The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1945-03-22
Bv G.. MILTON KELLY

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mental corruption, and between
the issuance of warrants result
ing from the l9-months-ole
probe. there arises the question
of where does 1t so from mere
To date the grand jury has
charged that legislators, busi-
ness and professional men ex-
changed brides in conspiracies
to influence the fate OF oillS
regulating the conduct OF IL
nance companies; setting state
intangible tax rates; regulating
racing seeking to legalize the
practise of the healing art OF
naturopathy; reducing license
fees paid by distillery compa-
MES. and restricting adVertis-
ins by dentists.
FUTURE VAGUE
Contempt Of court and per-
Jury warrants also have result
ed from its labors, but where 1t
goes from here is secret to pry
into which would be punishable
as contempt Of court.
There are clues, however,
which give an idea of the d.
rectlon.
The grand jury itself tipped
off that it is probing into other
than legislative matters when
il filed a formal court order
broadening its scope to include
a study of past administrations
of the state highway depart
ment, liquor control commits
sion and other administrative
agencies.
Many times testimony in the
court trials has given hints as to
directions in which the grand
Jury is looking in its probe OF
legislative affairs. 1t is no secret
that the inquiry was started IN
the first place because of reports
that brides had been passed TO
influence the fate of a bill IN
1941 and 1913 which sought to
restrict branch banking, and
which never did become a law.
EXPLOSIVE EFFORT
Rumors are a dime dozen
that if warrant is issued on
this bill, it will be block bus
ter" both as to the number OF
defendants and their promi-
nence in public life.
The grand jury has shown IT
is boring in on this bill with Its
prosecution of Francis P. Stat
terry, vice president of the Mich
igan National Bank of Grand
Rapids, whom it accused OF con-
tempt of court on charges that
he answered evasively questions
presumed to relate to the bank
bill. Slattery says he will carry
his fight to the United States
Supreme Court, contending he
replied truthfully that he could
not recall whether an unidenti-
fled legislator had solicited a
bride from him, and that the
court had no right to presume
that he did remember.
In the trial of defendants In
the finance bill conspiracy, OF
which 20 were convicted, Spe-
cial prosecutor Kim Sigler de-
clared in open court that GER
tain legislators were ION the
payroll of a lobbyist for truck
ing interests, another clue to
what the grand jury presumably
is doing behind its locked doors.
SMALL LOAN ISSUE
It's finance bill warrant ac-
cused all of the defendants OF
having conspired also to influ-
ence the form of a small loan
company regulatory bill which,
among other things, fixed
maximum loan company regula-
tory bill which among other
things fixed maximum legal in
terestSrates. Mention of this bill
was stricken from the finance
warrant at start of the trial, and
Sigler indicated it would be
treated in a separate warrant
at future date.
In Sigler's examination Of a
witness in the recent trial OF
seven defendants accused of
conspiring to influence nature
path regulatory legislation, Sig
Ter limited that the grand jury
was interested also in activities
of lobby for the medical pro-
fession. In addition, Martin w.
debrand, Battle Creek chiro-
practor who was acquitted in
the trial, acknowledged from
the witness stand that he had
mentioned TO the grand jury
that chiropractors also had
raised a fund for legislative pur-
poses.
The late Senator Warren G..
Hooper, who Sigler said had
lobbied for group of osteo-
paths who employed him as ex-
ecutive secretary.
There have been many ru-
n s which the grand jury nei-
Their confirms nor denies hat