The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-01-10
ROBERTS may SECURE
SEAT IN THE HOUSE
Majority of the Committee Said TO be in Favor Of
the Utah Congressman.
Growing Conviction Among Members That Mistake Was
Made in Shutting Him Out.

! full recognition as a member, and cover
all the disputed points Of mileage, sta
tiOnery, pay and salary since the OPEN
ing day of congress
Of course, this possibility is rather
amazing, in view of the unanmity OF
the first action by the house in his
case, but il is a natural development
from the facts that Chairman Tayler
did not convince the house that it had
presidents for his course in barring
Roberts; that many members have re-
pented Of their hysterical attitude at
i the beginning Of the session, and that
the testimony on the case and Roberts
presentation of argument as to his title
have won some of the strongest mem
bers Of the committee to Roberts side
of the case.
Two-thirds Vote to Expel.
If the chance that now exists for a
report favorable TO Roberts would be-
come a reality, the committee might
also report that ne was guilty of liv-
ing in polygamy and should be ex-
PEELED. It is a fact, however, as is well
known, that once sworn in il would
take a two-thirds vote to expeI him.
Some lawyers in the house have con-
tended that the committee, if it reports
in favor of Roberts being sworn, viii
nave tADc lSAEAA It's DDAelSr as the
charge Of living in pOlygamOus rela-
tions was offered as bar TO his ad-
mission, and that admission gained
/ they would fall. From this statement
of the situation, as it appears at this
! time, it should not be inferred that
there may not be an adverse report,
but the fact that several members OF
the committee are known to favor Rob
erts. makes the result prOblematic and
t. e, D..
erts' clamOrers.
Roberts Is Confident.
Representative Roberts is himself
very confident not only that the report
viii be in his favor, but that he viii
retain his seat in the house. This, how
ever, is not due to any recent develop
ments, but has been his position all
along. He said tonight that he did not
know how a single member of the
committee would vote, and had not
urged his case personally with any in
diyidual member of the house. relying
wholly on the presentation before the
committee of the facts in the case to
give him the seat to which he was
elected.
It is probable that the committee will
sit for several days YET before the re-
port will be made. While the odds are
probably still against Roberts, the con-
ditiOn of affairs on the committee is
such as to be highly disquieting to
storm starters of Utah and their assO-
eiates in the east.
The Polygamist Inquiry.
Chairman Loud Of the house commit
tee on pOstOfiices and post roads, said
to The Herald correspondent today that
he should not call a special meeting Of
the committee to consider the polvga-
mist Investigation Il viii, however. be
taken UP at the next regular meeting
Of the committee.
He expressed much interest when told
that the Logan postoffice had been
| filed, and asked at once Il IL was a re-
mOval or a resignation
Mr.. Loud was not ready today to dis
euss his opinion of what the committee
might do. He said, however that the
report Of the committee, when made,
would not be privileged, as it had lost
that force by the changes made from
the original Lentz resolution. It is now
a resolution for investigation, and thus
is not privileged.
It is not expected that the investig2-
ton will require the summOning Of wit
neeses and extended hearings, as il IS
thought the essential facts can be es-
tablished by documentary evidence.