The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-03-10
HEARING BEFORE THE |
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
tcontinued from Sixth Page.)

CONTINUED ffOIn olAlh IdSe-l
states attorney, or any other officer
whose primary duty it is to prosecute
the case or cases in question, and DO
whatever he may desire to have this
department do within its province in
the premises. Yours truly,
THOMAS F. EGAN, Supt.,
With the clear language before me OF
the last clause of section OF the act
constituting the department OF state
police, / must confess that this answer
to my request, not for prosecution, but
for investigation, seems to me like
mistaken plea of avoidance. NeVerthez
less 1 accent their Interpretation of
their limited duties, because at all
events it is certain that in such investi-
CATION as l seek, they do not have the
power as police commissioners or put
ting any witnesses under oath and
compelling any man to tell what ne
knows. Who then can? The state po'
lice advise me to go to the states at
torney; and hunlbly taking their adj
vice to the state attorneys office !
went. / found there an intrepid and
indefatigable officer with work enough
on his hands, with some power to en-
pIoy the state police or other detectives
when he has complaint to be prose-
cuted, but neither in theory or practice
equipped with efficient power to act as
an officer of original investigation,
| upon presumptive evidence, such as
have, however credible, he has no such
power in this state, as upon similar IN,
| formation Mr.. Jerome would have IN
New York, to summon all persons i'm
| plicated to his office, and If he saw fit
/ to go with them into the room of the
grand jury. Where then can the cleo
tor go who brings credible presumption
of petty or grand political larceny OF
the rights of the people Of Connecticut?
To the jurors Of a town? One might
as well seek to oyertake an automobile
| in a hay-eart. To a justice of the
| peace? Yes, but investigation of an
extensive and ranified corruption calls
for a larger jurisdiction and a sWifter
procedure. But he might ask for g
i committee of the legislature? Yes, and
| if he got it the first thing they would
do would be not to go themselves into
the towns where the facts might be
found, but to require the public spirited
citizen himself to turn prosector and
prove everything he knows. Gentle
men, I ask not for a limited, an occa
sional or political jurisdiction, how
4 ever honest, but for a competent court
of primary Investigation for the plr.
pose of detecting and bringing to JUS
punishment political corruptionists
iBut where can / find it? 7 stand ready
to-day, not to make charges against
any man, net to prove offences, which
it Is not within the province Of the pri
waite citizen9tosproye, but, if there wert
any such officers, armed with suffi
cient authority, / stand ready to pu
h him close upon the trail, still steamins
and odorous, of alleged political corrup
tionists. Were there In existence sucl
a power of competent primary inquir.
throughout the state, it would not b,
necessary for me to appear before Vol
to-day. I will not of course make pub
4 lie here names and communications Il
me, in part confidential, which IL uset
8 at all, ought to be used as states evi
dence; but solely for the purpose o
enforcing the demand for some compe
tent power Of original inquiry 7 ma.
offer to you still more definite intirna
ton of the information which not ]
but the state ought to follow to TIL
end. could mention for instance, t
such an investigating officer the dis
trict senatorial convention, where hi
could look for evidence as to the mum
Der of votes alleged to have been pud
chased, the names Of the delegate
with whom definite sums Of none,
may have found Judgment, and NOR
directly accessible still to such an off
Ger, / could adduce verbal and evei
written statements of delegates VIII,
claim to have been offered and to hav
rejected brides such as this: I'VE wer
offered $500 for the Gown delegation
5000 and $500 for a single vote. l don
: know whether the other fellows wan
: this mentioned, but as far as am cor
cerned, don't care
l do not know, ought not to say
Y l =