The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-09
BLOUNT'S TRIP TO HAWAII.
A Lively Debate as to the Fund From
Which His Pay Came.

A Lively DeDdle as 10 Inc FulQ from
Which His Pay Came.
! Senator Hoar Endeavors to Learn
Whether It Came Out of the Secret
| Service Allowance SEN
/ ators Oppose ANY Inquiry Into the
Purposes for Which That Fund Is
! Used.
! Washington, Jan. s.-Numerous petit
| tions were presented in the Senate to-day
and referred TO the committee on finance
/ in regard TO the Wilson tariff bill. There
were circumstances against the proposed
reduction Of duty on barley, cigars, horse
shoe nails, lead ores, wool and other ar
| ticles.
Mr.. Chandler offered a resolution d.
recting the judiciary committee to in
quire and report its opinion as to the
cases in which the President may con
| stitutionally send to foreign countries
agents, representatives or commissioners
without the advice and consent of the
| Senate, and whether there was constitu-
! tional authority for the appointment IN
March last-without the advice and con-
| sent of the Senate-of Mr.. Bount, as
commissioner to the Hawaiian Islands.
Mr.. Gorman-Let that resolution lie
| over.
The resolution went over till to-mor-
row.
TIE PAYMENTS TO BLoUNT.
The resolution offered last week by MIR
| Hoar calling on the Secretary of the
! Treasury for a statement of the payments
made to Mr.. Blount as commissioner to
Hawaii, and the authority for such pay
ments was laid before the Senate.
Mr.. German moved its reference to the
committee on foreign relations and sub
mitted that the proposed inquiry was
| very extraordinary. The disposition of
| the fund granted to the state department
in the nature of a secret service fund,
was matter which ought not to be in
| quired into with great particularly.
Does the senator from Maryland"
Mr.. Hoar asked, understand that this
money was paid TO Mr.. Blount out of the
| secret service fund.-"
Il take it for granted that il has been, D."
Mr.. German replied. although | know
nothing about it. / know that in the last
administration and in every administra-
ton a sufficient amount of money is APP
| propriated by congress to conduct the
business of the state department, and
| that 1t has been always expended at the
discretion of the President and without
further inquiry"
''Ali that ask, said Mr. Hoar, sis to
know whether Mr.. Blount has been paid
out of this secret fund or not"
GoRMAN NOT SUSPICIOUS.
81 would consider it a great misfortune
under the peculiar circumstances" Mr.
| German added, ''for the Senate to enter
on an inquiry as to whether the secret
| service fund has been properly expended
| by the last administrator or by the pres
ent one Two years ago, we placed a
! fund at the disposal Of Mr.. Harrison to
enable him to protect the interests of this
great country, and have no doubt that it
has been expended couscientiOusly, and
for the interests of the country. But no
inquiry into it has been attempted or sug-
gested. If it were, should take the same
position against it that take now"
MIR. Hoar-If the President desires not
| to disclose the details of the expenditures
he will direct the Secretary of State to
place on record a certificate that such a
sum has been expended and that it is not
expedlent TO make the details known.
,AoAR ESPLAtess sFs--eBJEGFy-s
Mr. Gray asked Mr. Hoar what his OBJ
| ject was in offering the resolution. Il
want to know, p" Mr.. Hear replied, A'and l
want the country to know whether this
gentleman, whose mission was conferred
| upon him, and who exercised his author
| ity and reported his action without the
advice and consent of the Senate, was
| treated in all respects as
public minister of the United
States. l want to have light
thrown on the question whether MIR
BlOunt was, in fact, a private agent of
| the President, or whether he was treated
as public agent. And the question of
! the method in which his compensation
| mid 70 him haoYsc rrl,
that question. That is what l want the
| information for.H
THE RESOLUTION UNUSUAL.
Mr.. Gray characterized the resolution
| as unusual, out Of the ordinary course.
and, so far as he knew, without prece-
dent. Its adoption would be a direct re-
Election on the estmable and honor? BILE
| gentleman who has filled, conscientiously
and to the best of his ability, whatever
might be the Judgment of senator's as to
his conclusions, the trust which has been
reposed in him by the President of the
United States. He had no doubt that
there had not been cent of public money
expended by Mr.. Blount that was not rea-
sonable, necessary and Just and peril
nent TO the matter in hand. But, he did
not care to have the Senate add up the
items of MIR. Blount's board bill and
| hack hire and inquire whether he stopped
at tirst-class hotel, or cheap boarding
house.
HOAR OFFERS 20 DEsIsT.
Mr.. Hoar disclaimed any such purpose
but said that If the senators on the other
side were afraid to have any light thrown
on the public character of Mr.. Blount. or
were afraid that the public should under
stand that while he was performing the
! duties of a foreign minister, he was not
| paid as a foreign minister, but was paid
out of the secret service fund, he (Hoar)
would not further resist the attempt TO
have the resolution referred to the COM
mittee on foreign relations.
Mr.. German re-stated some of the
! points already made by him and was
| asked by MIR. Hoar whether he had rea-
son to believe that the payments to MIR.
| .Blount were secret expenditure. His
reply was that he had no more knowledge
on the subject than every other senator
! had-from the public documents, and
| from the statements in the public press.
SECRECY OF THE TRANSACTION.
'But does the senator believe" Mr.
! Hoar persisted, that this was secret
transaction"
There is no other way that know Of
or that is known to the law" Mr.. Cor
man replied; flor paying services of that
| kind, than from the secret service fund
! II Such an iOullirV had haaD cpouoe+ol