to study
the provisions of bills before they be-
come laws, is a pretence and subter
fuge, and a cover for more dangerous
practices. And the falsity of the plea
is shown by the fact that III. j. Deu
the manager of one Of the largest loaI
associations doing business in this
state, testifes that in the year 1889 he
contributed the sum of $3.50 to some
fund, and that this fund was raised tt
affect legislation: and he does not
know how it was used, but his book.
show that it was given to defeat the
Sevatson usury bill He states that
the money was raised for education
purposes, to instruct the ignora nj
popular mind, upon questions that
have been universally discussed fol
many years past. The state bankers as
ISOLATION claims TO kno,r nothing about ans
such Jund: so that it appears at least
t,co agencies were secretly at work col.
lcctlhg money Tor some purposes con
nccted with the legislation: and we
are asked to believe that all this was
done for the employment of an attOr.
T % m Mt Nf Io