The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-06-16
ANOTHER OF THE CONTUMA CIOUS
SUGAR WITNESSES BEFORE
A WASHINGTON COURT.
HE STOOD BY HIS FRIENDS.
OFFENsE CHARGED A REFUSAL TO
BETRAY SOURCES OF HIS
INFORMATION.
MOTION MADE TO DISMISS ACTION.
One Ground Set Up Is That of Privi-
legged NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
ion of the Court Reserved.
Special to the Globe.
w A SuTNGTON

Special to the Globe.
WASHINGTON, June 15.-The fact
that John S. Shriver was placed on trial
today for contumacy, eXcites a great
deal of interest on the part of the
Washington correspondents, and the.
trial will be of great interest to gen
eral readers. The president and secre-
tary of the American Sugar Refining
company have been acquitted of the
charge of COntumacy Because of their
wealth and prominence, their trials at
tracted great deal Of attention. AL
though Mr. Shriver is lacking in the
prominence which goes with great
wealth. he Is a gentleman Of superior
ability, and is a typical Washington
correspondent type. When the senate
investigating committee was endeavor-
ing to secure information concerning
the action of senator's in the stock
market while the Wilson bill was pend
ing, Mr.. Shriver appeared before that
committee and gave a great deal Of
interesting evidence. He told the COM
mittee everything that he knew con-
corning the alleged corruption of SEN
ators, and how he came to secure the
information upon which he based his
newspaper kilograms. He answered
every question fully to the best of his
ability but refused to betray his in
forTnant
The case of the correspondent Is
radically different from that of the
others, who have been indicted for con-
tumacy in refusing to answer certain
questions. propounded by the commit
tee of investigation. Mr.. Shriver wasU
certainly not cortumacious in any part
of his testimony; unless it may be re-
garded as contumacy to decline to be-
tray a friend. Upon the result Of this
trial will hang a great deal Of the
future work of the Washington CORE
spondents Of prominent newspapers.
The men Of the press in the national
capitol have important and delicate
daily missions to perform. They come
| in contact with senators, representa-
| tives, cabinet ministers, chiefs of bu-
reaus and other men of political prom
| inence and intellectual force. No news
| or information Of any kind can be OBJ
! tanned from men of such character and
standing, except by gentlemen who
make a profession of journalism, COM
pei respect for that profession, and
! The Washington correspondent who
will betray his scources of informa-
ton, may as we'll give UP his profess
sion and retire to obscure journalism,
| or go to black-smithing, shoe making
or some other trade for a living.
| e. J. Edwards, New York correspon-
| dent of the Philadelphia Press, whose
| trial will follow that Of Mr.. Shriver.
was in court room this morning when
the case was taken up, as were
number OF others and other prominent
officials subpoenaed to testify In the
case No trouble was experienced in
securing a jury, and then the govern
ment presented its case. There was
nothing Of striking interest in the tes-
timony presented, it being largely the
same as that given at previous trials.
The government at 2 o'clock rested its
case and then Judge Dittenhoefer, of
counsel for Shriver, moved to dismiss
ON six grounds, one Of them being that
as a newspaper man, the commun1ca-
ton to Shriver came within the scope
Of privileged confidential comrnunica-
tions. A decision will not be reached
until tomorrow.