Los Angeles herald., 1891-02-26
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.
The Silver Pool Committee Brings In
Its Verdict.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25.-The report O
the silver pool investigating committee,
made to the house tonight, is unani.
nous. 1t reviews the testimony briefly,
Owenby is alluded to as "romancer
whose imagination is not restrained by
the limitations of the truth" Senator
Cameron's silver purchase is referred tC
as having been made, and the silver
sold, before the bill was passed. Repre-
sentative Taylor bought after the bill be
came a law, and when no additions
legislation was looked for. The repor
says It is but just to say that ths
statement made by Congressman Conge1
in debate in the house, June oath, last
to the effect that he had
"been approached to join a sill
yer pool" furnished some excuse
for the publication of the general alle-
cation that silver pool existed pend
ing egislation; but none for the charge
that certain senators and representa-
tiyes accepted such invitation. Mr..
Conger, who is now United States min
lister to Brazil, was asked by cable to
give the committee the names of the
persons who approached him, but he
declined to do so.
The committee says: "The fact that
exaggerated expressions sometimes used
in the heat of debate may furnish an
excuse for such stories, affords addi-
tional reason for careful avoidance in
debate of intimations that corrupt in,
fluences are being brought to bear upon
members to influence legislation, unless
the member making such insinuation is
prepared to substantiate the charge.
The committee has been unable to OBJ
tain any evidence to support Owenby's
charges. There were many speculators
buying silver individually, and probably
In some cases, in company, but there is
no evidence that there was any pool or
combination of such spectators work
ing together to this end, or that any SEN
atOr or representative was connected
with such pool. The only organized or
combined effort to induce silver legis-
lation, disclosed by the evidence, was
public organization known as the silver
commission. appointed by the St.
Louis silver convention, and which
had its headquarters in Wash
ington the past year. The commission,
according to the testimony of Francis G.
Newlands, one of it's members, has
printed and distributed pamphlets and
circulars, published articles in the news
papers and maintained agents in the
field to visit organizations. particularly
Farmers Alliances, in various parts OF
the country for the purpose of working
up and securing an expression of public
sentiment in favor of free coinage OF
silver, at ratio of sixteen to one with
gold. This had been done at the ex-
pense of not less than $4,000 nor more
than 200 during the past year, which
expenses have been met by voluntary
contributions of the owners of silver
mines, bullion dealers and others favor
ing such legislation. There was no evil
dence, and the committee has no reason
to believe that this commission, which
Owenby describes as "the head of the
silver pool" had any connection with
silver speculations or expended any
money otherwise than for the purposes
above stated-to influence public opin-
ion to secure legislation.
There is no-evidence that any pool.
combination, syndicate or individual
speculator furnished money to enable
members OF congress to invest in silver,
or that any senator or representative
was interested in any silver pool or syn
dictate, as charged by Owenby, nor any
evidence that any senator, representa-
tive Or.government official individually
invested in silver bullion, or was directly
or indirectly interested in silver bullion
or silver speculations, pending silver
except that referring to Sen
atOr Cameron.