The Savannah morning news., 1901-04-02
CHICAGO'S TEACHERS
AGAINST THE BOoDLERs AND THE
CORPORATIONS.
A BAD STATE OF AFFAIRS.
INVESTIGATION PROVING QUITE
SENSATIONAL.

Charged That Members of State
Board of Equalization Had Receiv-
ed Large sums 10 Keep Down As
sessments of COrpOratiOns-Attor-
ney for Teachers Intimates This
Very strongly to Attorney for Chi
caEo City RaiIwny-A Teacher
Gives Some Very Interesting Testi-
mOny.
Springfield. Ills, April 1.-The hearing
of evidence secured by the Chicago school
teachers against the State Board of
Equalization was resumed In the Circuit
Court of Sangamon county to-day. The
feature of to-day's proceedings was the
insinuating and sensational questions of
Mr.. Greenacre attorney for the teachers,
in his examination of T. r. Bliss. attor-
ney for the Chicago City Railway Com
pany. relating to money alleged to have
been paid to Maj. e. "A. Blodgett for dis
tribution among the members of the
board. Mr.. Greenacre promised the court
that he would attempt to prove the facts
alleged, but admitted this evening that
he did not know whether or not he would
Dt dDle 10 AuTHlSn tue
Mr.. Bliss was the first witness and was
subjected to a scorching examination by
Attorney Greenacre. The testimony
brought out the fact that Maj. E. F.
Blodgett had been purchasing agent for
one of the Chicago street railway COM
panies.
Mr.. Bliss was asked whether just pre-
vious to the fixing of the assessment by
the board of equalization he had had
conference with Blodgett at the Union
League Club in Chicago. and whether he
had there given to Blodgett sum of
money. Mr. Bliss admitted that possibly
he had met Blodgett at the club, but he
denied positively and unequivoeally that
he had ever paid him any sum of money
az any place Mr.. Bliss as positively deT
MED that his company had ever paid
money to any person in connection with
the assessment of its property
BIOdgett's 'GOod Services"
AS to Mr.. Blodgett Mr.. Bliss further de-
clared that he had been hostile to the
company's interests and as a result of
Blodgetts good services" d" the company's
assessment had been increased $4,000.
Lawrence A. Young, an attorney at law
in Chicago was put on the stand and an
effort made to prove by him that he was
present when Mr.. Bliss is alleged to have
given Maj. Blodgett $Ss,OOO. Mr.. Young
is a son-in-law of George II. Wheeler
who was president of the Chicago Rail-
way until 1898. Mr.. Young denied that ne
had any acquaintance with Maj. Blodgett
and he said he had never heard of him.
Miss Margaret Haley Of the Teachers
Association was on the witness stand sew
eral hours. She told of her experience
before the State Board of Equalization,
while she was making the HghE against
its method of taxing corporations, 'she
said her presence in Springfield was evil
IDENTIFY obnoxious to the board, and that
its members applauded the statement that
If she were a man she would be thrown
out of the window for her permission.
George Schilllng had been in her Of
fee at the time. Miss Haley said, and
Schilling had asked McKenna, a member
of the board, how a membership in the
board of equalization paid. McKenna's
reply was thet there was not much in
it for a Chicago man.
Country Members Come Cheap.
He said" continued Miss Haley, that
the corporations could buy two or three
country members for the price a Chicago
man asked and they preferred to do busi-
ness with country members because they
would stay bought They were always
sure of landing them.
There was another thing Mr.. McKen-
ma said" continued Miss Haley. HE said
we had done q good thing for the board in
showing what the property of the corpor-
ations was worth. He said the members
would now realize that the corporations
had not been treating them right. He
n
down"