The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-05-10
ALL LEGISLATURE
CALLED BY JURY
Massachusetts, solons Answer
Charges Of Wholesale Graft
Lawson at Bottom.

journal Special Service.
Boston, Mass, May 1O.-Every mem
Der of the state legislature Of Mas
sachusetts has been summoned to APP
pear before the Suffolk county grand
jury and answed charges of wholesale
graft in the passage and defeat of leg
islative measures.
In patches of seventy five, the 240
members of the house and forty mem
bers of the senate will pass in review
before the 1nquisitors. This procedure
will be followed each day until every
legislator has answered questions pre-
pared by District Attorney John B. Mo-
ran. t..
This graft investigation began to-
day, and is the first on record involving
the entire legislature of a state. An
nouncement of it produced sensa-
ton by the grand jury.
..~ Lawson Back of It. go ~
District Attorney Moran is response
bic for the investigation and Thomas
w. Lawson is: responsible for Moran s
unprecedented action. ..s-..: II. -.
In recent public announcement Law.
son declared that seventy members Of
the legislature had been guilty of &C
cepting or offering brides, In a long in
terview with District Attorney Moran
yesterday, he is believed to have made
the disclosures which prompted Moran
to demand so sweeping an inyestiga-
ton by theg rand jury. =.
In it's examination of the legislators.
the grand jury; will sift every matter
that has been before the present legis-
lature to which suspicion Of corrup-
ton. has been attached. Street railway
affairs, the overtime bill, the bucket
shop bill and several other bills will
be inquired into to discover whether or
not improper methods were employed
to pass or defeat any of them. -
Solons Must Appear.
The legislators have been served with
legal summons from the grand jury
! not personal request by Mr.. Moran
| so they will be compelled to put in an
| appearance The process servers from
| the office Of the district attorney ar
rived at the statehouse yesterday af-
ternoon while the mouse was in recess.
! They had not the least difficulty in
serving the summonses which require
| the presence Of witnesses before the
grand jury at~9 am. today in the case
of the commonwealth against Richard
! Roe ct al. -.
This development in the Legislative
| scandal that has so excited the, state
follows the discovery that a fund OF
| $4,000 was raised by the bucketshor
pro rietors of Massachusetts to be uset
in the defeat Of hostile legislation. Il
was contributed by bucketshop men il
cities and towns thru the state. Mucf
Of the fund already has been expended
Green Lobbyists Made Mess.
1t has been said by those, on the
"inside" at the statehouse that thu
disposition Of the corruption fund wa!
placed in the hands of amateurs. greer
lobbyists, and that they made a mess
of it. To this is due, to large extent
the publicity of the scandal whicl
shadows the house of representatives
1t is commonly reported on Beacon hill
that about forty mem bers of the hous,
and senate have been Influenced by thi
lobby. -. soi:@fz4t g. T. :s.sj: ~ = >|e
Another action to- be looked into il
the surprising defeat of the overtim,
bill. labor measure, also RESTRICTING
child labor in the textile mills. Thi
bill seemed sure to pass, but was killet
at the last moment, enough member
suddenly shifting their attitude an
vote. .i.-. ......+'' .... 81. -.