Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-02

lect, were secret, unless otherwise ordered.
Speaker Blaine had held that 1t required
two-thirds vote to open the doors of an
investigating committee on that occasion.
nereiore. continued Mr. Gray. the prece-
dents were not as Mr.. Hill had stated
them
Instead OF being unusual and extraordin-
airy. secret sessions were customary
Mr. Gray Pays Attention to Mr. Hill.
Mr.. Gray then. with some temper, revert
Cd 10 the remarks made by Mr. Hill on
Tuesday, criticising the course of the COM
mittee- Mr.. Hill. he said. on that occasion
had called on the committee to stop inyesti-
eating the newspaper men and go to in
Sesugating the truth. He knew that the
senator from New York was captivated by
newspaper applause But. said he, IL Mr.
mn would sit down by his native Preside
Tar from the maddening crash of newspaper
plaudit and allow his common sense fun
SNay, ne thought he would see that this
wdS not fair way Of stating the course Of
the committee. The report made by the
committee, when the witnesses had been re-
ported as contumaclous. had contained all
tne testimony taken up to that time
Mheh tne committee met they naturally
hao called hrst the newspaper men who
were responsible for the charges the COM
mlttee was investigating. They had drawn
issue the anonymous curtain. and. meta
Phorically speaking, had stripped him of
the feathers of his pen and placed him like
an ordinary mortal in the witness chair
But when he refused to answer the ques-
lions put TO him. although they pointed out
that IN so doing he was violating the law
they had not considered that the investiga.
tion was baked. They had taken only
.iine enough 70 report the facts in connec-
uOn with this witness 10 the Senate as
was their duty, and on the same afternoon
had proceeded with the Investigation. How
the proper course to pursue?
When questioned about the charge that
the secretary OF the Treasury had been
guilty OF an act not only unworthy of a
high public official, but one that IL sub
Btantieted might warrant Impeachment
proceedings in the other branch of Con-
press. the witness had replied that he made
the statement upon the authority of a sim
gle informant, and had added upon oath
that the informant. so far as he knew, was
the only person In possession of that in
formation.
When the truth concerning such a charge
u truth 1t were. was locked up in the heart
bf one man could the committee be charged
with trihing when it tried to ascertain who
that man was?
All public men, said Mr.. Gray. liked the
approval Of the press. but there was some
Thing better than its commentator, and
because in the end public men must have
the respect Of those whose respect they
would not do without-their own.
Mr. Lodge Defends the Committee.
Mr.. Lodge CMass). a member of the COM
rnittee. agreed fully with what Mr. Gray
Of
the ends Of justice required the committee
TO pursue the course it had followed in
holding secret sessions
Mr.. Lodge declared that the committee
proposed to probe the d0arges to the bot
tom, and to call every person who could
throw the slightest light upon them. They
affected the honor Of the United States
Senate. and although the machinery at
their command, was cumbrous and imper-
feet and the instruments in their hands
sar1
put on the stand every man whom it was
suggested had knowledge OF them and lay
the whole matter bare before the people OF
The United States
Mr.. Hill Not Satisfied.
Mr.. Hill was not satisfied with the de-
tense made Of secret sessions
He had listened. he said for one sound
reason why the investigation should not be
public. Both Mr.. Gray and Mr.. Lodge, he
laid. had begged the question by seeking TO
guard their position with the old argument
of courtesy to a Senate committee.
He proceeded at some length to point out
that newspaper men, in recording the cur
rent history of the day. necessarily pro-
cured their information from hearsay tes-
hmony-from widely different and often con-
fdential sources
He resented as unjust the imputatlon con-
tatned In Mr.. Blackburn's remark that in de-
Tending newspaper men he was seeking the
applause of the press gallery. He need not
appeal to Senators. he thought to remind
career. g
ceived at the hands of the press as scant
courtesy as any other public man. lie cared
nothing for the applause. nor the condem-
Patton, OF the press, but when newspaper
men We're In the right. he intended to stand
up for them.
The Right of the Committee.
At this point Mr.. Hill became involved
with Mr. Allen CNeb) as to the right of
The committee to force an answer TO the
question concerning the Secretary of the
Treasury and its relevancy. Mr. HILL amid
scattering of applause from the galleries
hat was quickly stifed by the Vice Presi-
lent. denied absolutely the power OF the
committee 10 Investigate the action of the
Secretary Of the Treasury. He denied the
jurisdiction Of the committee, and while
admitting that the committee as the tri-
bunal making the Investigation could deter
mine the relevancy of questions its iuris-
ciction must be established before it could
compel answers
He pointed cut the limited powers of a
congressional committee in This regard and
cited the decision Of the Supreme Court in
the Hallet Kilbourne case when a House
COMMITTEES was investigating an alleged
real estate pool
After some further controversy with Mr.
Gray. Mr.. Dolph and Mr.. Allen on this
point Mr.. Hill concluded with the asser-
tion that all the facts fully warranted the
Introduction OF his resolution directing
the committee to throw open it's doors.
Mr.. Dolph (Ore) followed Mr.. Hill.
Al the CONCLUSION or MS speech Mr.. Cor
don (Ga-) asked unanimous consent to have
vote on MIR. HIS resolution. Mr. Wash
burn CMinn) asked if the resolution was
before the Senate and being informed that
IL was not objected to a vote.
More Sugar.
The consideration Of the tariff bill was
then resumed There was some discussion
as to what had been agreed to in the way
OF amendments. and Mr.. Jones offered the
amendment changing the dates when the
sugar schedule should go into effect. He
said he presumed there would be no OBJ
lection to adopting these amendments, but
AIr. Aldrich said these amendments were
an important feature Of the bill. and took
the floor to make speech the bill.
He said 1t was known from the first that
the pending schedule was the most i'm
pOrtant in the bill; that upon IL depended
the fate of the bill. II did not need the
speech Of the Senator from Maryland (Mr.
Gorman) to show the people that the adop-
ton OF this sugar schedule was necessary
TO secure democratic votes for the bill.
He then claimed that the schedule had
been revised five times that the public
knew OF, and that the changes in the sugar
schedule were foretold by the rise and fall
OF prices.
On the New York stock exchange IL was
now we'll known he said that the suCar