Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-02-02
REPRESENTATIVE coMERFoRp
MUST APPEAR BEFORE in.
vEsTIeATloN COMMITTEE.
LAW MAKERS ARE ARMED
Members OF Lower House Of Les!siat-
ure Garry RevoIvers and comeford
Says He is Ready to Withstand At. \
tacks by Enemies Newspaper Rs-
porter is Assaulted.

Springfield, ILL.,, Feb. 1. -- BY unaiii.
nous vote the house of representatives
tnls morning adopted a resolution
providing for committee OF seven to
investigate the charges of corruption
ana underhand practices made by Rep
resentatiye Comerford OF Chicago
against members Of the legislature.
Says Privileges Are Auctioned.
Comerford's charges which. were
made in an address before the stud
ents OF a law school in Chicago, al.
legged that .tthe Illinois legislature is :
great public auction where special
privileges are sold to the highest cor.
porations as bidders. and that with.
out respect to party Affiliations graft.
ers' seem to be in the Majority, Is Z
comerford Must Testify. IS
The investigating committee is en-. ;,
powered to bring Representative, Com
erford and cause hfm to testify .as to-
what he knows Of the alleged whole.
sale corruption.
Legislators Are Armed.
Many OF the members of the legis.
lature are walking about armed.
Threats have been made against Com
erford. who acknowledges that he has
revolver In his pocket to defend
himself IN an emergency. 4
Newspaper Reporter Attacked.
One assault has. alreday been ac-
corded as consequence Of the Coner.
ford charges. James Burdette, re-
porter for a Chicago paper was
knocked down just outside the en-
trance to the Leland hotel by alleged
friends Of one OF. the accused mem
bers and was roughly handled. His
assailants escaped.
Charges Stir House Members.
1t is also charged that Mitchell made
$4,000 out of the forty third general
assembly, that he laid down on a
Mount Clemens, Mich, bar q 81 900
bill and gave $40 bills to walters as
tips. There is a great deal OF general
matter in the Comerford charges as
printed in the Chicago afternoon news.
papers, all of which tends to support
the text that the general assembly is
an auction block" for the sale Of spe-
cial privileges. I;
The Comerford charges have aroused
the ire of house members and an ef
fort will be made to expel him from
the house If he fails to make good his
charges. Mr. Comerford admits hav.
ing made the charges but refuses to
discuss them 1t is generally be.
lieved he has been retailing idle gossip
and will be unable to substantiate
his charges.
The republican house steering com.
mittee discussed the Comerford case
informally last night, but took no OH.
cial action
viii Be Asked for Proofs.
The Chicago member will first be
asked whether the printed charges
were authorized by him, and if he ad.
mits this to be the fact, he will be
called on for proofs. Under the con.
stitution each branch of the general
assembly is Judge of the qualifications
Of its own members and may expel
any of them on vote of two-thirds Of
the members elected This will mean
that 102 votes will be necessary to ex.
pei Com erford from the house If he
fails to substantiate his charges It is
believed that the necessary vote can
be obtained.