Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-04-07
POOLING THE SENATOR'S j
Newspaper Men Before the Dolph
Smelling Committee.
The Wiseacres Failed to Learn How Cor.
respondents Gather Forbidden News
Concerning Secret Sessions
- Gen. Boynton's Little Joke.
Especial washington Letter.

g. lSpeclal w aSnlnGtOn Letter.
The most potent, grave and reverend
seignors, the very noble and approved
good masters Of politics and statccraft.
who comprise the membership of the
United States senate, occasionally give
way to burst of righteous Indignation.
They are having burst at the present
moment.
A little over a year ago, Senator
Dolph, OF Oregon, introduced a resolu-
ton for the appointment of a committee
to investigate and ascertain through
whom the secrets of executive sessions
of the senate were exposed to the press.
Mr. Dolph was appointed chairman of
the Investigating committee, which held
regular sessions for Il period of nearly
three months and which was known at
the time as the Do1ph smelling commit
tee Not less than a hundred newspaper
men were examined; but the committee
found it impossible to ascertain the
sources OF information which were
opened to the news-gatherers at the ma
tional capital.
The first newspaper man brought be-
fore the committee as a witness was
Mr.. Harries, of an evening paper in this
city. Before answering any questions,
MIR. Harries said: Gentlemen of the
committee, I must decline to answer
any of your questions unless know by
what authority your committee is con-
stituted. | do not know whether you
have any right to summon persons or
examine papers in this matter. and un-
til ! have reasonable information to
that effect, must decline to answer
your questions, and consider them inn.
pertinent" Mr.. Dolph thereupon pro-
duced a resolution adopted in secret
session of the senate, authorizing the
appointment of this committee, and also
O copy of the order of the vice president
naming the members of the committee.
Thereupon Mr.. Harries said: ''Mr.
Chairman, have read the COMPRESSION
al Record diligently during this entire
congressional session, and have occu-
pied my seat in the press gallery al
most constantly, and this is the first
time have ever heard of resolution
of this nature, and therefore am in
clined to doubt its genuineness. I do
not believe that the senate ever adopt
ed such resolution as this, or that you
have any authority to question me upon
this subject"
Chairman. Dolph then saideh ''This
resolution was adopted in executive
session, and the committee was APP
pointed by the vice president during
the executive session, and that is the
reason It is not found upon the pages of
the Congressional Record"
81 am obliged to take your word for
that, Mr.. Chairman" said Mr.. Harries,
land have to thank you. sir. for the
information. l have taken a verbatim
copy of this report, and will print it in
the paper this ee3ss'noon, giving credit
in my publication to you. sir, as the
gentleman who gave me the informa-
ton concerning this resolution which
was adopted in an executive session.
The entire DQlph smelling commit
tee was astonished at the bold
ness of the wieiess. They informed
him that he had no authority to print
chat resolution nor to make any men
ton of the matter in his paper. They
demanded that he return the notes
which he had taken and commanded
him not to make newspaper comment
upon the work of the committee. Mr..
Harries replied by informing the COM
mittee that he would not surrender his
notes unless compelled to do SO by
force; adding that with mind trained
to business of that sort he had already
impressed the fact so thoroughly upon
his memory that he could reproduce the
resolution without the notes, and if
necessary he would do SO. He asked
them If the resolution authorized them
to search the memory of newspaper
men and capture their brains as contra
band Of war.
This first FITNESS was exceedingly in
corrigible. 1T was absolutely impossi-