The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-03-16
PROSECUTORS
AFRAID OF The
HIGH POWERS
George L. Fox Flags Them For
lnaction On His Charges
of Corruption
Butterworth Club Passes Strong
Resolutions Arraigning Re-
publican Party Leaders

information furnished them by George
L. Fox, after the last State campaign
were severely grilled in an address
before the Butterworth Progressive
club last night, in which Mr.. Fox
they had violated their oaths of office
and had deliberately remained inactive
because Of the political pull of those
involved. Allegations of the most
serious nature were also made by Mr..
Fox against prominent politicians, in
Guiding Robert O. Eaton, J. Henry
Roraback and Andrew F. Gates, who
| he claims violated the present corrupt
practices act during the past election.
Previous to the address by Mr.. Fox
the Butterworth club had passed re-
solutions criticisfng the inactivity of
the prosecutors in regard to the
charges of corruption. This resolution
is undoubtedly one of the most severe
arrangements ever adopted here. AS
a premise this resolution sets forth
that: cit is common report and be-
lief that corrupt practices were re-
sorted to in various Republican con-
yentions held in the State of Connec-
ticut last fall, and that in the prac-
tice of such corruption not only was
the will of the great majority of the
voters of the Republican party de-
feated, but the laws of the State were
Milfully, arrogantly and criminally
broken"
/, Charges Vote Buying.
/. Mr. Fox charged that votes had
been bought at three different Repub-
lean conventions, that for the Gov
ernor in Hartford. the Congressional
convention here and the Senatorial
convention in Wallingford, which
nominated Marsden for the State
Senate. He spoke of two delegates to
the latter convention who were bought
other. He said that the proof of this
deal was SO strong as to be beyond
doubt in his mind and his criticism
was severe for the prosecuting attor-
ney who had positively refused to
make an effort to secure evidence to
prove it. In regard to the other two
conventions he mentioned the LaWless
and Carlson incidents, which are al
ready we'll known.
''To all three of the prosecuting at
torneyS in Hartford, New Haven and
Wallingford, 1 have given leads. which
ought to have been followed and which
if they had been followed would have
exposed a rotten state of corruption. I
don't want them to do any more than
they would do in an ordinary case
but they should do as much If these
had been ordinary crimes prosecutors
would Immediately take steps to Sc
cure evidence to make arrests or to
prove the untruth Of the charges.
When go to them with a charge thew
say: you work up the evidence IF
try the case Now I have neither the
power nor the resources to push the
inquiry so as to produce results. The
way these prosecuting attorneys went
to work was neither square, honest
enforcement of the law nor was it in
Wi toi,, he
Mentions Others.
Others, who Mr.. Fox claimed had
violated the law. were J. Henry Rora-
Senator-elect Mclean and Andrew F.
Gates, who managed the campaign of
Senator Morgan G. Buckley.
3 81 have kept rather quite for sew
eral months on points rather sore to
me- said Mr.. Fox, in opening his adj
dress. 81 refer to the actions of sew
eral prosecuting attorneys in this
State who remained inactive after I
had worked for months to put in mo-
ton the wheels of justice. I have
tried to do harm to no man. / have
tried to make use of the means in my
hands, which are now very meagre."
Mr. Fox rehearsed the history of the
corrupt practices act and placed spe-
cial emphasis on the way its teeth
were pulled by the Legislature in 1909
Speaking of the provision drafted by
Judge Williams, who was then States
Attorney for this county, which made
the act really efficient, he said: "When
the last Legislature met they repealed
this provision at the instigation of the
legislation committee. That was very
SUSPICIOUS.
''Wf lhout an efficient corrupt prac-
tees act the only thing to do is to
work away at the prosecuting attor-
neys. If they had acted within their
powers I would have been satisfied
My complaint is that they have not
done it. I would be satisfied if my
evidence was not thrown into the
waste paper basket"
Gubernatorial Convention.
The speaker then went on to talk
of the Republican convention for the
nomination of the Governor. "There
was great corruption on both sides,''
he claimed. He said that he unearth-
ed five lines of evidence which if in
vestigated would have led to dis
closures. He said he had found four
men who said that $1,000 or certain
good things had been offered to them
IF they would vote for a certain can
didate The most promising of these
leads was the Lawless incident
Here Mr.. Fox spoke of the report
filed by the secretary Of the Goodwin
cluD OF HARTFORD. IN WHICH ne claims
it was shown that money had been
spent on fifteen different things which
were forbidden by the law In this
category he mentioned the $3.50 spent
for a reception to the Waldorf club
of this city to promote the interests
of Mr.. Goodwin. He also claimed
that at least six banquets, each of
which cost between $500 and $500, were
provided for in viola, ion of the law
Another item was $1,700 given to build
a statue for a church. Mr. Fox said
that he had found two other cases
beside that of Attorney Lawless where
delegates had been offered bribes
One of these men who was offered a
bri5e, Mr. Fox claimed. has an office
less than a quarter of a mile away
from that of the Hartford city attor-
ney and yet the latter made no effort
to look into the matter when it was
called to his attention. The speaker
claimed furthermore that Attorney
Dickinson didn't investigate the Law
less incident or see Lawless himself
until three or four weeks ago.
81 also called the attention of the
prosecuting attorney of Hartford to
The law that prevents any man from
spending money to promote the cleo
ton of any candidate except the can
didate himself, his agent or the sec
rotary of the political committee" In
this connection Mr.. Fox spoke of Mr..
Roraback and Mr. Gates, who he