The herald., 1897-03-09

/ stand today as somewhere 1t is said II
Shakespeare: ARMED so strong IL
\ honesty that their threats pass me as al
idle wind, which respect not"
There is no direct charge of bribery
J There is an insinuation. They have no
said that H. v. Morehouse of Santf
x Clara county took $3.50 or $500. wish t.
God they would do so, and / would have
manhood alone, to go into the courts o
this state and show the people OF the
world that am innocent. But no, they
hint, and hide behind the term mem.
bers of the senate" and yet In the mex
days editorial they hint and insinuatt
( that perhaps ETC.. Morehouse is guilty
do not want to stand that, and ash
you as my friends, and ask you in de.
fense of the senate, ask you in defense
of personal honor to pass this resolution
and bring those men before the bar OF
the senate and let them purge them
selves of contempt. Is there anything
wrong in this? All we have done is
demand justice from his majesty who
sits on the tripod Of the San Francisco
Daily Examiner as its editor, the man
who sits there and with his pen seeks
to defame one hundred and twenty
gentlemen of this legislature. Because,
forsooth, of his power, who takes his
pen in his hand and writes "Scoundrels''
across the foreheads of members of this
senate.
viii we stand it? Why should we fear
Mr.. A. NJ Lawrence? When did he be-
come a god and king that we should
bow down before him because he Is a
scribbler for the press? Is he king?
Is he a god? Is he something superior
to a state senator that we should fear
him? Ha, you may be afraid of him,
but thank God, am not: Neither am L
afraid of the San Francisco Examiner,
or any other public journal. And why?
Because I have done nothing wrong.
Because in my heart is truth and right
and justice and manhood in mans
heart he fears nothing but God. (Ap-
plause.)
Why, these gentlemen came before the
committee. represented by three of the
best counsel in the city. They came be-
fore the committee and begged counsel
Permit me to say, 1t is twenty odd years,
twenty-six, 1 think, since 1 have been
an attorney-at-law, and during that
time 1t has been my fortune, or my mis-
fortune to defend a great many men
charged with crime, and have observed
one thing; that when the criminal mas
been brought into court he sits back,
folds his hands and refuses to answer
Law in it's magnimity, law in its JUS
tice, law in it's wisdom, has incorpora-
ted into statutes that no man need be
q witness against himself; and II says
the defendant need not answer. He
may sit there, and the court must in
struct the jury that they must not con-
clude anything against him because he
sees fit to hold his tongue.
Now, these righteous gentlemen.
these highly god-like, excellent gentle
men of the press, have come here and
they have charged us with being bribe
takers and we say: Where is your
evidence, Mr.. Lawrence?" II decline to
answer" where is your evidence, MI.
Levings?" IL decline to answer. l may
betray the trust, the confidence of my
employers. Employers who WELD this
great engine of power to destroy man
hood and womanhood; employers who
day after day, through the columns of
their corrupt journal send forth nasti-
ness and filth from the sewers to vilify
and abuse man and woman. They will
not abuse the confidence of their EN-
ployers. They do not abuse the confi-
dence of personal honor when they at
tack members of the senate. Oh, no,
that was entirely different proposition.
When we, out OF malice or i'll feeling or
personal pique or personal revenge want
to destroy, all we need do is to take our
pen, in the silence of our room, write
"Scoundrer' across the forehead of any
senator. Will the senators stand here
and in obedience to the mandate Of that
great paper yield quietly and say: "Oh,
let us turn 1T over to the grand jury.
We haven't time to defend our honor?
This legislative session is too short, and
these things always flash in the pan
We won't be able to get through with it,"
Well, you bring these gentlemen up here
before the bar of justice and let them
decline to answer and see If we won't
get through this investigation. Why
should we be afraid of these men, ask
again? In the name of God. what do
they feed upon that they are superior
to us? Did God Almighty endow them
with some particular trait of sanctity
that they may hold themselves up upon
high pedeetals that we must bow down
In respect and Admission and worship?
Now, you may do it, but as for me,
will not do it,"
l hope that this senate will stand I'D
and adopt this resolution and bring
these men before tho bar of the senate.
and If they refuse to purge themselves
Of contempt, punish them as you would
punish any other man that would dare
to oppose the great senate of the state
Of California, and impugn our motives
and our personal honor.
Senator Smith followed Senator More
house, saying: while have been much
edited by the remarks of the gentleman
from Santa Clara, 1t seems to me that
1t is perfectly apparent to all that the
paper has abandoned the prosecution.
1t has refused to aid the committee, and
by that refusal has virtually admitted
that there is no foundations for its
charges. / think the senate will have
perfectly absolved itself IL it abandpns
the prosecution now, the Examiner hav-
ing refused to aid in the investigation in
any way"
Senators Pedlar and Simpson advo-
gated adopting the resolutions and Sem
ator Straton said he believed the Ex-
aminer was being prosecuted.
This remark frightened Andy Law
renee, who had looked. up to that time,
very much detected. Roll was called
and twenty-five senators voted aye and
eleven no. On the resolution all of the
Los Angeles senators voted for it.
In the evening a vast crowd filed the
Benate chamber, but Senator Seawell
presented telegram from George A.
knight, saying he could not be present
and wanted the investigation post
poned, and although McEnerney and
Clunie wers there, the senate, by a vote
pf 10 ayes to 16 noes postponed the case
until II o'clock tomorrow.
The Assembly committee investigat-
Cd the matter all day, calling the as
Demblymen one after another and ask
Ing them If they knew anything of al
legged bribery. None OF them would ad-
NIT that he had ever heard of the mat
ter until 1t was published in the Ex-
aminer.
Senator Morehouse appeared before |
the committee and handed them a tele- |
gram he had received, (the day bill 273 |
was up for consideration) from w. f. |
Herrin asking him ~ ba would NOT |