The Portland daily press., 1884-01-30
tion of $4,000 to remove Flood Rock in East
River. Nav York Rafarrad

River, new York. Referred.
Mr.. Hopkins of Pennsylvania, rising to
| question OF privilege offered the following:
Whereas, Hon. j. Warren Keifer, member of
this House, has charged H. v. Boynton, Washing
ton correspondent of the Cincinnati Commercial
Gazette, now holding seat in tho press gallery
under the rules of thu House, with having ap-
preached the Speaker of the House. during the clos
ing days Of the last session with corrupt PROPOSE
uon intended to influence official action.
Resolved, That special committee of five be ap-
pointed by the Speaker with power to send for per-
sons and papers to investigate charged of pied
corruption and report the result to the House.
Mr.. Keifer said he was at liberty to infer
from what he knew that the resolution was Of.
Iered In consequence of a statement The made
with regard to H.. V. Boynton. He would
SEND 10 the cierk.s desk to have read state
ment he had made to Mr.. Boynton in letter
In response to a scurrilous letter of his.
LIDO clerk then read letter, which was
gated the 18th, extracts from which are as fol-
lows:
+.,ia Sfhis morning found letter of yours on my
taDle marked Personal" )" dated the 26th and ask.
ing an investigation of your practices by the House
and threatening to publish the letters unless by
today's sessionI caused the investigation. Your
conduct has placed you so far outside the pale of
gentleman as to make it degradation to notice
YOU = Your colleague, W. B. shaw, in de-
compelled to admit the fact appears by the pnb-
hc recerds) to have taken $4,000 as a lobbyist
th Wne correspondent and SO tar as know has had
tne privilege OF the press gallery ever since.
shall not move for the investigation you seek be-
cause do not believe it is the business of the
House to investigate your corrupt conduct. There
Is no rule of the House against your being lobby
ISL Members OF the last House knew you lied in
your pupIcation that l opened the press gallery
1or Inc ADMISSION OF members wives the last night
OF the session. All the members of tbe present
House know you lied when you published that
Wnen the seats were about to be drawn / went in
haste to Mr. Cannon of Illinois and asked him to
request the privilege of being allowed to select one
se, sec., 70 which objection WAS made. I knew you
Forged the letter last summer and published it
10 the country, purporting to have been written by
me to the Secretary of the Treasury, and about
matter OF no grave Importance, but as l was in
formed al the time, merely to injure me. Your
printed card has been rshtfuly interpreted by the
public as an advance confession of guilt lobby
ISL IL, When you told me near the close of the last
Congress was a fool for not making money while
Speaker, as Blaine and Colfsx had done, and that
han bill could be gotten through, had thrown you
as you deserved. from my room, suppose it would
have been wiser for me. But up to that time you
and had been on good terms, although had been
warned by friends to beware of you. Yoa did not
say who with you were interested in the McGarra-
nan bill, but intimated that you had a colleague.
My knowledge of the lobby Clique was obtained
from you. have had no desire to condemn oorres-
pondents, for think that most of them gentle
1883, ing me to recognize member named, to
move TO suspend the rules and pass bill which is
OF date earlier than our talk.
Mr. Keifer then had read the letter of Gen.
boynton, asking him to recognize member
and then resumed the floor. His impression
was he did not answer the letter, but either on
the next day or the day after Boynton came to
ms room when other persons were there. When
something like this He said "Keifer, what
do you think l think of you?" / said "I don'E
know, hope we'll" He replied 'T think on
are fool" did not know what he meant.
speaker of the House of Representatives and
that might have made money as Speaker
Blaine and Speaker Colfax had done, and then
proceeded 30 say with this bill in his hand that
there was plenty to be made yet if we could
get the McGarrahan bill through. Boynton
explained the various phases OF the scheme
connected with the McGarrahan bill, and my
connection with him ceased at that interview.
Mr.. Keller continued at length giving his
version of the troubles between himself and
Gen Boynton. Mr.. Keifer hoped that the res
oiutlon would be opened wide enough to in
ciude VIM. b. Shaw, and quoted from the
testimony before the committee to investigate
the Pacific Mail steamship subsidy to the eff
feet that Shaw had received $15,e00 for SER
vices, etc.
