The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-02-19
Continuation of the Investigation of
the License Board.
COMMISSION WAS REPRESENTED BY COUNSEL.
Heated Discussion to Powers of Committee Under Council
Resolution Other Testimony.

I glad to see the commissioners represented
by botn the Democratic and Republican
parties. IL appeared to- him that the City
Council had seen fit in adopting the reso-
lution TO put 1t in the way IL desired and
that ample authority is conferred ire.
spective OF the form of the resolution.
liere he read the resolution ana then
proceeded. "Mr. Wilson insists that the
committee under this resolution is requir-
ed TO confer with the commi missioners and
Others. / wish TO say that it is not di-
rected to confer but Is empowered 10 do
so III IL sees mt or so desires. Ii is not di-
rected as TO whether 1t shall confer first
with the commissioners or with other
persons. Nor is it limited to holGing this
conference to any particular time. 1t can
be held after the committee has don e
other things IL considers necessary such
T, a. the holding of these hearings In fact
| the time when this conference shall be
held Is wholly and entirely within the
discretion of the committee. The second
| part of the resolution authorizes the COM
mittee to inquire into such other mat
tiers as the good Of the public service may
require and to give public hearings If
deemed best Mr.. Wilson asserts that
this authority to hold public hearings
does not apply TO the Burke transfer.
contend that the whole matter is within
the discretion of the committee. The reso-
luton Is to be taken in its entirety and
not as to particular parts. Not only can
this committee hold public hearings
under il, but it can also determ inc
whether it shall hold that conference first
or last. ="
Mr.. PAGE TAKES A HAND.
Hon. Charles III. Page on behalf o. the
commissioners next addressed the com
mittee.
81 suppose" he said, "this committee
will construe the English language as
other people construe 1t. Under the reso-
luton IL IL plain that the first duty of
the committee Is to confer with the
license commissioners and other persons.
Now conference doesn't mean a public
investigation; it doesn't mean the calling
and the swearing of witnesses; il doesn't
mean the arraignment of public officials
before the bar of a tribunal. Ii means
Just what 1t says, no more and no less.
Ii says the committee is to confer, and
confer IL the only authority it derives
from the resolution. IL the person who
drew this resolu ion intended that 1t
should give authority to go about with a
scoop net to drag in every one and every
body who had complaint to make or a
grievance TO air he didn't use language
sufficient for the purpose. l repeat that
the first plain duty OF the committee is
TO confer and for that conference 1 am
sure the commissioners are ready and
nave DeeD ready from tne BEGINNING.
And this conference was to be for a
special and specific purpose. 1t was not
To be an intqutty as TO what the license
board has been doing or has done since il
was organized, but what il did in the
case OF the transfer of the Connell license
TO Tobias Burke. That is plainly the in
tent and purpose of the first part of the
resolution and as TO the second part you
wouldn't expect the committee to begin
at that end any more than Mr.. Mccarthy
would go into court with a suit against
the city of Providence ana expect the de-
fendant TO prove mis- case for him.
Mr.. McCarthr-"Yesl 4 wou d If I made
the defendant my witness as / did in this
case. -
"That isn't law, 1t isn't reason and
what's more it isn't right and every gentle
man at all acquainted with the law is
aware of the fact" Mr.. Page declared.
,h Then I,he ne continued &C IL was to my mind
committee should have talk
with the gentleman of the
commission first to find out the real
circumstances surrounding the granting
of that transfer TO Mr.. Burke. 1T is easy to
go around charging people in public
places with wrong doing. easy to make
allegations against good and faithful pub
lie servants; we all know that; but the
evident intention OF the City Council as
expressed In that resolution was that this
committee should by a conference satisfy
itielf if there had been any wrong-doing
and i cannot understand why any d fer
ent course should be pursued. l therefore
ask for a construction OF the resolution
in tie evident light in which it was
passed by the City Council. And let me
say don't care what the politics OF the
people concerned may be, the public
doesn't care, the City Council doesn't
care, the city of Providence doesn't care
IL is purely business matter for the city
without regard to whether those interested
are Republicans, Democrats or mug
wumps.
Discussing the second part of the reso-
luton Mr.. Page said, "Ihis part of the
resolution empowers the committee to in
quire into other matters and cases OF
similar nature. This they are authorized
to do after they have done what they are
specifically instructed 10 do; that is: to
confer with the commissioners in regard
to the Burke transfer. III, as a resu of
that conference, thev find matters they
deem should be inquired into, then they
may go ahead and investigate; but this
investigation must be of cases similar to
the Burke matter, for so the resolution
expressly states. IL the committee find,
after comforting with the commissioners
and examining their records there are no
similar cases, then its duties are at an end
and there is no need of furthe- investiga-
tion. The public service of this city does
not require that the license commissions $
or eny other official should be held up to
ridicule at a public investigation, at
which everyone with a grievance, real or
supposed, Is permitted TO exploit him
self.'
Mr.. MCCARTHY AGAIN ON DECK.
Mr.. Mccarthy here inquired IL he was
TO understand that Mr.. Wilson and Mr..
Page appeared for the license con m mission-
ers and was answered in the affirmative by
Mr.. Wilson. He was then proceeding to
reply TO MIR. FACES argument when Mr..
Wilson interrupted to say that as Mr.. Nc
Carthy was making another speech he
should expect TO be permitted TO reply TO
1t. 10 this.Mr. Mccarthy demurrsd, re-
marking that such a course woul1 e very
much like two persons accompanying |
each other home the process would go on
indefinitely. Finally ;t was decided that
Mr.. " ilson should have chance TO re-
ply ana then Mr.. Mccarthy continued.
"FrCm what NJ. Page has said.n he |
declared, tone would thinl; big indict- |
ment should he drawn VITA red letters /
against the committee for overstepping |
al Afrff-