The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-07-24
AGAINST
AN INQUIRY.
Senatorial SpscuIations in Sugar
Stock Not to be Investigated.
IMPOSSIBLE TO PROVE GUILT.
SENATE COMMITTEE SAYS NO
EVIDENCE IS IN EXrsTENCE-ALL
THE CHARGES THAT HAVE
BEEN MADE ARE VAGUE AND
INDEFINITE, SUPPORTED BY NO
RESPONSIBLE TksTIMoNY-soME
MINDS NOW EASY.

washington, July 23.-The charges
against Senators of Specializing in sugar
STOCK VIII not be investigated. Senator
Jones, OF Nevada, chairman OF the com
mlttee ON contingent expenses, today
submitted to the Senate the report of
that committee against the proposed in
veStigation
There are timely suggestions and sen.
stoie reasoning in the recommendations
oil the committee. No doubt exists in
the public mind that Senators specu.
lated In sugar stock during the pendencv
OF the wilson bill aud have been during
the progress of the tariff bill still finally
Enacted upon. That such action is dis.
honorable and disreputable in the ex.
treme no one has the ..temerity to denv.
Could the guilt be indisputably fasten.
ea upon the culprits Just retribution
should and would follow. Here lies the
oiihculty, rs so clearly and forcibly
pointei out by the committee. Investi
gation mas proved its own futility. All
the charges made are vague and indefi.
mite and supported by no responsible tes.
tlmony. Every attempt to get. down to
facts has met with failure simply be.
cause no one can be found to come for
ward and make OPEN charges on his own
personal responsibility. Until this is
done, as the committee we'll saws il ia
nothing but n farce to enter upon an in
veSsigatiOn
The structures OF the committee upon
the recklesSness with which the sensa.
tional press and .sensationa, writer's toy
with the reputation of public men are
well deserved, and it is pity there an.
pears to be no sufficient remedy for it.
except, of course, that every man, both
In public and private life, can SO order
his walk rs to rise above unmerited cen.
sure. There is a vast deal of Intelligent
discrimination in the American people
and there is an abiding sense of Justice in
the scales in which their public servants
are weighed
Among the hundreds and hundreds of
newspaper correspondents and reporters
whose nnerring vision covers every nook
and corner of public operations in this
city there are naturally and. inevitably
some prone to imagine deceit and evil
where there is none. But the majority
are OF those disposed to temperate and
even criticism and thinking good rather
than evil. With their enlarged eyper
fence and cool Judgment they are adepts
In the dissecting of character and of con.
duct.
There is not one of those whose obser-
walton extends over ten years who can
not, from his perch III the press gallery,
l'NN 49, viz ooiiCb .uONcS WHO SlC on the
floor below. 1t is not necessary to bring
charges against them, definite or indefi
mite. They are all marked. it is scarcely
possible for any man, unless he Is non
ehiey, to sit For two years in either
orancn OF Congress and not disclose To
trained Watchers whether me is W ith or
Without -repronch. So through the fair
anu independent press are these men and
their doings and sayings closely scanned
by the mlllions of their countrymen, and
the standard to which they measure
pretty accurately estimated.
In accordance with the Scotch law
not proven may avail to protect the nm
worthy public servant from its penal
ties, but 1T cannot save him from the fin
ger OF scorn, from the indignant popular
repudlation which is sure to oyertake
him sooner or later. AS the committee
says,it is not possible to technically cstab-
llsh the truth of anonymous charges bnt
not the less is the facility with which
the hand of Identification can be nut on
every sugar trust Senator.
win, reference to the pl OPPOSITION that
inquiry be made whether the sugar trust
mas contributed to or controlled the cleo
tioh OF Senator in this body at auy
time, the committee expresses the opin-
ION that the time to investigate a sub
Ject OF That character will he when some
evidence is offered to show cause for
the inquiry" and adds that "upon the
election Of Senator his political or
other opponents are sufficiently nct;ve
and alert in their party to make known
TO the Senate any irregularity or cause
Tor contest in his election. In so far as
the American Sugar Refining Company
may oltend against the statutes of the
United States leu it be dealt with accord
ing to law
1--WE are not the apologsts of that com
pany or any other. The want CT popu-
larity OF that company or any other can
never OF itself be held to be ground for
Investigating the right of Senators to
their seats. If it be our duty, upon our
own Initiative and without the slightest
warrant from any known fact, to investi.
gate whether corporation has contri-
buted to or controlled the election of n
Senator in this body at any time. whv
stop at one corporation? Why not pre-
pare list of all the corporations in the
United States, call up the officers of each
and examine into the question whether
such corporations have in any wise
contributed t. or contolled the election of
a senator i'll this body at any time"
Inc process ~ examination would he end
Tess, ana there would be no time for the
pei Torrance of any legislative duties.
AS to Senator Smith. who was charcoal
with speculaticns by certain newspapers
the committee says that the accusation
us the bold and naked assertion of
man who does not profess or pretend to
have any knowledge whatever o! the
alleged fact of which he writes. On the
other hand, we have a definite explicit