St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-26
IND vARNISH.
f aspo- OF the Silver
Fool Investigating Com
mittee.
nfy Witness Who Knew
any thing About Pools
Diseredited.
5 Complete a Whitewash AS
q Ever Emanated From
Washington
The immigration Bill Passed
by the House of Repre-
SentativeS

WASHINGTON. Feb. 25.-The silver
pool investigating committee made its
report to the house this evening. The
report, which is unanimous, gives the
history OF the investigation, abiding to
the more important testimony. but not
reviewing in detail. 1t diSmisses the
testimony of Mr.. Owenbey as the pro-
duct Of ''romancer" whose magma
ton is not restrained by the limita
lions Of truth. Prior to the exami-
nation of Owenbey, says the report,
the testimony of Senators Vest and
Cameron and Mr.. Littler brought out
the fact that the latter had purchased
silver for Senator Cameron pending the
silver legislation OF the last session, land
the silver bill passed. Subsequently
Representative Abner Taylor QllinOis),
appeared before the committee
and testified that he bought silver
after the silver. bill became a
law and when no additional
silver legislation was proposed OF eX-
pected and had sold it IN August last.
1t is but just to say, continues the re-
9
II. Conger in debate in the house on the
oath of June, 1890. to the effect that ne
had been approached to join silver
pools'' furnished some excuse for the
publication of the general allegation
that
uSilver Pools Existed
pending the silver legislation Of July
of that year, but none for the charge
hot rt1ir nd
tives had accepted such invitation. Mr..
Conger, who is now the United States
minister to Brazil, and therefore beyond
our Jurisdiction, was requested by cable
to transmit to the committee the names
of persons who had approached him.
in order that they might be sub
penaed, but he declined to do So
The fact that the exaggerated express
SiOnS sometimes made by member In
the heat of debate, in order to further or
defeat a measure, may furnish an eX-
cuSe for, if not suggest such dispatches,
affords an additional reason for care
full avoidance in debate of intimatiOns
that corrupt influences are being brought
to bear upon members to affect
legislation, unless the member max
ing such insinuations is pre-
pared to substantiate the said
good measure is seriously weakened by
even suspicion that improper means
are being employed to advance it. Your
committee has been unable to obtain
any evidence to support OWnbey's orig
Inal charge that there was silver pool
or organization of
silver Speculators.
who had made large purchases of silver
l>r,IIi moo
influence to bring about silver legisla-
ton which would cause an advance of
silver and thereby bring large profits to
the manipulatorS. There were many
spectators buying silver individually,
and probably i'll some cases in company,
for an anticipated rise through expected
legislation, and undoubtedly eXerting
more OF less influence on public senti-
ment to bring about such legiS-
lation; but there is no evidence that
there was any pool or combination of
such spectators working together to
this end, or that any senator or repre-
sentative was connected with such a
pool. The only organized or combined
effort to induce silver legislation dis
closed by the evidence was the public
mittee" appointed by the St. Louis
silver convention, which has had
its headquarters at Washington
during the past year. This
committee, according to the testimony
of Francis G. NewlandS, of Nevada,
one of its members. has printed and dis
tributed hundreds of thousands Of
pamphlets and circulars, published
Articles i'm Newspapers,
and maintained agents in the field to
visit organizations, particularly Farm
erS' Alliances, in various parts of the
country for the purpose Of work
ing up and securing the express
sion of public sentiment in
favor of free coinage OF silver
at a ratio Of 16 to J of gold. at an eX-
pense, including the salary of the secre-
tary, of not less than $4,000 nor more
than $15,000 during the past year.which
expense has been met by voluntary con-
tributions of owners of silver mines and
bullion and others fayoring such Iegis-
lation. There was no evidence, aud the
committee has no reason to believe that
this committee, which Owenby
describes as the "head silver
pool" had any connection with
silver speculations or expended any
above stated. The organization APP
peais to be similar in character to many
other organizations designed to inf1u-
ence public opinion to secure legisla-
ton.
There is no evidence that any pool,
combination, syndicate or individual
Spectator or spectators
Furnished Money
to enable members of congress to invest
in silver, or carry silver, with the I'M
Outstanding that such members of con-
gress were to have the profits, or that
any senator or representative was in
terested in any silver pool or syndicate,
as charged by Owenbey; nor any evil
dence that any senator, representative
or government official individually in
vested in silver bullion, was directly or
Indirectly Interested in silver bullion or
was directly or indirectly interested in
silver Speculations pending the silver
legislation of the first session of the
present congress, except that referring
to- Senator Cameron. The evidence
shows that one representative purchased
silver after the act of July IA, 1890, was
passed, and when no silver legislation
, was pending or proposed, and sold it in
August. There is no evidence that any
representative is now, or has been dur
ing the present session of congress, di-
rectly or indirectly interested in silver
bullion, OF certificates representing
ell h,,l