Mr. Budd of California-As Speaker did
you not admit to the gallery the man that you
now claim is a lobbyist?
Mr. Keifer-I am obliged for the question,
1t gives me an opportunity to say thatI never
kneW OF it until the adjournment Of the last
Congress.
Mr.. Budd-You said you did not know Mr..
Shaw was a bribed lobbyist, yet you have
stated that Gen. Boynton was your friend up
to about the first of March of last year and
that ne appeared at your room and attempted
to bribe you. Did you not allow him after
that to occupy seat in the gallery?
Mr.. keifer-Congress adjourned two days
after.
Undoubtedly, continued sMr. Budd, but dur
ing those two days
Here Mr.. Budd was interrupted by groans
and shouts of "Ohl Ohi'' from the Republican
side.
Mr.. Keifer continuing said that if it was the
business of the House to investigate the matter
ne trusted that 1t would give to the committee
wide range for the very reason that he would
not lend himself to Mr.. Boynton, and such as
might have been connected with him, to get
through bill which was to make them all
rich. He was traduced through the land, and
tney mad power to carry on a newspaper war
that seemed to be singular, He did not know
II he suffered from it in the public opinion. but
supposed he had. He did know that in his
own estimation he had not suffered, and was
willing to stand it and to refuse to buy any
body support or anybody's newspaper c3mpli-
ments anywhere.
At the request of Mr.. Hopkins of California
the following communication was read
PRESS GALLERY,
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 1884.
Joha G. Carlisle Speaker Of The House of Represent
Gtiges;
Slr:-1 address yon as a correspondents, amenable
to the authority Of the House. and holding seat in
the press gallery under the rule. / last night re-
celyed letter from the Honorable j. Warren Kei-
Ter, now member of the House. charging, over his
signature that approached hila in his capacity of
speaker OF the last House, telling him he was
1901 Tor not making money while Speaker, Blaine
ana Co!Iax nad done; that there plenty to be
made If the McGarrahan bill could be gotten
through; that had colleagues interested with me
IN tnat Dill and that there would be abun dance to
divide Mr.. Keifer further notifies me he would
not ask an investigation by the House, as had in
writing requested him to do, to the end that his
charges might be submitted to the test of an exam
ination under oath. l cannot doubt but that the
House will consiie it of Importance to inquire
whether there correspondents ENJOYING its pryi
leges and protected in their work BY It's rules who
carry on lobbying with such erontery as not to he's
ltate to appre ach the Speaker of the House with
Having thus called your attention to the grave
charges made in writing by ex-Speaker Keifer
which pronounce utterly devoid of truth, have
the honor to enclose herewith the full text of his
letter to me together with the correspondence per-
taing thereto and through you to respectfully re-
quest the Honse to order an investigation of the
matter.
have the honor to be, very respectfully
Your Obedient Servant,
Correspondent of the Cincinnati Courier-Gazette,
Mr.. Warner Of Ohio offered an amendment
directing the committee also to inquire and re-
port whether any other members of the press
now holding seat In the reporters gallery,
against whom charges have been preferred, has
been guilty OF conduct that ought to deprive
him OF the right to such a seat. Adopted.
The resolution, as amended, was also adopt
ed.
Mr.. Randall of Pennsylvania submitted a
conference report on the Greedy relief bill, and
it was adopted The Senate recedes from the
amendment requiring crews of relief ships to
be volunteers.
Adjourned.
Cuban Indignation Meeting.
A number of Cuban revolutionists held an
indignation meeting at Clarendon Hall last
night, to take action in regard to the recent ar
rest of Col. Carlos Aquero, by United States
authorities at Kew West, on the charge of be-
ing a bandit. Resolutions were passed, setting
forth that the Colonel was patriot of the
highest respectability, and protesting against
his arrest. The resolutions will be transmitted
to Secretary Frelinghuysen.
Persistent Poissner.
BALTIMORE, Nd, Jan. 29.-A special from
Elklon, Md.s says that second attempt was
made yesterday to poison the Hall family In
that town. The mother and four children
| we're takan Ill after eating. ThA mother ac-