Omaha daily bee., 1901-03-08

| IIall county and other similar bills of a
| holdup nature would respectfully report
| that they understand holdup bill to be
one which, ii enacted into a law, would
! infict Injury upon some person, corporation
| or busines interest. but which the author
| come a law, but which he rather intends
TO use for the purpose Of extorting money
or other valuable consideration from the
! person or corporation threatened. II this
| view be correct, not only is the holdup hill
! fruitful and dangerous source OF Corrup-
! tion in the halls OF legislation, but It tends
! TO discredit honest measures introduced by
members M rn who have. no other purpose than
| another form OF the holdup Is to oppose
| ne passage of some meritorious measure
by some City or other subdivision of the
| STATE, and to offer to withdraw such oppo-
COMMITTEE pd cGraqp, fha an of Tbomssens biis
Originated org with Robert g. pruesdow and
ui,bb yniab me me connection OF Mr. f. W. Barber
soIicits Employ ment.
In the first days of this session of the
| legislature Mr. Barber solicited employ
| ment by the president OF the Nebraska Tel
Of that corporation in and about this legis-
,ature' lie was INFORMED that his services
Barber requested Representative Thomssen
10 TO introduce telephone bill being one of
U e 9sW dSTs M are2 r pnr at
5er r showed this same bill to Mr.. a. J.
Wright q clerk in the senate, who has a
|
| company, and requested Mr.. Wright to IN
,q,,m form the officials of the company that this
Din WAS about to be introduced and to rug
sest that steps could be taken TO prevent
ts introduction. lie was Informed in reply
that good many telephone bills Of like
ana one more could do no hurt. \ little
later ater Representative .Thomssen requested
Mr.. Barber to give him the bill, and hay
ing had a statement prepared on the sub
| lect, ne introduced II with the other bills
mentioned. We believe that the bare re-
| tllVl OF the above facts SIIffipipntIy inIi-
cate the purpose and motives of Mr.. Bar
Der IN this matter
Five other Bills.
We find that not only did Robert c.
Druesdow originate all of the Thornssen
bills, but that he gave to senator Meredith
lve other bills for introduction In the SEN
J. bill for an act authorizing cities of
me hrst class to regulate the sale and Use
placing of telegraph. telephone and electric
wires under ground and to levy tax on
uSIegraph and telephone poles, and to reg
uiate telephone charges.
adulterated lard.
3. \ bill for an act to make persons and
J corporations operating street railway and
manufacturing plants liable for injuries to
, @ @.leiI employees when such injuries are
ploye.
!. a bill for an act requiring the branding
: braska penitentiary
,,o ., pill for an act to provide for the taxa
uon OF express companies
| IL was claimed by Mr. Druesdow that
tnesc bills were involuntarily given by him
TO Senator Meredith. 1t also appear from
, the evidence that Mr.. Druesdow had a
> large number of other similar bills, desig-
mated as schoolbook bills, Pullman bills and
, /, me IKE No satisfactory reason was given
| Ior the production of this vast grist of bills
all admirably adapted to use for hodup pur-
poses put your committee found no evi-
tss detnSs % prove that Mr. Druesdow either
= asked OF received any corrupt Considera tion
Tor preparing or defeating them
without Visible Occupation
, we tind that o. $. Moran, former MEM
per OF this house, was in this city most of
. the time from December 81 1900 to Feb
Q ruary u. 1901, without any visible occupa-
ton; that he passed much of his time in
mote the passage OF bin the passage OF
I which was greatly desired by the citizens
of a certain city, and that he demanded as
consideration therefor 800 for himself
) 800 for certain member Of this house and
that he claimed at the same time to be able
named Tor SO and several Others "entosE at s.
each. We are unable to find any evidcnC
that Mr. Moran had any authority to Offer
tho vote OF any OF said members for sa le
g nor do we find that the promoters of said
. blll paid or promised to pay Mr.. Moran any
Mr. Moran approached two persons. agents
OF certain railroad corporations. and offered
,o to see nat a certain bill then ON the house
= MES and obnoxious to said corpora tions was
smothered. and that for this service he de-
, msnded money and passes for himself and
We do not find that this offer was author.
Y lied by the member In question. The work
or Mr.. Moran was carried on openly on The
i moor of this house. on the day following
/. that on which this committee learned of MIR
Morans proceedings, the second after ouI
( appointment and after a subpoena had beer
ordered for Mr.. Moran's attendance bcfor,
= the committee, his health which was some.
what delicate, became suddenly worse, ano
he left for his home In Platte county and
his attendance was only secured after tn,
sergeant-at-arms had made two trips to his
D home.
: Three other bills of like character with
those under review have been received by
= members of this house through the mai
from an unknown source, and were turned
= over to this committee.
So Far aud No Further.
Your committee entered upon this invosti.
CATION with the determination to go to the
potion or the matter, but we found a point
, In every instance beyond which IL is impos.
. sible to secure evidence which would war
rant finding more definite than that abov,
' given. member of this house may main.
tain close relations with a holdup promoter
serve the p,irposc Of a boidin' nro.rn' u, .s
n may, by his management of these bills after
!. their introduction; still further arouse oui
suspicious, ana other painful circumstances
may be disclosed, yet all of these facts maN
not be inconsistent with an innocent pur,
9 pose; and we would not be justified in ever
naming the man.
y This Investigation may not seem to have
LED to large results, yet we are satisfied tina
il | II has had a most salutory effect in bansh
ing, or at least suppressng, the activity OF
Y the promoters of holdup measures.
CHARLES A. FOWLER,
o CHARLES Il. COFFEE,
j. II, EDMONDSON
n l.. JOUNENAT,
- Committee.
: bills Passed.
b.. When the house reconvened this afternoon
4 bills were taken up under the order OF
third reading and the following were
passed
k S. f.. 11s, by Pitney-To provide that