The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-03-02
Asour MR. BAILEY ANp aINvgsrIeATIoNs.n

| Hon. Joseph W. Bailey has made good his charges
of Irregularities In the conduct of the employees
of the National house, relating both to their service
and their pay and the committee created on Mr.. Bal.
leys motion to investigate these matters has reported
that the abuses such that statute covering the
case will have to be enacted
The house has been "jobbed' systematically end
shamefuy by number of men on It's pay rolls Many
Of these have done work whatever but have put
cheaper men in their places with whom the salary
has been divided Others have divided their pay with
those who had assisted them in obtaining position and
yet other gross Irregularities II not downright stealing.
have been in vogue 80
These were matters that the house alone could in
yestigate. It the if a directory of a com
pany should undertake. look into the conduct of the
employees of the company, the manner in which the
company's affairs were being managed. It per-
fectly proper and perfectly natural indeed, that Mr.
Bailey Of these directors should be made
Der of the committee to overhaul the business methods
of the concern.
1t is somewhat amusing therefore to find a paper
like the Waco TimesHerad, reinforced by its Austin
correspondence, protesting an analogy between
this investigation in the house at Washington and the
late Bailey, or Waers-Pierce Oil company inyestiga
ton by the legislature at Austin This Waco paper ex
hibts its spleen, or It's Ignorance. as follows:
The house Washington adopted the resolution intro
dueed ny Mr. Bailey to investigate the appointment and pay
ment OF house employees Speaker Henderson made Mr. Bal
uary to the Texas precedent Because Representative Nc
Fan introduced the resolution investigate Nj Bacys
nection with the Waets-Piercc transactions Speaker Prince
OF the Texas house denied him place the investigating
compelled 10 decline to serve the committee designated
by Speaker Henderson Having introduced the resolution he
becomes the prosecutor.
AS a matter OF fact and as any man of even ord
nary intelligence glance there is no analo
gy or similarity whatever between these two incidents
Both Speaker Henderson and Speaker Prince knew
ygha rfc md tn Tho
acted accordingly Only captions critics who were hun
cry for some Cheap John sensation would have seen
any chance for parallel in the organization the two
committees. The criticism indeed would not he worth
notice 1t not for the poor attempt to do so fair and
excellent a presiding officer Speaker Prince petty
injustice
The Waters Pierce Bailey matter was something en-.
tirely outside the house at Austin. Mr. McFaH han.
pened 10 he member of that house It is true but long
before the house met he became prosecutor" of Mr.
Bailey, it, indeed not woud-be prosecutor He be-
gan by an open letter to Governor Sayers months ago
Then he had himself interviewed making charges
against Mr. Bailey and gave this interview to the AS.
sociated Press scattering its bald accusations across
the continent Not content with this he attempted the
direct role of in by seeking to become
an amicus curiae. This alone would have STAMPED him
as actively and personally Interested satisfied or
discouraged by the action at Waco. Mr. McFall per.
sisted in this persecution and when the legislature met
oHered resolutions again rejecting upon Mr. Bailey
Under these circumstances Mr. Prince rightly regarded
Mr. Neral not only the Interested accser or active
prosecutor, but one not without intense feeling or
prejudice in the matter and therefore left him off the
committee, In order that he might properly assume be-
fore the committee the active and independent attitude
of a prosecutor.
In the National house 1t the directory investi
eating its own business at Austin 1t jury trying
an outsider Very properly the virulen prosecutor had
no place on the jury.
Such silly and meanly inspired attempts to mako n
point against Speaker Prince or Mr. Bailey. carry
their own condemnation with them in the contemnt
which they must excite among the peope renerallv
VINO are not fools and believe in only honest criticism
and fair play.