The herald., 1897-03-09
Hauled Before the BGr of the
Senate
APPEAR To BE MUCH SCARED
But Persist in Their Refusal TO Give
Information
Senators and AssembIymen Prove Hore WIN
ling but Not rore Useful Witnesses.
Legislative Routine Proceedings

nouncement that the senate committee
investigating the Examiners charges
would make its report today, and that
Managing Editor Lawrence and Re-
porter Levings would be brought to the
bar of the senate to answer charges
against them of contempt In refusing
to answer question of the committee.
made the senate this morning the center
of attraction at the capitol. The CALLER
les filled soon after roll call, and the
lobby was crowded before the reading
of the journal was over. Ned Hamil-
ton of the Examiner staff came In and
took a seat with the newspaper CORES
pondents. Levings sat next to him.
looking very nervous and Ill at east
McEnerney Of the Examiners corps
of counsel sat on the other side OF the
room. Andy Lawrence, attired in a.
light coat, gloves and carrying the lat
est style hat in his hand. came In later
and sat near McEnerney. He was the
principal object of interest to the spec
tators and looked around with an air
Of proprietorship until Morehouse be-
gan his denunciation Of him, when he
gradually sunk lower and lower In his
chair and moved around uneasily as
though he would like to leave the cham
| ber under the unmerciful flashing More
| house gave him.
| Senator Dickinson presented the re-
port of the investigating committee.
| which, simply quoted from the evidence
| showing the questions asked Lawrence
and Levings and their refusal to answer
and asked the senate for further In
| structions.
AS soon as the report was read More
| house offered a resolution declaring It
| the sense of the senate that the wit
nesses should be brought before the bar
| of the senate, should be asked the same
questions, and If they. refused to an
swer should be committed for contempt.
their counsel having half an hour to
plead their cause.
Sewall opposed the resolution on the
ground that it was evident from the
| efforts of the Examiner to prevent the
committee securing evidence-that 1t had
| nothing on which to base its charg6S:
that examinations of this character new
er resulted in any good, and that it.waB
wasting time and money to continue
| them.
Theu Sewall sat down and Morehouse
rose Everyone expected great speech
and no one was disappointed. 1t was
| by all odds the best speech of the ses-
| sion, and has rarely been equaled In the
senate chamber He delivered It In q
clear, ringing voice. every word dis
tinctry eunuciated. At times he was In
terrupted by the applause of his audi
ence, senators being conspicuous In
their hand-clapping. He said:
"Mr. President: I don't want to de-
intend to. I don't desire to make any
lengthy speech, neither do intend to.
I simply call the attention of the senate
| to this fact: We are not undertaking
to prosecute any great newspaper; We
have brought no charges against any
newspaper whatever. Every man
| knows that this newspaper has brought
| charges against the senate, and when
| we bring persons before the Investigate
| ing committee whom we are satisfied
have knowledge of this fact. they sit
back and say, We decline to answer
| An investigating committee has been
appointed. That investigating commit
tee has honestly undertaken to do it,
| work, and when the very parties who
make these charges are brought before
| the committee they refuse to give uS
| the information upon which the article
was based on the pitiful plea Zone OF
them) that in so doing he would be be-
traying the confidence imposed in him
as a newspaper man. He forgot the
honor that every man ought to possess.
He forgot the dignity that belongs to
every respectable man, that before he
charged and DETAINED and blackened and
disgraced respectable men. he should
have had an honest foundation upon
which to base his article Now. again
submit to you that the charge IL
| against this whole senate. submit TO
you that we have gone so far In this In
vestigation that the entire state is ask
ing US whether we are crowd OF bribe-
| takers and scoundrels and scallawagg,
| or whether we are honest men, and
| say to you (the senator was very sarcas-
tic in his tone) as an honest man 1t seems
to me that we ought to invite these hop
| est gentlemen, these truthful and reltq-
BILE reporters. these gentlemen In whosQ
confidence and in whose bosoms rest
/ all this valuable knowledge, before this
| senate, that they may unbosom them
| selves. Look for one moment at the
honor, at the dignity, at the manhood.
| of one of these penny-a-liners upon .
| public newspaper who would charge
| members of this senate with receiving
$3.50 to $500 apiece, and then shield and
hide himself behind the confidence that
| he owes Mr.. Hearst, resident OF New
York Now, SO far as am concerned.
I want-I Gravel ask-I demand--at
the hands of this senate an investigation
as to my personal conduct. know that
| am innocent, but / want the world to
| know that am innocent. I want II to
know that when an article ascribee to
me any corrupt motive that article 70
an infamous falsehood. 1 believe you
all know it and believe it likewise. But
you are not the state Of California. Stop
for one moment and reflect that this
paper goes into thousands Of homes
in this state that do not know me per-
sonally, that are not brought into per-
soral relations with me. Not only that
| this paper goes outside into various
| states Of the union, and It goes ana
says to the world that the thiryt-eecon4
session Of the legislature OF the seate
| of California. senator's, were corrupt
] pack of infamous scoundrels, accepting
| bribes-$950 and $500 apiece.
Are you afraid of great public news
| paper, because II can go into Thousands
i of homes, because 1t can write and in-
dict lines of infamy and SANDER against
| you? Not at all. Let me soy here be-
| fore you. and before every member o(
! this senate that honesty need fear uotE-
| ing: that innocence never can Be fr1G1o-
! ened, that truth we will investigates VllI
! rise to the surface, and the pubic NH
know that we are honest moQs ~ N