Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1897-06-23
THE REPORT.

made 10 Governor Leedy shortly after
the supreme court decision DENYING
them power to secure unwilling testi.
mony, had been rendered. AS we stat
ed last week, Grimes, the republican
member of the committee, came to the
aid of the boodlers by making a MINOR
ity report:
To the Hon. J. w. Leedy, Governor of
Kansas:
The investigating committee appoint
ed under the provisions of Senate con-
current resolution No. Is, met March
10. 1897, and organized by electlng o. o.
Outcalt, chairman; F. E. Grimes, Sec
rotary, and F. r. Forrest, sergeant at
arms and adjourned from time to time
until April Z, when J. b. French was
elected clerk and Miss Lizzie Acben-
bach stenographer. The taking of tes-
timony was begun April and coutin-
ued until April q, when 4. G. Davis re-
fused to answer material questions.
The committee thereupon declared him
guilty of contempt and placed him in
charge of the sergeant-at-arms. Mr..
Davis applied to the supreme court for
a writ OF habeas corpus. On the hear
ing of the application the court held that
while the committee was legally organ
lied and had the right to sit af the
adjournment of the legislature. it had
no power to punish a recalcitrant wit
ness and ordered the prisoner discharg-
ed. The effect of this decision is to
render any further investigation by the
committee useless and the committee,
therefore, decided to adjourn.
The people have Alright to expect that
their legislative servants will carry out
explicitly their demands for laws that
will relieve them from the extortions of
corporations. A failure to do this
caused by improper influence brought
to bear upon legislators by individual
or corporate interests. cannot be too
severely condemned. Where such
charges of corruption are made the peo-
pie have the right to know all the facts
so that they may be able to fix the re.
sponsibllity where it belongs, to punish
their dishonest servants and to guard
against similar treachery in the future.
The people are justly indignant at the
failure to secure needed legislation.
They will have additional cause for in :
dignatlon and disappointment in the
premature ending of this investigation.
The committee has honestly endeay-
ored to bring out the whole truth and
all the facts in regard to the charges of
bribery but has been hampered from the
beginning by attacks upon its legality
and powers, emanating apparently from
men learned in the law whose names in
popular estimation are connected with
those measures concerning which the
corrupting influences of the Hobbies were
most evident. Their views have been
disseminated by certain of the daily pa
pers and have served TO create in the
minds of the public the belief that this
investigation would be farcical.
During the closing days of the legis-
lature determined effort was made to
discharge the committee; failing this
those interested in preventing an in
vestigation endeavored to prevent an
appropriation to carry on the inyesti.
CATION and when this attempt also fail
ed the appropriation was hedged about
with restrictions and provisions that
have been embarrassing to the commit.
tee. From these circumstances, those
arising during the progress of the in
vestigatiOn and from a careful review
OF the evidence adduced the committee
is led inevitably to the conclusion that
we'll organized Hobbies with distinct
purpose of controlling legislation in.
tested the legislative halls at the last
session and that their methods involved
corruption and bribery of members of
the legislature.
1t is to be regretted that the commit.
tee is not clothed with authority to con.
tinue its work in an active way. The
evidence submitted herewith will dis
close the fact that in several instances
attempts were made to bride and corrupt
members of the legislature. Facts
known to different members justify the
conclusion that additional, direct and
conclusive evidence of bribery would
have been developed.
Tue committee believes that the pres
ence of professional lobbyists in legis.
lative halls Is a menace to the peoples
rights, disgrace to the state and an
unmitigated nuisance. 1t is therefore
recommended that laws should be pass
ed to restrict the privileges custom has
allowed them and to make the practice
of their nefarious acts a misdemeanor.
The committee believes that similar
committees in the future should be en-
powered to compel an unwilling wit
ness to testify. 1t is therefore recon-.
mended that law similar to the feder-
al law upon the subject be passed at
the next session of the Legislature.
The committee believes that the fail
ure of the late legislature to pass GER
tain laws demanded by the people was
due to improper influences welded by
corporations and lobbyists, amounting
70 outright purchase in some cases, and
that the necessity for such is as urgent
as ever. 1t is, therefore, recommended
That the legislature be called in extra
session that the will of the people be