Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-05-25
WASHINGTON LETTER.
written and compiled for the HERALD
w .cIJTNcrnN MaV 81 1SO -

WIlbOou duO COmPllOu iOA VhO
WASHINGTON, May 81, 1901
Everybody one meets seems TO
have become walking int rroga'
ton point, all seeking the same
informatiOn-what will be found
out by the committee Of Senators
charged with investigating the
charges made against various in
dividuals and Senators, including
attempts at bribery, corrupting
methods Of sugar trust, and specu-
lation i'm sugar stock by Senators!
1t is not surprising that the ) ma
tors selected to serve on this
committee, which began its work
today, should have soughttO evade
the disagreabie task; but vice
President Stevenson, having made
the selection after mature consider
alton and with a view of the
special fitness of each man tor the
work he is to perform, declined to
accept any excuse or to make any
changes, and the committee stands
as originally appOiDted-democrats
Gray of Del. Cchairman) and
Lindsay, of KY; republicans,
Lodge, of Mass, and Davis, OF
Mimi; popullst, Allen Of Nebr.
If a Congressional committee
had any power to compel witreses
summoned to testify there would
be no doubt Of the sensational
nature of the facts that would be
brought out by this investigation,
but the L. S. Supreme Court has
in similar case decided that no
witness can he punished for de.
clining to testify concerning the
private affairs of any citizen;
therefore the testimony will nee
essarily be confined to that which
| is IN a sense voluntary, bat the
questions which will be asked
some of the Senators in connection
with the relation between them
and the sugar trust during the last
two months may bring out much
| if the members of tue committee
live up to their declaration ofinten-
tlont. The first branch Of the
investigation deals with the
alleged attempt to bride Senator's
Hunton, of Va, and Kyle, of S. D.,
to vote against the tariff bill, and
will probably be short as there
was probably nothing more serious
10 it than the garrulity of an IT.
responsible lobbyist. The sugar
trust branch Will be longer With
results very doubtful. shall not
be surprised to have the fact
brought out that the sugar trust
made big contributions to both
the republican and democratic
campaign funds, just as other
trusts have been known to do more
than once; but with that Supreme
Court decision to protect the
witness 1t will be largely chance
what's brought out. Some OF the
witnesses are newspaper men who
Will be willing to tell all they know
so far as it can be done without
violating promises which they
have had to make to obtain some
of the Information that has been
printed.
The decision of the committee
70 hold the investigation behind
closed doors was not well received
in Washington, but the vote Of
the committee was unanimous and,
all things considered, was perhaps
the wisest thing to do. The argu'
ment of the committee is that II
the testimony were publicly raken
it would prevent much being found
ont as the publication would
enable witnesses who did not care
to testify to keep themselves out
of the way Wien they saw by tie
testimony of other witnesses that
they would be likely to be called.
The committee will have a StenO-
graphic record of the testimony
made AMI at its close will publish
lit, iast as taken, whatever the
nature OF tue report thereon may
heat least that is what Its members
now promise.
At last there seems to be a
probability that a tariff bill will be
passed in lew weeks, the Senators
on both sides having apparently
located themselves. The progress
made during the last half OF last
week was very gratifJ ing to those
who are more anxious 10 see the
whole business disposed OF by the
passage of some sort of bill than
for the success or defeat OF any par
ticular part of the bill. Things
started Oft this week very pro
pitiOusly for a continuation OF
rapid progress until the sugar
/ schednla IL reached, which will