The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-05-30
RIGHTS Of NEWSPAPER MEN.

i
statement of the New York senator,
! but ii led to very interesting debate
/ between Mr.. Hill and Mr. Allen (Popu-
] lisp, Of Nebraska, a member of the
| bribery committee.
| Mr.. Allen interrupted Mr. Hill to say
! it was not the truthfulness of the cor
respondents the committee was charged
to investigate; it was whether attempts
| had been made to bride senator's;
whether the sugar trust had made the
large political contributions for the
purpose of influencing legislation and
/ whether senators had been specializing
| in sugar stocks He asked Mr.. Hill if
! he contended that the Senate had the
right to investigate the charge that
senat tors had speculated in sugar
stocks.
Not exactly replied Mr. Hill, "but
[ have grave doubt if a senator should
come before a committee and refuse to
answer questions relating to his private
business, whether the committee could
compel him to do so. The decisions of
| the courts are against it.
! Does the senator believe a senator
could invest in sugar stock without
that investigation influencing his
vote?" inquired Mr.. Allen.
! The senator confounds the legal
question" replied Mr.. Hill, with the
question of propriety. A senator who
= speculates in sugar stock violates no
/ law"
But" interrupted Mr.. Allen, "it
would not be more proper for a senator
! to invest. money in any enterprise to
be affected by his vote than it would
/ be for a judge on the bench to render
a decision in a case in which he was
! interested. This question of public
morality goes to the foundation of the
integrity of the government"
"A senator has a legal right to do
what is not prohibited"
"A legal" returned Mr.. Allen, but
no moral right
"One question at a time" said Mr.
Hill He would have as much right
as a senator, who being owner of sill
: yer mining property would vote on the
silver question. If, pending action on
the sugar schedule, a senator should
/ speculate in sugar, it might be an act
of improperly, but it would not con-
! stitute crime. If the committee de-
sired to get at the facts why did they
not call the Sena tors whose names had
been connected with these charges in
stead of prosecuting newspaper men
who had no personal knowledge, and
whose information was obtained from
confidential sources? ?"
But" interjected Mr.. Allen, eff the
questions asked the newspaper MAJ
were irrelevant, they should be ex-
empted from testifying.
why call the newspaper men instead
of the men themselves?' retorted Mr.,
! Hill
Mr.. Gray, chairman of the CONNER
cial committee. here interrupted to COM
pare the investigation to a coroner's in
quest and wanted TO know of Mr.. Hill
if a witness having made a statement
that he had heard that one man had
/ been killed by another could refuse to
give his authority.
! MIR Hill carried this oueSfion 4 trial
in a court was a legal investigation, he
said, and very different from a congress
sional inquiry. There, eye witnesses
were wanted.
THAT is just about what we want,
! said Mr.. Gray.
around the horn to look for Them
retorted Mr. Hill, with some irony in
his tone.
How are we to get them?" asked
Mr.. Gray.
Call the senator's" replied Mr.. Hill
! impulsively, that is the best way
How are we to tell who the senators
: are| asked MIR. Allen.
Call Them All, Says Hill.
great emphasis, "call them all. So long
as you have foolishly. as I think, en-
tered upon this investigation, it is your
duty to exhaust it,
Mr.. Hill declared that if a newspaper
man had made a, statement rejecting
on his honor or integrity and should go
before committee and testify that he
had no personal knowledge of the truth
Of the charge, he C1ilD, should insist
On being the next witness.
las long as you have entered upon
this field of inquiry, the whole of it
should be exposed. I have appealed
from the decisions for certain reasons.
S,-,,
state; they represent your papers in
my state; second, I desire to present
my views; third, 1 believe the Senate
was entering upon ground it ought not
> to tread upon, and that no good could
come from the prosecution of the news
paper men, for 1 deny the right of the
Vice-president to certify those facts to
the district attorney under the statute
without the Affirmative action by the
Senate, and fifth, believe the Senate
has no right TO go further than it has
gone"
1 Then after some wrangling between
Mr. Harris and Mr.. Hill, during which
the interchange of courtesies was
quite acrimonious, and after an inef-
fectual effort on Mr.. Hills part to in
troduce q resolution declaring the
questions asked the newspaper men
for which they were to be held in con-
tempt were not pertinent and that the
facts should not be certified to the
district attorney, Mr.. Harris moved to
table the appeal, and it was carried
without division.
| Mr.. Hill then ofSAred another resollS-
ton to the effect that certif1ca tons of
the recalcitrancy should not be made
to the district attorney until the SEN
ate had taken further action.
Mr.. Harris objected, when Mr.. Hill
said he had no objection to the resolu-
+ ton going over.
The vice-president said: cit will go
over"
Mr. Harris said it could not 90 over.
because it had not yet been introduced
and could not he, but the chair did not
alter the ruling.
The Lumber Schedule.
The Senate then resumed considera-
ton of the lumber paragraph of the
tariff bill and Mr.. Squire Republican,,
of Washington, addressed the Senate
in opposition to free lumber.
! Mr.. Hale then offered an amendment
! to place a uniform duty of 81 on all
lumber-defeated
Mr.. Allen, of Nebraska, moved to
place all lumber shingles, boards, etc,
used in the building of residences, upon
the free list.
Without action on Mr.. Aliens amend
nent, at $40, the Senate went into ex-
! ecutive session and a few moments
later adjourned until Thursday at 10
o'clock.
AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY.
! Chicago, May 9--Wm H Lee and Fred
i C. Laird, of Laird & Lee the publishers
and Alexander A. Winter have secured
patents on a process for combining min
ar a and fatNl