Evening journal., 1913-02-28
TAMPER WITH
LEGISLATION.
House Committee Finds Bill
Was 'DOCtOred" After
Passing Senate
REINHARDT CALLS
FOR AN INVESTIGATION

Special to THE EVENING JOURNAL.
DOVER Del. Feb. 2S-That a bill
that had passed the Senate had been
tampered with and an amendment
that never had been acted on was at
tacbed to It before It reached the
House committee was discovered yes
terday afternoon, when the House
committee ON banking and insurance
gave a hearing on the measure.
The bill that had been tampered
with, and about which a legislative
scandal has broken, was Senator
Fooks bill, to give banking powers
to the Laurel Savings Bank and Trust
Company It passed the Senate ON
Monday of this week, and contained
the names Of Joshua ID. Marvel,
Charles A. Hastings. Curtis h. Davis,
Thomas j. Waller. Hiram b. Hitcn,
DIR. William I. Jones and DR.. j. w.
Fooks as corporators.
When the bill was passed by the
Senate it contained no amendment,
and it was delivered TO the House on
Monday read and referred to the
House committee on banking and in
surance, of which Representative Jes-
ter is chairman. IL was reported out
fayorably and then recommittted
When the bill was called up for a
hearing before the committee yester-
day afternoon, Daniel j. Layton, Jr,
of Georgetown, appearing as counsel
for the men who were named as corpor-
ators in the original bill, discovered
that an amendment backed and
stamped with the seal of the Senate S
bin clerk was fastened 70 the original
bill. The amendment substituted the
names Of Senator Samuel J. Furniss,
Harvey w. Hastings, Charles w. Rig
gin, William u. Valiant and George
B. lnsley for the original corporators
named.
The amendment was backed in the
usual form, but nobody seemed to
know whence Il came and when it was
attached to the original bill. The
backing did not set forth whether IL
was a House amendment or a Sen
ate amendment. but it was stamped
with the seal OF Bill CLERK DaDphin L
Wharton, of the Senate. Nr Whar-
ton said he never had seen the amend
ment and had not stamped II, nor did
lie know who had stamped it with his
seal
When tho committee discovered
that the bin had been doctored, they
reported to Speaker Holcomb who
took the bill over 10 the Senate and
informed the members of that body.
For awhile there was some excite
ment, for the members Immediately
began to wonder whether any other
measures had been tampered with.
II was learned that the amendment
rtfaa lraf.uraI I.r Taplq- M Tnnnpn
counsel for the House. who said he
prepared 1t at the instance of Senator
Furniss and turned it over TO the
sten9graphers 70 typeYrite, Senator
Furniss said he requested Mr. Tun.
nell to prepare the amendment and tC
send il to the House for the commit.
tee to consider as House amend
ment. He said he was as surprised
as anybody to learn that the amend.
ment had been stamped with the
Senante seal and been fixed to the
original bill
Senator Reinhardt asserted that a
full and sweeping Investigation
= Should be made. "There is something
funny about this said the Senator
Legislation should be safeguardeC
and the man or men who would in.
tentionally do thing like this shoul'
be sent to jail"
Miss Foster a legislative steno
grapher, says two men whom sh'
can't recall got the amendment from
her after it was typewriter.
The bill was sent back to the Senate
stripped Of the bogus amendment anC
returned to the House and is now il
committee. From present indications
there will be no sweeping investiga
ton although there is a general i'm
preston that the amendment woul'
have nullihed the bill.