Omaha daily bee., 1897-04-05

| publican senators were for the Investigation
and therefore all populists ought to oppose
it. And this evil spirit came to his assist
ance, proposing to exclude evidence as much
as possible, and clearing the way for a
| withdrawing report. Mr.. Rosewater has
since sent in his sworn charges to the COM
mittee.
Lincoln News: The investigation the
senate has been forced to make bids fair
to become of a farcical nature. Not content
with the personnel of the committee as
originally constituted, the populists had to
add two more men to the membership OF
the committee and one of these is Senator
Ransom. The gentleman from Douglas is
the colleague Of Senator Howell, who
frankly admitted that he is the man The
Bee is after, and was one of the few SEN
ators who had the moral hardihood to stand
up and champion a bill in the interests of
the gamblers of the state. Few who wit
messed the pitiable spectacle of the senate
lodging the direct charge of ID. Il. Thomp-
son, a reputable citizen of Lincoln, that
their votes had been offered for sale, ex-
pected that the senate would display very
much heart in this investigation, either.
One of the favorite methods of discrediting
an Investigation is to make 1t as ~farcical
as possible, and the senate has added this
to the present Investigation by appointing
as a member of the committee to investigate
the gamblers a senator who was openly in
favor of the bill which it is charged was
slipped through the senate by the aid of
money used in the usual method. But we
shall zee what We shall see.
York Times: A committee of three has
been appointed by the senate to investigate
the charges Of bribery made by The Omaha
Bee in connection with the passage of the
gambling bill. This is a most infamou
bill and a number OF senators voted for 1t
without approaching the nature and effect
of such a law. Later the bill was recalled
frApn thn hn,.Nn nnl rt,,n IytllnI - thn
senate. There are some very suspicious cir
cumstanceS connected with the Introduction
and passage of this bill and The Bee claims
TO have positive evidence of bribery. The
Times does not hesitate to believe it. The
state senate this year seems to be very
rotten. There is every indication that a
Doodle ring was formed by the leaders of
the majority early in the session and that
a corps of agents was retained by them to
make deals with those interested in the
passage or defeat of bills. There was never
a time in the history of the state when so
many men were at Lincoln working almost
openly for retainers to influence legislation.
The investigation will be a good thing for
the state and with Senator Murphy at its
head will undoubtedly be thorough. He Is
sharp, has a good legal mind and is well
adapted to the work OF finding out what
ever rottenness there is to be disclosed. The
public will watch the progress Of this in
vestigation with considerable interest.
Lincoln Call: Howell, that ministerial
looking senator who has posed so success
fully as a supporter Of the referendum when
seeking office and as a pronounced objector
to ito principle when in Office, who is the
leading fusion candidate for mayor under
Omaha's new charter, who has been generally
feathering his own nest while in Lincoln and
who now figures as "chief push" In destroy
ing the validity of the gambling laws OF the
state, Is being fast found out. The very fact
that Senator Howell brings the bill up from
Omaha and attempts to disguise its author
ship by securing Miller of Burt to Introduce
1t is much evidence to the effect that the
reform senator represents the gamblers of
Omaha In this little deal and that the con-
nection between his candidacy for mayor and
his general relation with the gambling fra
ternity of Omaha will be thoroughly under
stood by the time he is ready to ask further
profeTment from his Omaha constituents.
The reform senator who figured so conspicu-
ously In the effort to get the Tibbets char
ter through the senate Is quite liable to
come to grief before he leaves Lincoln, on
the grounds OF the completely dual part he
has played In all his relations with his fell
low senators as well as the people he rep
resents. II goes without saying that the
manipulation of this bill repeating the gam
bling laws of the state by Senator Howell
has rather surprised his friends and his
hitherto reform reputation Will receive a
very lively analysis in the house when the
senator's gambling bill gets there, II 1t ever
dnpI