St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1905-08-05
REVELATIONS BY
AN EX-SPEAKER
LEsIDE HISTORY OF A STATE
LEG IsLATURE BY ONE
WHO KNOWS.

"Boodle" frequently Used Unneces-
sarily-Bungling Work Of Three
Thriving Commissioners - How
Some Railroad, Lobbyists Held Up
Their Own Coh,nanies-Gamb
Debt Paid with Proceeds-Buying
Votes with Public Jobs.
By AN EX-sPEAKER OF A STATE
\ LEGISLATURE
Copyright, 1905 by Joseph B. Bow.ss,)
When it comes to boodlirg it is not
always member of the legislature who
makes the first advances. There are
citizens, and respectable ones at that,
who seem to have an abiding conviction
that no bill can be put through gen
eral assembly without the use of
money And there have been insta nces
where bills were in a fair way to PASS
without even suggestion Of corrlpt
practices and yet those outsiders who
were interested in the measures delib.
erately and unnecessarily paid money
for affirmative votes.
Naturally if money is offered it is
taken; no one need wonder at that; but
the shame of it is that in some cases
the needless crime was committed by
men who stood high in social and bust
ness affairs. I have in mind an in
stance where bill affecting a great
public enterprise when introduced had
no opposition in either house or sen
ate. The character Of the public works,
its Importance and urgent needs ap-
pealed to the citizenship of the legis-
lators and it was on the books to send
the measure to the governor for his
signature without negative vote.
The public works was under the SUI
pervisiOn and control Of board Of
commissioners elected for the purpose.
This board was taxing body and it
was necessary, in order to carry the en-
terprise to a successful completion, to
give the board authority to slightly
raise it's proportion of the tax rate.
The bill was introduced in the house,
reported out of committee and, having
passed the house, was sent to the SEN
ate The board of commissioners had a
man on the ground watching the bills
progress and this mansreported that it
was not necessary for him to remain
at the state capital any longer and sug-
gested he be called home This was
approved and he left the scene of law
making. BY this time the bill was on
its second reading in the senate. The
commissions agent had scarcely left
town when three of the commissioners
on the floor of the senate, and
before they had been there an hour the
word was passed around among the
elect that the members of the board had
brought down money with them.
At once tactics antagonistic to
the bill were in evidence. A
score of objections were voiced.
The measure suddenly stopped and
then was sent back to committee.
This unexpected change of conditions
mystified the genuine friends of the
measure and they telegTaphed the
boards agent to come to the capital at
once. He gathered the three commits
sioners in hotel room, made them ad-
nit they had come with the intention
of buying votes and then he, with much
profanity, demanded they leave the city
on the next train and take their Doodle
back with them. He told them unless
they did this he would make public
statement of the whole affair and go to
the grand jury with it afterwards.
Having sent them home, he set about
the task Of removing temptation from
the legislators who, when they learned
"there was nothing in it for them"
called the bill out of committee and
passed it.
Now this is what had happened The
crooked members of the board of COM
saw an opportunity of max
ing little easy money. They called
in the contractors on the work and told
them the bill could not be put through
the general assembly without the use of
q little oil and advised the contractors
to pass the hat. AS it was big money
In their pockets If the bill passed, for
more taxes made larger funds, the con-
tractors made up pool and turned the
proceeds over to the three commission
ers who came to the state capital. Had
it not been for the fact that the con-
tractors were on intimate terms with
many members of the legislature the
three commissioners would not have
been compelled to appear on the floor
Of the senate with ready money in
their pockets. 1t was their plan to give
but small portion of the cssh con-
tributed by the contractors to the legis-
lators, keep the rest and make the con-
tractors believe that all the money had
gone into the pockets Of the boodling
holdup men in the legislature. AS it
was they had to return the money aid
could only even up by putting in bill
for expenses incurred ira appearing be-
fore the senate committee in behalf of
the tax BILL" which the treasurer OF
the board allowed and paid.
great railroad companies got drunk one
night, and when he came to. the next
day, found that a professional gambler,
who ran faro game in the capital city,
held his !. O US for several thousands
Of dollars. The agent was in a bad
way over the affair, for the debt of
honor was too large for him to finance
1t once. But being resourceful man
be told the gambler to hold the bits
Of paper week or SO and they would be
paid with interest.
Then the agent started in to burn the
midnight oil and soon had evolved
plan which for certainty OF results and
ease of operation was without parallel.
He called in several gentlemen of his