Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-04-07
CORPORATIONS ON THE RACK
Certain Public Service Concerns May Be
Investigated by Grand Jury,
CHARGES OF ELECTION FRAUDS MADE
Matter Has Been Placed in Handu
OF County Attorney by Parties
WHO Are hack Of
Move.

The May grand jury Of Douglas county
IL to be asked to investigate charges that
certain public service corporations spent
thousands Of dollars in attempting to man
ipulate the nominations at the recent party
primaries. Certain public officers, who do
not want their names used at this time,
claim TO have considerable amount Of evil
dence already in hand. They say their OBJ
ject Is to strike at the corporations rather
than at the candidates who accepted fnan-
cial support and to teach the former a les
son that they can no longer NEEDLE with
Omaha politics.
Under section s5 of the charter any fran
chised corporation convicted of spending
money to elect or defeat candidates through
its officials or agents. directly OF indirectly.
is subject to the forfeiture Of its franchise.
The fines provided for both candidates and
corporation officials and agents cannot be
In excess Of 800, and # Is the franchise
matter that is the most important.
Text of the Law.
The section reads:
No oficer or agent Of the city shall So
licit, directly or indirectly, the political sup
port OF any contractor, municipal fran
chised corporation railway company or
the officials or agents Of such companies,
for any municipal election OF for any other
election or primary election held in the city
in pursuance of law. Nor shall any fran
cchised corporation or railway company
through its agents or officials, or by any
other means, furnish or appropriate any
money, directly or indirectly, to promote
me success or defeat OF any person whom
soever, In any election or primary election
held in such city, or to promote or prevent
the appointment or confirmation of any APP
pointive officer Of such city. A violation OF
any Of these provisions on the part of any
officer OF agent of the city shall be deemed
thereof such oficer shall be removed from
ONCE by the order of the court and fined in
any sum not to exceed $500 A violation of
franchised corporation through it's officials
or ag, nts, upon conviction by any court of
competent Jurisdiction. shall subject such
corporation to forfeiture OF its franchise
and the imposition OF fine not exceeding
400 upon each and every officer or agent of
such companies who shall have been proved
guilty of such violation.
If any officer or agent Of the city shall
pensation Of a franchised corporation or
public contractor. or their agents with a
tnres6 TO I'M introduce or support a measure
resolution or ordinance, adverse to their
interests, II such demand is not complied
with, or II such officer or agent shall offer
to prepare or introduce or support reso-
luton or ordinance favorable to such COM
pany or contractor for a valuable con-
sideration, such action shall be deemed
malteasance IN ONCE and upon conviction
thereof each offender shall be fined in any
the court.
slabaugh willing to Act.
Some overtures already have been made
with County Attorney slabaugh with re-
gard to bringing the matter before the
grand jury and he is understood to be
willing to act.
The leaders in the movement declare the
time has come when franchised corpora
lions must keep their hands or municipal
politics In Omaha. They say corporation
money and influence have been notorious
In every primary and election for years
and that the last primary was no exception
to the rule. They assert also they can
prove their cases and secure conviction
and propose to do So Another thing they
point out is that IT will be an easy matter
for the city to obtain concessions to con-
sumers from corporation in danger of
losing its right to do business by forfeiture
of It's charter.