New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-10-18
THE UNFORTUNATELY MR.. COX
ne RISES TO QUESTION OF PRIVILEGE.
xzArIY TRAPPING TWO OTHER DEMOCRATS
END or A PRETENDED INVESTIGATION
1T WAS THE LAMB THAT MUD
DIED THE STREAM.
fBy TELEGRAPH TO THE Tribunal

DIED THE STREAM.
fBY TELEGRAPH TRIBUNE
washington, Oct us S. Cox to-day sprinkled
Aneef sparingiy with glory. and covered Don Manuel
dickinson and W. C. p. breckenridge with confusion
whom be rose to try to convince the House that he
never had affixed authorized any other person 10
smx his signature to unfrankablc documents, Mr.
Cox solemn II he had contented himself win
simple denial of the genuinencss of the frank on
the celebrated fourpound package of unfranhaoie
Democratic campaign matter in The Tribune's pos
session, the House would have taken his worn anu
acquitted him. But that he did not do. lie tried
to take q partisan advantage and the rsui' VI mo
nsladroit attempt injurious 10 hmself anu as
astrous at least to two distinguished leaders OF MS
own party, while a third John o. Carlisle. appeared
in no enyisblo light contributor 10 pon pich-
inson's attempt TO smrch Senator Quay.
Mr. Cox said he would testify under oath that the
signature In question was forgery, ana 'na' nc
authorized the of his frank to cover uniranAAoe
documents This declaration was accepted by po'h
s,des Of tho House as sufficient TO exculpate him.
As to whether the signature is an uhmstshaoo
orccry rs both Cox and Dickinson were SWIM 10 ASSERT
thcre is q very decided difference OF oP'"oi' anu
they are not with the majority Mr. CoA uesircu
the House to take into consideration tho fact th&t
hts name is a very short and quickly written.
What bearing this had the question, except thS'
the forger' must be a lazy man and not an expert
In his line of business, II is difficult to understand
Mt. Cox demurred to what he said was The IT'D
uns's statement, that the country has been flooded
with unfrankabe matter under cover of his spurious
frank In . tone Of triumph he exclaimed:
"7hs the only package"
lawyer or a censoross person might be pro-
yoked to ask: If Mr.. Cox neither sent, nor au-
thorzed or consented TO the sending OF that PACKAGE
how does he happen to know that II was the only
package Of unfrankable Democratic campaign docu-
ments sent through the mails under what purported
fvauk Ha mi because
assurance that other package of that Sort bearing
his frank, fell into the hands of a Republican MI.
Cox spoke of his eXculpaton by The Tribune on sep
tember so fair and generous, but he complained
Of the animus" exhibited in the publication oil a
fac-simile of his genuine signature and the forgery
side by side, and tried 10 impress the House with
the belief that the accusations and comments Oh
The Tribune not only a libel upon himself pu'
"a moral libel upon Congress" This comcal at
tempt of Mr. Cox to shoulder his own misfortunes
upon Congress- whether designed to divert atten
ton from himself or excite sympathy, was
fiat failure
The report of Inspector Morris, which was read,
closed with a falsehood. In substance, he declared
that the object Of the investigation had been deicaed
by the attitude Of The Tribune, which had shown
disposition ito obstruct and thwart rather than
promote the inquiry. The object of the invest
CATION As shown by the report, was 10 scquit not
nlv Mr. Cox but the National and State Committees OF
the Democratic party OF all blame. AS TO the COM
mttces Morris reached the conclusion that neither
was guilty on testimony which must be regarded as not
only incompetent, vague ana weak III zen
extreme, but very suspicious rs "eh
Morris's report docs not square with his outSVihgs
70 a World reporter which be afterward pronounced
tn be substantially correct The inspectors silly
assertion that unable 10 trace the forger De
cause he could not obtain possession OF the original
wrapper bearing Mr.. Coxs signature was teateo
with the contempt 1t deserved, and even Mr. COX
did not care TO countenance 1t.
He did something quite as foolish, however, "non
bs caused 10 be read Don Manuel Dickinson's reply
70 his REQUEST for an investigation This the letter
in which the Postmaster General for partisan
reasons undertook to divert public attention from
Democratc frauds upon the Postal Service by aegihs
that unfrankable matter had been sent through INC
mails under the apparently genuine frank oil oena-
~ Ouav and REPRESENTATIVES HOvey and kean; that
b.,r attention had been drawn TO this abuse Of the
franking privileges, that General Hovey had sssis-
fac:oiy shown that any misuse OF his frank had oeen
without his authority, consent or knowledge anu 'na'
the other gentlemen" had made no reply or defence
Don Manuel thought that was a " smart letter when
he wrote it, and Cox seemed TO be of the same opinion
when he had 1t read. With an air of sturdy virtue
which was truly exemplary Mr.. Cox said that he
had brought this before the House, not so much
on his account because he desired to see the
OWLS com planned of corrected. He then exhibited to
the House certain documents which had been sent I'M
der Senator Quay's frank, and prom unc"d them un
frankable, as the Postmaser-General also
had done Mr.. Mansur, of Missouri,
had given him one, an other had been sent TO him
from North Carolina third had been sent TO Speaker
Carlisle and so on from all of which 1t appeale ed that
Mr. Cox's speech of today was the result of con-
certed Democratic effort TO cast odum upon senator
Quay and the Republican party. In burst OF VII
tDous ndignation Mr.. Cox asked;
@why did not my colleague Mr. Delano, send that
ntao az 10
misuse forgery of my irank' Why did not these
gentlemen-Messrs Quay and Kean-demand all in
vestigaton, as did,"
Being reminded by Republican member that Mr.
Deano was not present, and that be was not on trial.
Mr. Cox pettishly replied that he had asked Mr.. De
lano to appear and answer 1t Is not compliment,
but It is the TRUTH Mr.. Cox did not seem to per
ceive the broad humor of his summons to Dr Deano,
OF Binghamton, appear and answer for the forgery
Of Mr. Cox's name on package mailed at station h
New-York City, from which station, according 10
Morrs's report thousands of like packages are sent
daily and weekly by the National ana state Demo
cratic Committees.
Mr. Cox remarked in substance that he is too old
and experienced in politics TO The Tribune for
libel, but he commented with good deal OF feeling
upon the exhibition IN window OF the Cox signature
and forgery for people 10 look at" He considered
that exhibition a reproach not only upon himself out
upon every other gentleman In Congress
When he had concluded, Colonel Bayne oo,aneo
the foor and then the fun began. He had carefully
examined the documents which Don Manuel pickin-
son and Mr. Cox and other democrats had declared to
be unfrankable, and which had been sent under Mr.
Ouay's frank TO a great many persons Colonel
Bayne declared that each and every Of the docu
ments was frankablo, as they consisted solely OF
speeches and from speeches delivered In Con-
gress.
Messrs Cox, McMillin and several other Democrats
than made the point that in Of the documents
"sub-headss were introduced which did not appear In
tho speeches As printed in I" The Record
Colonel Bayne defended the use of such subheads,
and showed that they phrases taken from the
body of the remarks delivered in Congress lie
declared that the allegation that the documents werc