Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-29
may be proceeded against in manner and
/ form provided by law"

Walkers Testimony Immaterial.
The report makes no recommendation in
the case of Harry Walker, one of the cor
respondents who refused to reveal the au-
| thority for certain Of his dispatches. Sena-
tor Lodge, a member of the committee.
upon being asked for an explanation of the
omission of Walkers name replied that
his testimony was considered immaterial,
While that of Edwards and Shriver touched
upon important points.
Judge DittenhOefer OH the Law.
Judge Dittenhoefer, the counsel for
Nessrs. Edwards and Shriver the corre-
spondents who refused to testify before the
Ser tie investigating committee, speaking
of the old law under which the Senate COM
mittee is contemplating transferring their
respoi sibility to the district attorney and
invoking his aid against the newspaper
correspondents, today said:
The Senate has a right to determine un-
der the statute which the committee in
yokes whether the Questions the corre-
spondents have declined to answer are
perth ent to the inquiry, the language OF
the law being unless they answer a perth
nent question they shall be guilty of mis-
demeanor.
''SecoI dly, the Senate committee is the
creature OF the Senate, and 1t cannot be
possible that the creature can bind and con-
clude its creator the Senate, without any
right in the latter to intervene.
Third, the law is not constitutional in
that IL compels witness to answer, even
though 1t may make him infamous, and
makes a refusal misdemeanor. 1t does
not even provide that the testimony given
by the witness shall not be used against
him. 1t thus contravenes the provision of
the Constitution which declares that no
person can be compelled to be a witness
against himself In criminal case, as ex-
pounded by the Supreme Court in the Hal
lett Kilbourne case. Should the Senate be
stampeded into adopting the reckless recon-
mendation of placing the matter in the
hands of the district attorney for indct-
ment, and should an indictment be found,
all these grave constitutional questions and
others can be raised on a demurrer to the
indictment. The Senate investigating COM
mittee may be imagining that in this way
they are getting rid of the elephant; 1t Is
a vain delusion; they are simply shifting
the forum and the question still remains:
Did the correspondents write the truth, no
ma tier who was their 1nformant?
In the report of Mr.. Edwards testimony
which is not quoted specifically by the
committee, the part of his letter referring
to the Presidents alleged interest in the
Hawaiian question because of the sugar in
terestS is given Referring to this matter
Mr.. Edwards said that in September of
last year he met "a gentleman who spoke
to me about an article l had written con-
cerning an operation upon Mr.. Clevelands
jaw for cancer or malignant growth, which
operation had taken place some weeks be-
fore upon Mr.. Benedict's yacht. This gen.
tlenan said to me: AS important that
news is. there is something much more
important to this country beside the fatal
disease, and which IS now brewing. L
asked him If it was something which he
could give me. He said not then. because
he was under confidence not to do it,
Later. when he hal the Information that
an attempt had been made to restore the
Queer of Hawaii, and that Ii had failed,
this gentleman stated that that was the
news which he had and could not give. My
recollection is that he either told me Ii was
on NIr Of at MIA or
some resort. a pleasure excursion of some
kind. Mr.. Havemeyer, Mr.. Benedict, Mr..
Cleveland and some others were present.
There had been general conversation
about the Hawaiian Islands sugar inter-
ests; and l think he said Mr.. Havemeyer-
at all events, II was said by some one-that
there would be a sensation in the country
before Congress met.
Edwards Names a Dead Informant.
The chairman: Who said it?
Mr. Edwards: Either MIR. Havemeyer Mr.
Benedict. or someone in the party; because
1t would be then found that there was peace
in Hawaii and the queen would be restored
This gentleman Was Col II. w. X. Hoyt
of Greenwich. lie had been speaker Of the
| Connecticut legislature.
Mr.. Edwards said he had not talked with
| Col. Hoyt since he had written his letter,
and that the colonel is now dead.
Admits Reaching Conjectural Com
cIusions.
| Mr.. Edwards said Col Hoyt did not tell
him where he got the information, but his
! impression was that Hoyt had gotten it
from members of the party. Mr.. Edwards
| had said that the incident showed that the
sugar people were as influential as they had
been from the time of the election.
Asked what agency" he referred to N
his statement that Senator German had
been brought into close relations with the
sugar trust by an agency W hich it may not
be well. at present, to reveal"
Mr.. Edwards said that by common report
stephen Il. Elkins was that agency.
German, Elkins and Brtce.
1T is he said, common understanding
that Mr.. Elkins and Mr.. German, being
relatives by marriage, having had very
great business interests in common, their
relations had been very close That is a
matter of common report. In that sense
know it; not from individual knowledge.
He said II was also matter of common
report that Mr.. Elkins is interested in the
sugar trust.
Mr.. Edwards said it was also upon COM
mon report that he had stated that Sena-
tor Brfce was so closely connected with 81.
L. Terrell of the sugar trust as to cause
J the latter to be known as Brice's Terrell.
still Giving Dead Authority.
Mr.. Edwards also gave Col. Hoyt as au-
thorfty for the statement that a great deal
VI was DciiiS sent 10 COnnectCut
during the last campaign. and that Have
meyer had contributed $4,000, and E. G.
Benedict had raised like sum for cam
paign purposes in that state. He also men,
toned the testimony of ex-Goy Waller as;
corroborative of this testimony.
MIR. Edwards said he had received from
several sources the statement that $780,
UOO had been contributed to the CAMPAIGN
fund by persons connected with this trust
with the understanding that 1t should not
be harrassed by tariff legislation. but he
could not recollect the name of any single
person, who had given him the informa-
ton
Cord Meyers Alleged Charge.
In response to a request for his informa-
ton that a member of the trust had said
that the trust owned the Senate, Mr. Ed
wards said that he had heard that remark
attributed to Cord Meyer jr, as having
been made by him at the Manhattan Club.
He could not. however, recall who had given
him this Information. He had also heard
/ from the same source that it was about
! this time that Mr.. Meyer began to visit
Secretary Lamont.
He said that he had heard that Mr. Car
I Isle had asked mis- assistant secretary, Mr.
Hamlin, about the time the Wilson bill was
| in transit a little after, to have a very
/ accurate and careful schedule passed of the
relations of sugar to the tariff, but where
| he heard that he could not identify.
| Hearsny and More of Ii.