New-York tribune., 1871-05-30

prOmpter, Carpenter the tool.
~. The first witness examined told their
Committee all they had a right to know.
O. Did you obtain 1t from any member OF the present
Senate Of tho United States A. I did not
@ Did you obtain 1t in tho Of any Senator Of the
United Statesi A. did not.
@. Did you obtain it in any room occupied by any
Senator Of the United statesi A. I did not
O. Where did you obtain ti A. respectfully refuse
to answer that question.
O. Did you obtain 1t in any room in which, your
knowledge, Senator had been Immediately beforei A.
did not
Q. Did you obtain ii from any officer of the senatei
A. did not.
1t was further put in evidence that the
Treaty was not stolen, and that it was delib-
Eerately brought to THE TRIBUNE Office; and
there was no evidence that any other than the
usual expenses were incurred. All this was
learned in half an hour. There the investiga-
ton ought to have stopped, and the Senate
might have gone promptly to work on the
Treaty But the Committee begged permls-
sion to attempt extorting further answers
from the correspondents, by imprsoning them
in the Common Jail "fOr forty years If need
abe land when the Senate hesitated, dis
tinctly asserted again and again that they
would be able to prove that Senator had
given out the Treaty, while to this they added
the private assurance that hey could certainly
fasten it on either Gov. FentOn or Gov. Nor
ton. The one was a rival in New ork, tho
other was rival at the White House; both
must be broken down, and this was the chance.
V. The futile effort to extort answers to all
manner Of irrelevant questions followed the
Imprisonment of the correspondents the dis-
graceful wrangles, the delay of the High
Commissioners and of our Minister TO En-
gland and such 9 public washing OF the
dirtiest of Senatorial dirty linen as was never
before seem 1t all grew distinctly ana di-
rectly out of the effort to exteno
tho investigation from the point, was
Senator or officer of the senate
responsible for the disclosure OF
Senate document? +? to the widely different
one, Who eas responsible for giving IHE
TRIBUNE a document which the President had
asked to have printed We told them they
should get nothing more. and they did not.
Their threats were as impotent as their at
tempts were arbitrary; and at the end OF
their child's play they submitted to be told
by one of the oldest and ablest of their num-
Der that any Justice of the Peace would ride
over the Imprisonment they were attempting
This is the sum of the whole matter: They
wasted three weeks. They aroused the hostility
of the press of the whole country speaking with
absolutely unanimous voice. They attempted
to exercise the most arbitrary power. They
were resisted mt every point, were foiled In
every undertaking, and were forced to release
the correspondents. Andnow comes the dispatch
of the Associated Press, declaring that not
az, oe oil tnd pf
malignant boasts and threats of Messrs Car
penter and ConkliDg, to connect in the re-
motest manner any Senator or officer of the
Senate with the publication! TO reach this
great result, what has the faction led by Messrs.
Conkling and Carpenter done?
l. 1t has denied that there can be such
thing as journalistic honor. We commend
that denial, and its authors to the press. If
it be correct, there is no profession of jour
naisn. In no profession is the sacredness OF
certain confidential communications denied.
Deny it here and the business of collecting
the news of the world is in many, and the
most important cases, reduced to the status of
Rob Roys foraging over the Border.
2. 1t has claimed the powers of a general
nquisition. 1t demands of White and RAMS
dell information as to whether the Joint High
Commission gave them the Treaty, or the
President, or the State Department. 1t de-
mands of The TRIBUNE who writes the edito-
rails what are the weekly expenses of its
Washington Office, what are the private state
ments made by its correspondents. We COM
mend these demands and their authors to the
Bar If they are warranted, the maxims of
law for the examination of witnesses are
worthless.
3. 1t has claimed the right to seize tele
graphic dispatches, in the confidential keeping
of the Company that receives them for trans
mission. We commend that claim and its
authors to every man who writes letter or
sends dispatch. Every reason that makes the
seal of letter sacred applies with double force
to the dispatch, which, being equally confidential
and not so protected, demands of the Com
pany, that stands to it as the Post Office De-
partment stands to letters, an even more scru-
pulous secrecy The effort to seize letters i'll
the post overturned British Ministry. What
should be the fate of those who seek to seize
telegraphic dispatches
a. 1t has claimed the right of perpetual i'm
prsOnment for refusal to answer questions not
within the scope of the Committees instruc-
tOns and not such AS Court would require
to be answered. We commend that claim and
its authors TO every citizen, who has not ceased
to value personal liberty as the first of the
blessings our Government is meant to secure
To add to the horrors of the coal-mine dis
aster, it is now stated that the rescued men are
slowly dying from the effects of the nOxiOus
goses inhaled IL ia but the ODiniOn of the