The advocate and Topeka tribune., 1893-09-27
SENATOR ALLEN SPEAKS.

WIZ SSAAb1~Ss
In the senate Of the United States on
Wednesday, September Is, pending Mr..
Stewards resolution for the appointment
Of q committee to inquire "if any senator
is or has been q stockholder of, or di-
rectly or indirectly interested in any ma
tionsl bank, or the stock Of such bank,
and report all the facts to the senate
with regard to such ownership and inter
est, the length Of time that any senator
shall have been so interested, and the
amount Of such interest,"" Mr.. Allen
spoke as follows:
Mr.. President, 1t occurs to me that the
pending resolution ought not to be referred
to any committee, although 1t should be
very thoroughly discussed and considered
by the senate. The resolution is certainly
very important one, and strikes directly at q
question which l believe the people Of this
country would like to be enlightened upon.
l think I am within the bounds Of truth
when say that there are great many hun
dreds Of thousands, IL not millions, of people
in this nation who believe that much Of the
legislation which comes from congress is In
1uenced in consequence OF the personal inter
est Of members Of congress. II they are mis-
taken In their belief, thenit Is due to the
members Of this body and the other house that
they shall be fully informed and fully en-
lightened upon the subject, for widespread
suspicion is sometimes almost as detrimental
in its effects upon the public as a revelation Of
the truth.
do not pretend to say that any senator here
is interested in national banks. II l were
called upon to express an opinion on that
point should be compelled to say that know
nothing upon the subject whatever But GER
tainly II there are any senators here who are
directly concerned in the legislation which
goes out from this chamber, the people OF this
country, whom we represent have right to
know that fact and they have o right to draw
their own conclusions in passing upon the leg
islation which originates and eliminates here.
Certainly, throughout the history Of the
common law Of England, from which we get
our Jurisprudence, there never was time
when o judge or juror who was interested
financially In the result Of cause which was
pending in court was permitted to sit in judg-
ment upon that case The English people,
with all OF their peculiarities In their early
history, carefully guarded the point that no
man who sat in judgment upon the rights of
litigants in his court should be eligible to sit
in judgment upon case IN which he was
either directly or indirectly interested pecu-
niarily. That is true in this country by statute
in many Of the states, and by the adoption OF
the common law in other states We know 1t
Is true with reference to juTymen, and while l
have no desire to draw any special comparison
between members Of the senate and the ordl-
nary jurymen, l think we all understand that
men are consciously or unconsciOusly intiu>
enced in the discharge Of their duties by their
pecuniary interest in the result
We aIe here, Mr.. President, not to represent
any particular interest; not to represent any
particular corporation or corporations, but to
represent the interest Of the humblest citizen
Of this land as well as the most exalted. We
are here as the representatives Of the people;
and II there be anything existing here which
is detrimental to the public interest, or which
III any MANNER ls llaDle tO ihnuohoo 'no "O'iOn
Of senator in this chamber that fact ought
to be known to the people.
There was an attempt in the early history OF
this country to prohibit man from occupy
ing position in congress who was interested
in the banking business. l am sorry to say
that it never resulted, so FAR as know, in q
law. There was an attempt made, and l think
n law nassed n few wears ago to prohibit men,
bers Of congress from practicing before the
courts and departments here, because 1t was
supposed by the people that atpersons occupying
seats in congress who were lawyers would
necessarily be influenced more or less in con-
sequence OF their employment We who have
rrnntinnd ln,u for anlna rnnra nndaratanl how