The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-05-17
FIRST EDITION
THAT TREATY.

How Was 1t Obtained for Publication p
Investigation of the Senate Committee.
Sen ators Carpenter, Conklipg, Trumbull,
Sumner, and Davis, the special committee ap-
pointed to inquire in relation to the publication
of the Anglo. American treaty, had meeting
yesterday evening and proceeded to the exam
ination of witnesses. Among others summoned
and examined were Mr.. j. NJ. Morris, Execu-
tive Clerk of the Senate; Mr.. Flagg a clerk in
the office of the Executive Clerk; Mr.. u. L.
, White, correspondent of the New York Tribune;
Mr.. H. j. Ramsdell correspondent of the Gin
cinnati Commercial and Mr. George w. Adams,
correspondent of the New York World.
Messrs Morris and Flagg we're examined prin-
cpally with reference to whether the copy OBJ
tained by the Tribune was Senate copy, and
they seemed to prove conclusively that it was
\ not. Mr.. White, in his testimony, fully exon
Grated Mr.. Flagg and every other officer aud
attaebe of the Senate.
He described the kind of paper upon which
the copy of the treaty he had was printed, and
this proved that it was State Department copy,
and not Senate copy. When this TACT was
shown, and the further fact that no Senator, or
employe or attache of the Senate was re-
sponsble for the publication, Mr.. Trumbull sug-
gested that the committee could not go beyond
that, and he did not seem to be disposed to push
the matter further.
Mr. White was questioned as to how, in what
manner, and from whom he obtained the copy
of the treaty he had teegraphed, but he posi-
lively declined to answer any question in rela-
tion TO it, to say who was in his Office on the
night in question, or whether he had actually
purchased it, or what he paid for it,
Mr. Ramsdell also refused to answer liue ques-
tions. The committee after consultation, de-
cided that these questions ought to be an
swered, and notified Messrs. White and Rams
dell that they would be compelled to report
them to the Senate and have them brought to
the bar for contempt.
Mr.. Adams testified that he knew nothing
about the publication in the Tribune, or how it
was obtained for that paper He stated, how
ever in answer to questions put by the commit
tee, that the document had been offered to him,
but he declined to purchase at the price de-
manded.
Mr. Bancroft Davis, Assistant Secretary of
State. was summoned, but failed to appear be-
fore the committee. He wrote q note, however,
stating that the document did not come from the
State Department, and informed the committee
that he had other business to attend to- and
could not now appear in answer to the sum-
letter as that written by Mr.. Davis he would be
hauled up very quickly for contempt. Now let
the same measure be meted out to the Assistant
Secretary.
The farce will be continued to-day, when
Messrs. Finley Anderson, Dom Piatt, and
several employees of the Senate will be exam
ined. The committee will hardly be more sue
cessful than they were to-day, for newspaper
men are not so easily terrified by threats of i'm
prisonment for contempt. Such course is
nearly played out and this case will doubtless
finish the business, and convince the Senate
that it is utterly useless to attempt to conceal
from the public information in which all are
interested, and which they may demand to
know and have discussed by the public press
Washington Patriot, yesterday.