The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-20
But Overreached Themselves I'm an In
glorious Way and Were Hoist
ed by Their Own Petard.
A LENTz-sULzER CONSPIRACY
TO BEsMIRCH THE PRESIDENT AND
HIS ADMINISTRATION.
Review of the Occur D'Alene Riot In
uuiry, mt which "YeIlow- States
men Adopted "Yellow" Tactics.
sns.,., the 1,a,anano,,s Journal.

remarkable Investigations in the history of
the United States Congress has Crawn
to close. 1t began on the 18th Of Febru-
airy in the House committee on military
affairs. 1t has ever since occupied the at
tention of that committee practically to
the exclusion Of everything else with the
exception of the appropriation BILL
An inordinate desire to make political
capital" to manufacture NEW political
issues" was the handspring of those who
demanded this vestigation-ostensibly an
investigation of the conduct of the United
States military in the Occur dAlenes.
Shoshone county, Idaho, after the dramatic
occurrences of April q, 1899. and the dis
sensions, conflicts and crimes that preceded
that date The prime mover in the con-
spiracy to drag the present administration
into a scandal-for conspiracy 1T was.
beyond a doubt-was John ]. Lentz, a
Democratic member of Congress from the
Columbus, o., district. Representative
Grosvenor. of Ohio. once very properly
characterized him as the most bitter
and vindictive enemy of the President.
1t is rarely necessary to search for hid
den motives in Lentz's conduct AT all
times, in his speeches, in his private utter
ances. in his political doings, in all his
undertakings, he is actuated by an I'M
reasoning, blind hatred of Mr.. Mckinley,
whom he abuses In and out of season, in
terms quite beyond the ordinary ken of
the average self-respecting member of
ture is applied to the problem of doing or
saying something that might bring oppro-
brium to the chief executive; his pictur-
esque vocabulary is daily augmented by
some expression. fierce and vituperative,
calculated to show in what small regard
he holds the highest office in the gift of his
countrymen.
Such is the manner of man who brought
the charges. He had a number of worthy
allies. Chief among them is Representa-
tive Sulzer, of New York, known to his
colleagues as "the Bowery statesman" In
the disregard of all that marks courtesy
among men, kindness and gentleness
among associates, Lentz has but one rival
That rival is Sulzer. These men dominated
the Democrats of the committee. They
made it plain to them at the outset that
this was not an investigation that should
investigate. It was investigation that
should besmirch. Messrs. Hay, Jett and
Slayden and other Democrats of the COM
mittee had no desire to handle pitch They
willingly left the conduct of affairs to those
whom nature fitted them for the work
which had been cut out They allowed
Lentz and Sulzer to have 1t their own way.
II was their investigation. They had given
the assurance that this was to be a blot
on the escutcheon of the administration.
They could not trust any one else to daub
the mud and the filth effectively. No one
above the characteristic fiber of these
worthless could be expected to do 1t proper
ly. They must, of necessity, undertake to
do 1t themselves.
GLORIED IN THEIR SHAME.
Their disreputable purpose was evident
from the outset. They were so delighted
that they made but little effort to conceal
1t. They seemed to glory in it. Soon they
began to proclaim 1t from the house-tops.
The witnesses of the prosecution" began
to arrive. Lentz made no concealment of
the fact that they needed drilling. Ostensi-
bly, he was one of those to sit in Judgment.
He quickly threw of that mask. He hob
nobbed with the witnesses. He coached
them He drilled them. He remained up
and to teach them the manner In which
they could be most effectively told. He was
with them heart and soul. Why? Because IL
was his purpose to show that great wrong
had been done. Surely philanthropic mo-
tive. But the administration, at all haz-
ards, must be connected with this great
wrong OF what use, otherwise, would be
the exposure of this great wrong.
The plan of the conspirators was soon
made evident. There are a number of law
yers on the committee on military affairs.
They know that the only way TO conduct
a legal inquiry was to conduct 1t on legal
1,,,oc he lou nf ovid ,ofi v,,nc
not be understood by the layman. But they
are based on the best experience of genera
tons. They go directly at that which Is rel
evant, important, acceptable. They reject
what is immaterial, irrelevant and not to
the point To govern the examination in
accordance with these rules would have
brought the investigation to too speedy a
termination to suit the purposes of the con-
spirators. II would have taken the COM
mittee too directly to the gist Of the In
quiry, namely, did the military commit
any wrongs in the Occur d Alenes, and II
so, what wrongs? 1t would have destroyed
of encumbering the record with such mat
ter as Lentz and Sulzer deemed material
not to the inquiry, but to their own sinis-
ter purposes.
Hearsay testimony, from the beginning
was their choicest morsel. Had you ever
beard that the Bunker Hill and Sullivan
mine (the mine whose mill was destroyed
by dynamite on the occasion when two
Standard Oil Trust?" That was one of the
gems propounded by Representative Lentz
who Is said to be a lawyer. 1t was purely
hearsay. The purpose of the question was
a malicious one. II was intended TO arouse
the prejudices of those who oppose the
trusts. The question. like many other simi-
lar questions, was put at the dictation of
the correspondent OF certain yellow
journal. who intended TO build up STORY
On Ii the next day. 1t was the kind of a
story that his paper wanted and Lentz was
willing to feed the public just that kline
CT stuff.
One of the Republican members meekly
objected to the question. Lentz and Sui
ger turned fiercely upon him. AHA, we
thought so. Trying to protect the trusts?
Afraid to let the truth go before the peo-
pie? Gag US. would you? Playing politics
are your"
The Republican shrugged his shoulders
He did not wish to further open the food
gates of the billingsgate of the wrothy
twain He made more objections, not
even when one man recited alleged con-
versations with men who had crossed the
great divide
Hearsay. rumor. insinuation, abuse, false
hood and irresponsible testimony continued
as long the two Democrats OF the COM
mittee had their inning. They had boldly
come out In their true colors. They had
assumed the roles OF prosecutors They had
admitted that they had preJudged the case.
And yet they were supposed to sit In judg-
Their manner of conduetine tho invssu-