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High Jinks and Higher Finance Breeds Missouri Legislative Scandal\3Iair has assembled a grand jury here cremation. Naturaly the coroners n the Missouri capital to determine wanted the bill and crematory ownersFlood of Accusations Loosed by Lobbist’s Squawk Brings on Present Grand Jury InvestigationThe following special from Jeffer- $3,000 to support a bill to raise theirton City to the Pittsburgh Press, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, under the name of James E. Helbcrt shows to tome extent what damaging stuff is eing published throughout the coun-ry, based on the actions of the re-ent session of the Missouri legisla-ure in its bold but clumsy and un-tuccessful effort to steal the governorship. It wAs sent to a Laclede lady, i former resident of Pittsburgh, with he penciled notation, “Your state icandal.”Jefferson City, Mo., October 4— Hard boiled Circuit Judge Sam C.salaries. A state senator was quoted as saying it would be worth $1,000 to an appointee of Governor Donnell's to be confirmed by the senate, and this senator through “senatorial courtesy could have blocked the confirmation; later he aid he meant it as a joke, but luter he said he meant it as a joke, but it was no joke to the appointee.The little deal dripping with the nest gravy, however, would have nicked interested parties coming and going. It provided that no person ould be cremated for 48 hours after lcath, and that coroners should receive M0 for each body examined beforeyeer-buiting, capering in c$pitol halls pp0»ed ft, thua giving angle-shoOtingnd the raising of big bales of folding londy has to do with the legislative rrocess in an American common-vealth.Specifically, Judge Blair, who help-d send Tom Pendergast to prison,aw-makers a chance to take from both sides.With these and other exposures, St. Louis and Kansas City newspapers jumped in, called it the most corrupt, and downright orneriest legislaturejov. Forrest C. Donnel and the people j ,n the history of this or any* othervant to know if the last session of state.he legislature gave the citizens their There was so much talk of settingaoney’s worth or whether some nim-■ led-fingered lawmakers got the noney.Missouri's muddy politics has made iotous reading since the Benton boys hot it out with Andy Jackson, downhe law on lawmakers who looked on he currency when it was long and green that Governor Donnell, Judge Blair, Attorney General Roy McKit-rick and Carl Wymore, prosecuting ittorney of the county in which thehrough the Civil War-nJames boys capital is located, came out with thelays and on to the collapse of the /endergast empire. But the out-of-xrunds plays of the 1941 legislature nay match all these and send the progrand jury plan.Judge Blair, youngest circuit judge in the state, is a tough-minded fighter who believes legislators have no morenoters of pure politics hotfooting it right to steal than anyone else. He o the Been-Shoved state. I knows whet he's about for, as assist-There was lots of talk going around ant U. S. district attorney, he helped md it all wasn’t loose by a long shot. I prepare and present the case which It really began to lolt;* like the busi- did in Pendergast and other Kansas ness the night that Charles M. Hay, City political crooks, who spoke as 'oudly and effectively as Governor Donnell had special rea-he U. S. S. North Carolina, invited son to favor a clean-up, for it was the legislators to sit on the capitol this same legislature which tried un-«tep and listen to the story of their successfully for three months to keep erring brethren. As Missouri mule him from being inaugurated, drivers put it, he set the hair on ’em. This talk of fine-handed felony was Mr. Hay, a civic and political leader bad enough, but what really started for year, was paid a legitimate fee of the folk back home vox popping all $10,000 to shepherd a St. Louis teach-1 over the place were the tales of rev-ers retirement bill through the legis- dry by morning, noon and night in ative hills, but it failed to pass, Mr. the beautiful capitol.Hay charged, because he refused to Many offices were equipped with grease any palms. Then up rose one bars from which flowed various joy lawgiver who promised Mr. Hay a juices at all hours. Capitol janitors punch in the nose, but Mr. Hay roar- couldn’t get the cobwebs off statues of ed on with an account of skulduggery Le-wig and Clark, they were so busy in supposedly high places that would ro'ling out the beer barrels and cart-have shamed Boss Tweed. ing quarts around the hallsMr. Hay’s outburst encouraged I A big poker or crap game was inothers to come forward with amar- full blast much of the time in oneing tales of attempted loot, and each oommittee room, and so much did the says he will go before the grand jury participants apparently mistrust their to put the finger on lawmakers who fell0w cube-tostlt;er« that they report--un’t see the merits or faults of leg-jedly forced them to bang the dice ia ation unless It is framed in $100 'against the door. The lads became kM®* I so taken with their pastime that oneOne by one various lobbists, legis- dny it wa* necessary for the speaker ’.ative representatives and “contact Qf the hougo to gend the #ergeant-at-men” told all this: !arms for the gamers so a quorumEfforts were made to collect $13,000 wouid be present on the house floor, from assessment insurance companies The boys and gals, however, seem-to defeat a bill affecting their busi- ed i0 make the most, and certainly ness. Auto dealers raised $6,000 to the loudest, whoopee in the office of a push passage of a measure. Jukebox first-term senator. Observers report-owners raised $14,000 to defeat a bill ed sounds of merry feasting and prohibiting their machines In taverns, drinking, scented with gusts of frying One lobbist charged $26,000 changed onions and shrimp, hands to defeat a burial association ___bill. Ludwick Graves, utility lawyer, There were lots more of this, which was told to see certain legislators was embellished with cartoons show-with purse in hand if he wanted anti- ing what went on behind the scenebills killed. A marrying justice of during the six months of the legisla*the peace was told $2,000 would finish tive session that has given Missouri off a bill that would have finished off an undeserved bad reputationhis business. County Buperinten- through-out the country—especiallydents of school assessed themselves in a political way.mm »* nr r\ a nr ai inwed irnvernnp
Newspaper Details
Laclede Blade
Laclede, Missouri, US
Fri, Oct 24, 1941
Page 2
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USA 04 Mar 2024
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