The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1910-06-10
MANY LEGISLATORS
HIT BY CONFESSIONS
Representative BeCkemeyeT Be-
fore Grand Jury.


workings of the legislative corruption
Jackpot" placed at 100000, was
made before the Sangamon county, IL
linois, grand jury at Springfield by
Representative H. j. G. Beckemeyer,
and at the conclusion of his testimony
States Attorney Edmund Burke de
clared that new legislators had been
involved as the actual receivers OF
Dribes.
The hard-headed, hard-handed farm
er grand jury sat dumb with amaze
ment and wrath while Beckemeyer,
WHO was the second to confess to
bribery in the Lorimer election, told
his story. He revealed the inside
story of the whole system of legisla-
tive CORRUPTION, named many bills
which he said were passed through
rank bribery, and opened up u sys,
tematic graft that EXTENDS through the
whole legislature and which it is be-
lieyed vii. involve tE~ee-fourths of the
members-more than $50 men.
1t was by far the most extensive
and searching revelation Of the rotten
mass CT bribery and corruption in the
Forty-SiSth General Assembly that has
as yet teen made. And at it's close
came a dramatic scene, when Becke
meyer, after leaving the grand jury
room, said he was going to resien, adj
mitted that he was down and out"
and was going back to the farm OF
Carlyle for good and all.
Beckemeyer was examined chiefly
on the fish bill scandal He gave the
grand jury the name OF the man who
is aIleged to have collected the mon
ey from the fish interests that is said
to have bc11 used in killing the bill.
A sensas ional statement issued from
the office of Governor Deneen, follow
ing a conference with States Atorne.
Burke, adds to the acuteness or the
situation The stat executive used
strong language in declaring that the
'taint of guilt should be traced om
the members who received the bTiLes
TO the persons Or corporations who
gave them"
The governor declared "the whole
nefarious plot should be exposed and
all connected with. it prosecuted"
States Attorney Burke is understood
to have information to the effect that
a number of commercial fishermen
paid $500 each into Jackpot" to de-
feat the fish measure.
When the money was collected it
was given to one of the members of
the legislature who refused to divide
with the others who were to be de-
clared in on the deal, it is asserted
Frank S. Traut of Beardstown, ILL.,,
was summoned to Springfield.
Traut is the man to whom States At
torney Burke traced the Jackpot"
contributed by the fish men of the
state for the alleged purpose of killing
a bill inimical to their interests. He
admitted receiving $4,000 from John
ically that a dollar OF the money was
used for questionable purposes.
Traut also denied that he is con-
nected in any way with the Federal
Construction company, in which Sena-
tor Lorimer is interested
There is nothing wrong about the
transaction. The money collected was
used for legitimate expenses. We were
here for months fighting the bill and
anyone who knows the way things are
done in the legislature knows that it
is expensive business loafing around
Springfield lobbying for or against a
bill"
Representative 4. NJ. Foster of Rush
Vile who was chairman of the house
committee on fish and game to which
the fish measure was referred, insists
he knows of nothing corrupt in con-
nection with the killing of the bill
At Chicago Judge Seaman decided
Lee O'Neil Browne, Democratic mi
nority leader in the Illinois legislature,
must stand trial in the criminal court
on the charge Of having paid a bride
of $1,000 to Charles A. White, state
representative, to vote for William Lor-
inner for United States senator.
judge Seaman denied a writ of ha-
beas corpus prayed for by counsel for
Browne. The effect was to turn the
legislator over to the criminal court.
The decision was accepted by States
Attorney Wayman as complete vic
tory for the prosecution. The prose
cutor predicted that nothing could now
prevent Browne from being placed on
trial in the criminal court.
After Judge McSurely heard the de-
eision of Judge Seaman he ordered the
immediate arrest of Browne and the
forfeiture of his $4,000 bond signed by
Alderman Powers and Alderman John
Brennan, and Browne was brought be
fore the judge by deputy sheriffs.