The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-30
sCHRIvER's TESTIMONY.

d plouAAutub wire manufacturer was al
legged to have overheard a the Arlington
hotel in a talk between certain senators
and representatives Of the sugar trust
Mr. Schriver said member of congress
gave him the information and the COM
mittee say that IN response to the direct
question, he declined to give the name of
either the congressman or the wire man
ufacturer TO whom he referred in his
news dispatches
~ conclusion, the committee say: 'In
the opinion of the committee, each of the
questions put 10 SAID witnesses was
question pertinent to the question under
inquiry before the committee, and was
necessary TO make the examination or
dered by the said resolution of the Senate
and that each of the said witnesses is in
contempt of the Senate and merits to be
dealt with for his misconduct; and that
each of said witnesses, by his various re-
fusals 10 answer the questions as herein
set forth, has violated the provisions of
that certain act of congress in such cases
made and provided, being chapter of the
revised statutes of the United States"
The committee quote in full sections l02
l03 and l04 of the revised statutes being
the act Of 1857, as published in these dis
patches of yesterday.
CLOSING WORDS OF THE REPORT.
The closing words Of the report are as
request that the president of thee
Senate certify as TO each witness his
aforesaid failure to testify and his afore-
said refusals TO answer, and all the facts
herein, under the seal of the Senate, to
the United States district attorney for
the District of Columbia, to the end that
each of said witnesses may be proceeded
against in the manner and form provided
by law"
There is no reference to the case Of
Harry Walker, correspondent of the New
York Daily America.
When the reading Of the report was
concluded Mr. Hill took the floor and
argued that the report did not present
such question of privilege as should dis
place the pending bill. If the report
had been on the first part of the inquiry
the attempt to bribe two senator's, it
would have been a question of the high
est privilege, but that report had been
already made and disposed of. But the
second part of the inquiry-as to whether
senators had been speculating in sugar
stock-did not involve q question of
crime, although il might involve ques-
tion Of impropriety.
HARRIS INTERRUPTS.
Mr.. Harris interrupted him with
question Of order and argued that the
report presented no question for any ac-
tion for the Senate to vote upon, and,
therefore, no question for the Senate to
debate There was statute which de-
volved duty on the chair on the present
alton Of the report; and the chair alone
could act upon it.
Mr. Hill, regardless OF Mr. Harris
point of order, went on with his own ar
gument, and was, after while, again in
terrupted by Mr. Harris, who asked the
ruling of the chair on his point Of order.
The Vice President, who had resumed
the chair, made the following ruling:
This is privileged report and it is not
such a report as calls for any action on
the part of the Senate. The only action
called for by this report is the action of
the presiding officer, That is the deci-
sion Of the chair. The question before
the Senate is the amendment of the sena-
tor from Kansas, Mr.. PETER, to the lum-
Der schedule Of the tariff bill"
HILL APPEALS FROM THE RULING.
Mr.. Hill appealed from the decision of
the Vice President and argued that the
Senate.had a right to direct the presiding
officer not to proceed further in the mat
ter until after further action of the Sen
ate, The statute in question was loosely
and carelessly drawn, but the Senate had
complete jurisdiction of the latter until
the last moment. The Senate might see
tit to direct that the certificate provided
for in the statute should not be trans
mitted to the district attorney, and it had
complete jurisdiction over the matter.
NO PERSONAL INTEREST.
He had no sort of interest, he said, per-
sonal or otherwise, in the inves tiga tion,
1t was proper enough that the Senate
should investigate the charge of bribery,
but the report on that question had been
presented and that portion of the work
had been substantially completed He
doubted the wisdom Of the other proceed
ing. He doubted the proprety Of en-
deavoriug to find out whether newspaper
men always told the truth. If
the Senate undertook that great
work 1t would be kept busy
till the end of time Senators could
speculate in sugar stock or in silver, or in
any other kind of stock, and would violate
no law in doing so. Why does the COM
mIttee not call these senators instead of
prosecuting these newspaper correspond
Cnts, who do not pretend that they have
any personal knowledge on the subiectl
Why seek out those cores Dondents and
then invoke the power of this great
government TO make them tell the
sources of their confidential in
formation, when the very poo-
pie about whom they speak are in the city
Of Washington and can be summoned
qaestion was, not what these correspond
ents said, but what vera the exact facts2
That was what the public wanted to
know and pobody objects TO the commit
tees finding it out, to its hearts content.
If newspaper man, who had written
something as to speculation In sugar, was
on the stand and said that he wrote it in
good faith and had derived his inform a.
tion from confidential sources, why" Mr.
Hill asked, SHOULD he be pressed on that
point instead Of having the parties called
against whom the charge was presented 2"
THE WAY TO ASCERTAIN.
"How are we 10 ascertain" asked Mr.
Allen, "who they are, when the witnesses
refuse to disclose their names or the
sources of their Information
Swear them all, if you have any doubt
about it," Mr.. Hill replied with a snap;
and the galleries applauded, aud were re-
buked by the presiding officer for such a
breach of propriety.
so long as you have" Mr.. Hill went
on, entered upon this inquiry-fooishly
in my judgment-it is your duty 10 ex-
haust 1t and to 20 TO the bottom. II you
have seen fit TO investigate mere idle
newspaper charges, not founded on affida-
Wits, not founded on personal knowledge,
then carry it out, and do not simply take
the newspaper men who started the in
quiry. There is no objection to swearing
every senator around the circle.
If any newspaper man had