Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-05-01
END OF INQUIRY
House Adopts the Doodle Com.
mittee's Report and Dis.
charges the Committee.
FINDS NO REAL ATTEMPT AT SIN
stance of the Testimony of the
Speaker.

Springfield. Ills, May 1.-The report
of the investigating committee which
probed the Doodle charges has been
printed. 1t begins with n statement of
the work of the committee and number
and names of witnesses and contains
the testimony of Speaker Miller in full
and a summary of the testimony of the
other witnesses. these two items alone
containing 5000 words. The conclu-
sions of the committee are as follows:
No Real Attempt at Bribery.
"First-That the evidence produced
before us does not establish any real
attempt to corruptly influence the ac-
ton of the speaker of this house.
''Second-That there was no reason
able or substantial ground for the edi-
tOrial entitled Doodle published in
the Chicago Inter Ocean on April 21.
1903 and recited in the resolution in
troduced by Representative Schlagen
hauf; and that the charges therein con-
tained and as specified further in the
testimony of Mr. Human. were wholly
without truth or foundation as to any
member or officer of this house, so far
as we have been able to discover.
Utterly Unworthy of Notice.
"Your committee feels 1t due to it
to say. in view of the publication by
MIR. Human of his statement read be-
fore it. that it regarded the rumors'
so frequently referred to by him, and
the jocular remarks attributed to men,
bers and others, as utterly unworthy
Of l,n oIoY
upon citizens of Chicago, employed or
selected to represent il, who in the
opinion of your committee deservedly
stand high in the estimation of its best
citizens. as wholly outside the purposes
of this investigation. 1t also, in the
light of the evidence before it upon the
specific charges made by him. placed
no credence upon any Of his charges
of improper conduct or motives upon
their part in connection with the sub
iect of this investigation.
ContradIoted by Other witnesses.
1--WE find that in every instance
where we have been able to secure
the testimony of witnesses referred TO
by Mr.. Human i'm his statement he
has been emphatically contradicted by
those witnesses as to all allegations
by him OF improper or corrupt conduct.
either by them or to their knowledge,
and his testimony has been plainly
cOlored by desire to charge evil and
wrOng-doing upon others. His state
ments are contradicted in one or more
important particulars by the sworn
testimony of his own reporters. of Sen
ator Campbell. of State Treasurer
Busse. of Judge Indy, Mr.. Walter
L. Fisher, f. Burrit Smith, f. Z: Bliss,
and of Representatives Nohe and
Mitchell, and Mr.. Feldman.
Hits "GaveI Rule" Hard.
''Your committee expresses the hope
that this unfortunate circumstance
shall mark the end in this state of that
unconstitutional practice known as
'gavel rule whereby the constitution
al right to a roll call has so frequently
been refused in the legislative bodies
and shall stop in this state such reck-
less and unfounded attacks as was
made by this editorial in this case. as
well as the use of the license of the
public press in taking advantage Of
their opportunity by wanton and un-
founded statements calculated to I'M
duly influence legislative action"
The foregoing was signed by each
member of the committee, the conclu-
sion being unanimous.
SPEAKER MILLER'S TESTIMONY