The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-01-06
ARE TELEGRAMS SACRED ?
CONGRESSTONAL LAWYERS DEB1T-
ING THE QUESTION.


Opinions Of Lending scnator--Thc Position
| 0f the Companies Condemned by large
Note-MannRer Barnes Before the House.
| WASHINGTON, Jan. BIN the Senate Mr..
Morton (Rep., Ind.) called up the resolution sub
mitted by the Committee on Privileges and
! Elections on Wednesday last. declaring that
| William NJ. Turner Is In duty bound. under his
oath, to answer the questions propounded to
| him by the committee in regard to the trans
mission OF Geographic messages through his
ONCE at Jacksonville, Oregon. and that he can
| not excuse himself from answering the same by
reason OF his official connection with the West
ern Union Telegraph Company as the mani ger
OF their office at Jacksonville Oregon.
| Mr.. Kelly Dem. Orb said he hoped the reso-
luton would be adopted There was no reason
why teeeraphic communicating should not be
| made public when Justice demanded 10. 1t was
| well known principle OF law that written COM
| munications-no matter how con1dentlal-must
| be produced In courts Of Justice when necessary
to serve the ends OF justice; and nothing was
| more Scored than - conndentiii letter between
| Two lersous. This witness (rurner) had un-
! questionibly been leaky. He had disclosed
| something about dispatches passing through
rs once ana now he should be made 10 tell
| the whole. lie tNr. kellD was very confident
that no communication referring to The political
| cvcnt. at SALEM Oregon, would show that any
| thinf WRONG had been done. II any improper
tclegram had passed over the wire he would
have known something about II. lie WAS sat &
hed That nothing improper could be shown
that not dollar had been expended uDlawfuIly
OF improperly. IL WIS present at Salem at the
Tine. aud knew OF NIL the transactions.
Mr.. sherman utep., Ohio) SAID the Senate
should consider tue question a. to the extent OF
its power III G Hing for private kilograms he
tween cttizcns. As rule the courts did not
comnel the production OF private papers, unless
particular papers were called for, aud II WIS
SHOWN al the same time that lthey were neces-
saty to serve the ends Of Justice. lie was not
prepared 20 say thi TINS case was one which
Justified the senate OF the United States in cali
Ing for telegrams in genera way. lie nor ed
The Senate of the United states would not be
the hrst to break down the ordinary barriers Of
cunnlrht,ai communications between private
In reply TO a question. Mr. Morton stated that
before the Senate. He thought that II there
ever was case which ju titled the exercise Of
tue power OF the senate to compel an answer
Ii was the one under consideration.
Mr. C"nklng rep n. " wanted to know
whether there was any statute Of oregon which
made IL penal offence for a telegraph employee
TO reveal the secrets OF his ONCE. Neither MIR.
Norton nor the oregon senator knew anything
Mr. Bayard Dem, Dcl) said no thought the
pending case justified the use Of the power Of
the senate to compel the production Of at least
some Of the kilograms. but he thought that the
senate should be careful to restrict the inquiry
was to he mad by the Senate great care should
be taken not TO compel the production of any
ueSpa'cnss which would not be called for by
Mr. waila Dem. Pa argued that 1t was tho
uu'N OF tnc sen tte To compel these teicgriuhtc
COMMUNICATIONS To- bc brought to light when
they Affected the administration OF Justice.
Mr.. hNte dem. Nd said there hau been no
legislation making communications bv tcle-
graph COZ hdenti |. aud ne could not see why "A
nartN having possession Of Information which
o.. ed turuusn = telegraph OH go should not be
made to d.sciose thtt inform,tion. II any
stttl ~ artate proposed to punish "A witness
for di~rl sing such inform ton, lie was fully
prlte't'd ot tAe 4 uf lS62.
Mr. Cam tln Rer.. la.) said he would give
t"lcrr .ph e. m aLies all rights guaranteed them
li rh rl"r. nut N more. III wOulu vote for
IN" tcsuIat 800. and everything else wni h WON'T
-huw iiiai there Il ID been wrong dong ia Tho
el. ca m ~ a Pre- .idrnt OF the United - ites.
VA. CSweli m %. MOI said NJ : IN tsr had
hCcn able To state that precedent for the case
Aau ever been before the senate. lie had. up0n
cAninin tion. found that during the i'm BEACH
nt"ui uf Andrew johnson the Senate OF tho
! mite - tts-. with tne tniei Justice presiding,
had summoned Charles A. Tinker and compelled
MN To produce cert in kilograms which D sscd
between vi. Johnson and Mr.. Parsons OF Ala
OAml. lie or. COchrelD VS. decidedly ia
Vor u letting the people know what the two
political parties. which pretended To act tor the
people. had been doing, aud would, therefore,
Not. for thu solution.
The question. being On the passage Of the res
olu ION, resulted
ir,- Mcssr-. Allison. Bogy Roof Bou'wcil. Bruce
n'Aelvn W ~ l..lr ttHiton .HJr4 ttagin Ld-
a a'. Il 10. " ttrstE, hdye az sr.r, N rrAl,
MOTTO ftftr-nn. lf.f. 4 Z ION ,tlrrt.uu SHEER
niSu SPENCER, h".ice. Nfne, Uiers. aAI WRIGHT 81
,NANs-Me-'fs BUHA.s, Burnside, AID E9'oR-3.
Democrats N ia les.