St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-08-06
Watson's Charges That Mem
berS OF the House Get
Gloriously Drunk
And Reel About the Aisles.
a Disgrace to the Re-
public.
Mr.. Boatner's Committee
Finds That Mr.. Watson
Spoke Falsely.
Representative Grout Wants
Him to Retract and EX-
press Regret.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5.-Representa-
tive Boatner, of Louisiana, today SUBJ
mitted 10 the house the views of the
majority of the subcommittee of the
house committee on judiciary appointed
to investigate the charges made by Rep
resentative Watson. of Georgia, in the
latter's campaign book. in which he
charges that drunken members had
been seen to reel through the aiSles of
the house, disgrace to the republic,
and that drunken members had debated
issues Oh the floor. and had been heard
to ask, ''Mr. Speaker, where was l?''
The report says it developed in
the investigation that the charges
that drunken speakers have debated
grave issues on the floor and in the
midst Of maudiln ramblings had been
heard to ask, "Mr. Speaker, where was
1?'' referred exclusively to Hon. j. E.
Cobb, of Alabama, Oh the reason of the
latter's remarks in the Noyes-Rockwell
contested case. The author of the report
says he ayOwed his intention in his
publication of these charges to arraign
the house of representatives, and not to
bring discredit or oGium upon those
whom he charged with these faults.
We have no hesitation, the report adds,
in declaring that the charges in the
sense in which the author intended they
should be viewed are
False and LibelOus
under the strictest legal definition of
those terms. The charge that drunken
members have reeled about the aisies,
a disgrace TO the republic, is false, be-
cause manifestly directed against the
whole house, and seeking TO create a
belief that drunkenness is common
among the members and conspicuous in
their appearance on the floor, while the
facts are two, or possibly four members.
have appeared OH the floor more or less
under the influence of liquor, but none
in the description. described. Consider
ing that the house is composed of 333
members and the session has lasted
eight months, the falsity and intention
ally misleading character of the charge is
manifest. The finding shows that the
charge that drunken speakers have de.
bated issues on the floor and in the
midst of ''maudlin ramblings have been
heard to ask. MIR. Speaker, where was
l?'" is false in the following particu-
lars: It Is aimed at the whole house,
Innocent. while it concealed the name
of the only one whom he claimed TO be
guilty, and finally the overwhelmingly
convincing testimony of thirty-two wit
neSSeS who saw Mr.. Cobb (whom MIR.
Watson admitted was the member he
referred to in the charge that drunken
members debated grave issues. etc.
while delivering the speech referred to.
and who heard his remarks, cOntradicts
the statement, and shows beyond all
question that
Mr. Cobb Was Not Drunk;
did not indulge in mau din rambling,
nor was there anything to justify so in
furious an imputatiOn against the char
acter of public officer who is admitted
to be able, reliable and conscientious.
Both charges are libelous because they.
are the wllful publication of words that
have tendency to injure the members
of the house of representatives in impu-
tatlon to degrade and disgrace them liz
society, and bring them into public con
tempt, and being printed libel is more
reprehensible and criminal than one
really spoken. They are also libeiouS
because they are defamatory words
falsely spoken of persons which
impute to them unfitness for the
performance of the Offices which they
hold and want of integrity in the dis
charge thereof. A comparison of the
membership of this body to those which
participated in the feast of BelshaZZar,
the effort to create i'll the public mind
the impression that the members of this
body, insensible te the wants and needs
of their constituents, whom they repre- :
sent, are giving themselves up to de-
bauchery and drunkenness on the floor
Of the house, is libel upon this men,
berSh!p for which the committee are at
loss 10 find either motive or excuse.
The offenSe is aggravated, says the re-
port, by the fact that the party making
the charge is member of the house
and has confessed that his intention
was to discredit it In the public estima-
ton and TO
Fniure His Colleagues
whom he does not even accuse of the
fault for which he would have them
suffer. The committee, in conclusion,
recommend the adoption of resolution
reciting that Mr.. Watson's words are
not true and constitute an unwarranted
assault upon the honor and dignity of
has the unqualified disapproval of the
house. Representative Grout says in
his report that the Republican members
of the committee fully concur in the
finding of the majority that Mr.. Copb
was not in state of intoXication in
the house while discussing the Noyes-
Rockwell case. Mr.. GrOut refers to
the two charges made by Representative
Watson in his book and says that in
his opinion that they were not true.
The report says that Mr.. Watson had
MIR. Cobb in his mind when he made
the charge that drunken members had
discussed grave issues on the floor of
the house. This charge is not sustained.
The second charge, that drunken men,
bers had reeled about the aisles, is
wholly unsupported by proof. No wit
ness testified that he had ever seen
such sight in the aisles OH the floor.
In strictly legal sense this would
leave the. gentleman from Georgia
justly exposed to severe criticism, were
it not for the fact that beyond dispute
on one occasion member appeared On
the floor evidently under the influence
of liquor, but all witnesses testified that
he was quiet and orderly, and no one
said he was unsteady in his gait.
Continuing, the report says that the
charges given the committee to Investi-
gate were, to say the least, a gross ex-
aggeration of the slight incidents above
set forth. and are in substance and form
untrue. and amount to a grave assault
upon the integrity of the house, which
conld hardly be pard0nable by reason
of the license allowed in political dis
cussions. In Conclusion, Mr.. Grout
recommends that Representative Wat
| son voluntarily withdraw his offending