The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1904-10-05
BOODLER'S CONFESSION
Charles F. Kelly Relates Story
ofSt. Louis Combine.

Kelly Names a Politician Who Gave
Him $4,000 to Keep Out Of Reach
Of Grand Jury-PIots to lntimidate
and Discredit Circuit Attorney Folk
Price Of Votes.
st. Louis, Oct. Am written con
fession Charles F. Kelly, speaker OF
the house of delegates during period
In the life of the Doodle combine, re
lates the story of that combine.
Kelly details the story of the city
lighting deal, for which he says
Doodle fund of 1880 was divided be
tween the 10 members of the combine
at julius Lehmann's birthday party.
He declares that go.between gave
him the Doodle fund and that he took
II to Lehmann's house and that he
there divided it.
I'VE had fixed schedule of prices
he said, for various bills, according to
the value Of the franchises or privi.
leges given. We hardly ever received
less than $1,000 for the combined vote
On one or two occasions, though, we
got as low as $50 each for our votes,
end some of the boys took S. each.
Our combine was not along party
lines. Both Democrats and Repub.
licans belonged to it. My experience
has been that boodlers line up accord.
ing to their own interests and not un.
der party standards. Democrats and
Republicans In st. Louis usually nom.
mate men to go to the house of dele.
gates for the money they can make
out of it.
Each party man votes for his own
fellow and either one that gets in
serves those who rob the city of fran.
chises l believe this has been tol.
Grated in st. Louis. because the heads
of so many Of the large corporations
of the city used to think it less trouble
to buy what they wanted than to elect
honest men to the house Of delegates
There are many other things | can
and will tell later on, but this will do
now. This, in brief, is My story and
the confession of my infamy. be.
lieve, though that If the people of St
Louis allow this man Ia prominent pol
itician is named) to go on and control
both political parties and put his men
In office, the public will be just as
guilty as | am today.
"I am now suffering the penalty oi
my crimes, am degraded and dis
graced. | shall cndeavor for the rest
Of my life to atcne for the wrongs ]
have done"
Kelly declared that the politician he
mentions paid him $4,000 of the $50,
900 promised on condition that Kelly
would keep away from the grand jury
Kelly went to Europe, intending to re
main until after the statute of limita
ton had run out on the lighting deal
BY a miscalculation, Kelly said, he
came back too soon and was arrested
Kelly added: 81 know from my own
knowledge and from the statements
made to me by those on the inside
that bribery has been going on In the
municipal assembly of st. Louis fol
the past 25 years. Hardly a bill.
passed that body in the last quarter
of a century unless 1t was paid for.
We did not fear exposure and punish
ment.
when the present prosecutor (Cir'
cult Attorney Folk) commenced his
war on us, we tried to intimidate him
by threats of assassination and when
this had no effect we laid all sorts OF
traps for him, without success. Then
some decided that the best plan would
be to start a newspaper and libel him
so fiercely as to draw his fire by TAX
ing up his time In libel prosecuting or
II he did not, his influence would be
weakened and destroyed.
although we could find nothing
after a thorough search to make at
tack on, libels were deliberately made
up for the purpose of affecting public
sentiment. This plan was participat
ed in, not only by members of the
house Of delegates under indictment
for boodling but by prominent finan
ciers of st. Louis who feared exposure
and by those who gave us the money
OF the combine, Kelly had this tc
say:
1--WE never thought Of passing a bill
out Of which any money could be oh
tanned, unless We were paid for our
votes. We went about 1t in a bust
ness like way and had combine meet
ings at stated times and fixed the
bribe price which we were to receive
for our votes, by majority vote OF
the combine Then we would select
one OF the combine In whose honesty
we had confidence, to go out and gel
the money.
Among ourselves, understand, W.
rad a high code Of morals, and 1t was
| considered extremely dishonest for
member OF the combine to accept
bribe money without dividing 1t among
his fellows"