New-York tribune., 1900-01-30
SCANDAL HUNTERS ROUTED
DEMOCRATIC ASSAULTS ON SECRETARY
GAGE AGAIN REPELLED.
Icy rELEGRApH TO THE rR1BuNE.l

[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE1
Washington, Jan. 29.-The scandal hunters in
the House and Senate who have been trying to
make political capital out of Secretary Cages
dealings with the National City and other Ma
tiona banks of New-York suffered highly dis
couraging check to-day. In the House the Sui
ger resolution. authorizing an investigation of
Secretary Cages actions, reported back by
| the Rules Committee, with a recommendation
| that the Committee on Ways and Means be left
| to determine the necessity or expedency of
starting an official inquiry. Though the minor
ity leaders acGuesced in the view that the
Ways and Means Committee the proper
body to authorize an investigation. they took
advantage of the brief debate on the adoption
of the Rules Committees report to reventilate
the loose and scattering charges of favoritsm
brought originally against the head Of the
Treasury Department. These charges were re-
PEELED so thoroughly, however, by Messrs Hop
kns, of Illinois, Hill, of Connecticut. and Dal-
zell of Pennsylvania, that no ground whatever
seems now to be left for starting a fruitless
legislative inquiry. 1t is not thought likely that
the Ways and Means Committee, by the
utmost stretch of parliamentary courtesy can
find a substantial excuse for encouraging fur
ther the antics of Mr. Sulzer and his fellow
chasers of scandal.
While the House was listening to the half
Richardson, the Secretary himself was demol-
| ishing in a letter to the Senate the ingenious
fabric of supposition and fable built up in the
so-caled Allen resolution of inquiry. This reso-
luton was drawn the theory that Secretary
Gage had not given in his earlier report all the
information at his command bearing on the De
partment's transactions with the National City
and other depository banks in New-York. 1t
called upon him, therefore, to furnish certain
well as Of conversations he may have had with
bank officials in whose institutions Government
funds deposited Mr.. Gage in his second
letter effectually dsposes ofithe haphazard con-
lectures so painfully constructed by his Con-
gressional assailants. and leaves possible
loophole for further exploitation of the so-caled
favored banks scandals. After to-day the
Democratic sensation mongers at the Capitol
will probably turn to fresh fields in which to
exercise their bass drum detective tactics.
THE DEBATE IN DETAIL.
Immediately after the reading OF the journal Mr..
Dalzell, from the Committee on Rules, reported
back the Sulzer resolution for the appointment OF
special committee to investigate the deposit of
public funds by Secretary Gage in New-York
banks. and all the transactions relating to the sale
of the New-York Custom House. with the recon-
mendaton that 1t be referred to the Ways and
Means Committee Mr. Dalzell explained that the
response Of the Secretary Of the Treasury to the
Sulzer resolution OF inquiry the subject had
gone to the Ways and Means Committee, and it
was proper that that COMMITTEES should have juris-
diction
Mr.. Richardson. the minority leader said he
not opposed to the reference Of the resolution the
Ways and Means Committee but he decidedly
of the opinion that an investigation should be made
When he spoke few days ago. he said, he had
insisted that there must be some reason why tho
National City Bank of New-York had not completed
+ho or
from the Government. The Government had taken
paper credit for $3,215OOo, which left the ptiful
sum of $50 900 still due the Government. Why had
this been done? Not dollar of the Governments
credit at the bank had been checked out. Why
could the credit not have been for the full amount?
There must have been some reason said Mr.. Rich
ardson 1t had been the intention of the Secretary
Treasury, he said. to relieve the bank OF its
tax obligation to the State and City Of New-York
by retaining the title in the Government The
Government had agreed to pay rent for the prop
erty, yet the bank not to pay taxes on it,
He called attention to the letter OF the Secretary
Of the Treasury asking Congress to appropriate
10000 for the property sold in the manner he had
described prevent the bank from being liable for
taxes IF that the Secretarys motive" said
Mr.. Richardson emphatically. II am here to CON
denim it. and to insist that 1t Ill becomes the Secre
tary Of the Treasury to go into partnership with a
private corporation"
The National City Bank of New-York Mr.. Rich
ardson said had been able to earn interest on the
S. 25OOO 1t had nominally paid the Government in
terest on the bonds had deposited to retain this
money and to charge the Government rental equal
to per cent of the purchase price In other words
he said this juggling has enabled the bank to make
ss57 900 up to date He surprised that the Sec
retary of the Treasury had not already asked TO be
allowed to make explanation
ANOTHER BLAST FROM sULzER.
Mr. suzer the author of the resolution, followed
Mr Richardson. He said the Republican party
dared neither to smother ignore the resolu-
ton The people of the country were deeply in
terested in ascertaning the truth. He character
lied the conduct of the Secretary OF the Treasury
as Infamous and his connection with the Rockefeller
bank which had been used he said to manipulate
the stock market against adverse interests, as
scandalous. I'VE demand this investigation" said
he Ito ascertain who the stockholders and d.
rectors of this bank that they entitled to
special privileges from this Administration"
Ever since the present Secretary had been IN
office Mr.. Sulzer said he had been aiding the Ma
tonal City Bank at the expense of other National
banks. 1t had been making millions coming and
going" He declared that the people of the coun-
try recognized that the Secretary OF the Treasury
was unfit and incompetent to hold the purse
strings. The United States Treasury made
the instrument of the Standard OIL Trust. Aye,
more, he said the people believed the Secretary
should be impeached.
SECRETARY GAGE DEFENDED.
| Mr.. Hopkins. Of Illinois, in reply said that all
this discussion premature and of place.
Il simply rise said he. Ito protest against the
unfounded unwarranted and untrue charges made
| by the gentleman from Tennessee (NIr. Richard
SOM. What right has he to impute false and
fraudulent motives to the Secretary of the Treas
ury? Is there any evidence upon which to base
them? None whatever. When the Secretary of
| the Treasury called upon for the facts he
presented full response"
why did the $50 900 remain unpaid7' interrupted