The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1905-12-14
Prominent Politicians will Prob
ably be Asked to Tell Of the
Railway Ordinances.
INVESTIGATE MILWAUKEE CO.
State Legislature to Hold an Inquiry
and City of Kenosha May Figure
Largely in the Evidence
to be Produced

1t is extremely probable that NUM-
Der of Kenosha politicians to whom
the people by the ballot have given
the distinction of using Tex" as pre-
fix for their former titles will be given
an opportunity to spend several weeks
at Madison during the next few
months. They viii not go as members
of the legislature, but, notwlthstand-
ing this fact, they will be IN attend
ance at the sessions Of the leglsla-
ture.
At tne session of the legislature on
Thursday it was decreed that a COM
mission should be appointed to inves-
tigate the work of public service cor
porations, and to this end the Keno
sha men will be called to Madison to
give evidence before the commission.
Since the administration leaders
took up the fight for an investigation
of the methods of public service cor
porations the fight has been largely
made against the Milwaukee Electric
Street Railway & Light company
and the investigators have turned
their faces toward Kenosha expecting
to show that the railway used cor
rupt methods in getting a franchise
into this city.
OF course the corrupt methods, II
used, never did the company any gooa
as the franchise was not upheld by
the court and the railway is still
waiting for an opening to kenosha.
1t is hardly possible that the leg1sla-
ture would take the time to investl-
gate the passage of the Haynes-Claus-
sen ordinance as there was no one
connected with that ordinance that is
prominent in state politics and as the
legislative inquiry is intended to pro-
duce political capital the members
of the commission will have no time
to fool with unknown parties or pro-
motors.
It is pretty generally understood
that the legislative investigation is to
be aimed at Charles Pfster OF Mil
waukee, and the various companies
with which he is connected, and the
Kenosha franchise fight in which 1t
was alleged and admitted that there
was corrupt work will probably not
come under the eagle eyes of the
legislators.
For some time the Milwaukee fol-
lowers of the adninistra ton have
been attempting to get at the officials
of the railway company there and to
this end an effort was made to lay the
matter before the grand jury in Mil
waukee at it's recent sessions. AT
that time District Attorney Mccoy
ern, who is at the bottom OF the IN
vestigations, sought to bring out the
facts in connection with the alleged
deals in Kenosha and later this matter
was used in a brief presented IN the
circuit court. This brief showed that
the Kenosha case furnished much of
the grounds alleged for the investi-
cation.
Nearly ali of the men who were
connected with the council at the
time this matter came up in Kenosha
have been retired to private life, but
they have always stated that they
were willing to go into court or any
where else and tell all that they know
in regard to this railway franchise
deal.
These men will undoubtedly be sum
moned before the state commission
and it is possible that there will be
some decidedly interesting things
brought out.