New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-05-31

TILE ABSURD RESOLUTION TO SIT WITH CLOSED
DOORS SEVERELY CONDEMNED, EVEN BY DEMO
GRATIS
ley TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.l
WASHINGTON, May 3O.-Aftcr the Democratic
members of the Potter Committee had decided
yesterday that Secretary Sherman should not be
permitted to know of the evidence that might be
obtained against him until il suited their purposes,
and that he should not be represented by counsel
before them, they informed the Republican MEM
bers of the committee that they might confer with
their Republican associates i'll the House, and
designate two members of the minority for service
in the South-one for Louisiana and one for Florida.
This attended to to-day, and MesSrs. Reed and
Iiscock were designated for service with the sub
committees.
The decision to sit with closed doors receives very
severe and quite general criticism even among
Democrats but the answer made by the managers
in regard to 1t is that 1t is necessary i'll order to pre-
vent failure. The refusal to allow the Secretary Of
the Treasury to appear by counsel after attacking
him by name is freely denounced cowardly and
unfair in the extreme. The cases in which counsel
have appeared before both open and secret nvcSti-
cations very numerous, and cases where requests
to appear by counsel have been refused exceed
ingly rare. While the Credit Mobicr Committee
was secret jeremiah Black was allowed to be
present as counsel The Board of Public Works
and Ex-Governor Shepherd had counsel i'll the Senate
Investigations Both Democrats and Republicans
had counsel in Dudley Fields committee
Counsel appeared before nearly all the Democratic
committees of the last Congress, and even Mr. Clio
yer admits counsel IL Secretary Sherman's case ii
is only the necessity Of getting all the peJures and
forgcries together and putting the manufactured
case in the strongest apparent shape against him i'll
advance of any opportunity on his part to break IL,
that has led to refusing him decent treatment and
common Justice. There is "a much talk about this,
and about the decision sit in secret that is still
possible that both resolutions may be reversed
The idea of having 10 investigation here until sub
committees return. is received generally as evil
dence of weakness, tina; this may also force an ac-
tive investigation here Bat the case, as 1t is made
up against Secretary Sherman. depends 80 largely
upon Supervisor Anderson. and lie having seriously
damaged himself hy his singular proceedings here
week ago Il is difficult 20 make such n sensational
start as was at first cXpcctcd. The chIci object of
sending subcommittee South ~ - enable Demo
Gratis to carry invest ajlon out of sight OF the
Republican press. Before Secretary Sherman had
put the committee on the defensive, and This dan
his associates It had been about decided That II
would be much cheaper 10 bring all witnesses from
the South TO Washington than to take sub-commlt-
tees with their necessary working force and attend
ants, to those States Ii not until the idea Of
keeping out of the hands of the press forced itself
upon the managing Democrat, that the plan now III
contemplation was formed.