Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-21
THE SILVER POOL
Testimony Before the House Special Inves-
tigatinz Committee Today.

Testimony Before the House Special Inves-
tigating Committee Today.
Representative Dockery of Missouri, who in
rroduced the resolution under which the silver
pool investigating committee was appointed,
was the first witness before the committee to-
,iay. Mr.. Dockery said he had no personal
knowledge Of the completely of any Senator or
Representative in the alleged pool He had
not heard any Congressman say that they we're
in the pool but he had heard Senator say
that Senator or member-the witness could
not remember vhich-was implicated.
After some Meditation the witness admitted
that Senator Vest made the relnark-iy.m
The chairman announced that Senator Vest
had asked the committee TO allow him to be
heard.
Mr.. Dockery denied the statement that he
had alleged that democratic Senator or a Rep
reentstive from Missouri had anything TO do
with the pool
Francis q. Newiands of Reno. New, q mine
owner, testified that he had made small profits
on silver speculation. A friend and himself
bad associated themselves together for the pur-
chase Of bullion. but no Senator or Representa-
tive or anybody connected with the government
had anything to do with their purchases He
knew that q number Of mining men were In
Washington during the tendency OF the silver
legislation As to himself the witness said he had
talked about the legislation generally, but he
knew Of no members who had been drawn into
this silver speculation TO influence their votes.
The witness said that the national silver COM
nuttee appointed by the bi-metalic convention
held at st. Louis had its headquarters in
Washington. but il had made no efforts to in
nuenee silver legislation beyond publishing
pamphlets, &c.
This committee was similar to the commit
tees appointed by the shipping league and other
organizations to agitate matters in which they
we're interested. The committee had, in a few
instances, paid the reasonable travelling and
other expenses of men who agitated the BIZ
metallic cause. A fund amounting TO between
$4,000 and els, 900 had been raised for agitat-
agitation had been paid by owners OF silver
mines and Of silver bullion. The executive
committee Of the bi-metallists, of which he was
a member, had never discussed the advisability
of influencing the silver cause other than by
legitimate means.
Joseph X Hickey of Fulton, Mo-. was the
next witness. He said he was engaged in bank
ing, stock raising and other occupations. He
had been interested in silver bullion, but he
knew of the existence of no silver pool He
had been in Washington OF and on during the
tendency of the silver legislation, but he had
taken no part in influencing it. The witness
bad talked with Congressmen about the possi.
bility for silver legislation, but he had asked
them nothing about outside silver matters.
w. Harry Miner, the Washington CORE
spondent of the Cincinnati Tanes-<dr, told the
committee that be had obtained some indirect
information about the existence of q silver pool
In which Congressman were interested and he
had made this information the basis for dis
patch to his paper, in which he stated that a
plan had been formed to get Congressman into
the silver speculation in order to influence their
votes and that several members had
bought shares in the pool His
informant, the witness said, was
Jas A George of this city. George had told
the witness that he (George) had been APP
preached by Chicago man and asked to try to
influence southern members to go into the pool.
George said the Chicago man had given him
the names Of several members who had gone
into the pool The witness could not remem-
Der the name of the Chicago man
Col Z. M. Hill of Washington had also given
the witness information similar to that given
him by George. The witness had beer in
formed by George that several Illinois menu
bers were in the pool
The committee at this point took recess.