Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1894-05-24
Tfa congressional committee has any

If congressional committee has any
power to compel witnesses summoned
to testify there would be no doubt Of
the sensational nature Of the facts that
would be brought out by this inyestiga.
ton, but the U. s. Supreme Court has
in similar case decided that no witness
can be punished for declining to testify
concerning the private affairs of any
citizen; therefore the testimony will
necessarily be confined to that which is
in sense voluntary, but 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 the committee live
up to their declared intentions. The
first branch of the investigation deals
with the alleged attempt to bride Sen
tors 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 in it than
the garrulity of an irresponsible lobby.
list. The sugar trust branch will be
longer, with results very doubtful. l
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 ch ance what is brought
out. Some of the witnesses are news
paper men who will be willing to tell
all they know, so far as it can be done
without violating promises which they
haye had to make to obtain some of
the information that has been printed.
The decision of the committee to hold
the investigation behind closed doors
was not we'll received in Washington,
but the vote of the committee was
unanimous and, all thing considered.
was perhaps the wisest thing to do.
The argument of the committee is that
If the testimony We're publicly taken it
would prevent much being found out
as the publication would enable witness.
es who did not care to testify to keep
themselves out Of tbs way when they
saw by the testimony of other witnesses
that they would be likely to be called
The committee will have stenographic
record of the testimony made and at lis
close will publish it. just as taken,
whatever the nature of the report there.
on may be, at least that Is what its mem.
bers now promise.
At last there seems to be probability
that tariff bill will be passed in few
weeks, the Senators on both sides hay
Ing apparently located themselves. The
progress made during the last halt Of
last week was very gratifying to those
who are more anxious to see the whole
business disposed Of by the passage OF
some sort of a bill than for the success
or defeat of any particular part Of the
bill, Things started off this week very
propltiously for continuation of rapid
progress until the sugar schedule il
reached, which will probably be about
the last of this or the first Of next week
Then there will be hard fight made
for free sugar, with the result very
much in doubt, as party lines will not
control ali Of the Senators.
Coxey's army no longer attracts mucl
interest in Washington, but, Judging
from Coxey's mail, which has grown to
large proportions and is still growing
the interest throughout the country il
on the increase. The contributions fol
the support OF the men have dropped
almost to the zero mark in Washington
but are coming in freely from other
quarters. The original army is de-
creasing slowly, but the number ii
kept up by recruits, and this week more
than 1000 men are expected to join
Sentence is to be passed on on Coxey,
Brown and Jones today, all efforts (
get their cases before the higher courts
haying failed.