New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-20
NOTHING TO COVER UP.
The House Calls for Papers an
PoStoffce Investigation.
IRON THE TRIBUNE BURBAu.I


Washington Dec 10 - Under the resolution
adopted in the House to-day, without the sAshtes1
opposition on the part of the majority the lhiol-
nation relating to postal frauds ana ther lh'es'i
CATION already distributed by the committee oH
Postofflces and Post Roads viii be reprinted as
an executive document and will carry a new Title
page This is the sole and decidedly unsausIac-
tory reward of the minority, whose leaoeI' 'oH"
Sharp williams has been so vociferously demanf
ing publicity that the country might be taken lno
the confidence of the prosecuting officers of the
government.
The administration, stated In the Presioehl
communication, is DESTROYS of convlcung thOse
charged with fraud and under Indictment and VIII
not permit itself to be embarrassed by the enorts
of the Democrats to publish to the world papers
and documents that would defeat the ENDS Oh Jus
tice With this in view, such matter as "Ou4N
in no way interfere with the prosecution OF the
cases has already been made public ana an eN ,,
duplicate and nothing more VIII no" DC tuii
In compliance with Mr. Williams's resolution
The minority failed utterly in its attempt 10 man
ufacture campaign material The complaceh' az
titude OF the majority toward the proposltioh SUI
prised and disappointed the Democrats VINO hau
wild bonAs that the resolution would be antago-
nized permitting the Democracy to proclaim 10 inc
country that the Republican party feared puon0'S
Mr.. Payne, the Republican floor leader apuy us
scribed the position Of his party Wheh he sSi4u'
Mr. Speaker I no objection to the passage u
the resolution. Let us have all the puoHclty We
can get. 1 am in favor Of it," and Democrauc
thunder melted into an inarttculate nurLur WHEN
no word of protest offered by the hePupiiC"Iio
and they voted unanimously for the auop'io" u
the resolution.
Aside from this political hasco and the body
blow delivered by the action of the House 10 lne
Committee Expenditures In the Fosto"'ce lie
partment. while Mr. Wanger. it's chairman. was
serenely enjoying his Christmas vacation hothins
was accomplished in the lower chamber
The Speaker announced when the House con-
vened that error had been made yesterday IN
reporting the vote to the Chair on the motion OF
Mr.. Wanger for the previous question on the mo-
ton to agree to the resolution reported from the
Committee Expenditures in the Postofhce De-
partment He said it reported at the time as
10S to 10 in favor of the previous question: whereas
the vote stood LOT to 107. All proceedings yesterday
subsequent to that vote were then vacated. by
unanimous consent the journal was corrected &C
cordingly The resolution under consideration au-
thorized the Committee on Expenditures In the
Postoffice Department to request from the POST
master General papers IN connection with the
recent investigation.
This action left the Wanger resolution before the
House, subject to further action, when Mr.. Will
Jams, the minority leader, offered a substitute
the resolution he offered yesterday, which provides
that the Postmaster General be requested to trans
NIT to the House all papers and evidence regarding
alleged frauds and irregularities IN the Postoince
Department, excepting such as, IN the opinion o.
justice.
wanted the papers brought before the House and
made public through the House, so that 1t could
be seen if anything had been covered up He said
there may be other people connected with the
postal affair who may not have been brought 10
light.
Mr.. Payne said he saw objection to the adop-
ton of the resolution, and suggested that IL the
minority had more remarks to make on the SUBJ
ject he thought it would be unanimously adopted.
Mr.. Cowherd Dem. MOI, member OF the Post
office Committee, spoke for that committee, say
ing the chairman, Mr. Overstreet, had suggested
the widest publicity to the papers received from
the department.
Mr. Williams, addressing HIr. Cowherd, said: 1T
want TO suggest to the gentleman that 1t has been
reported, shown by portions Of the report or
had been covered up, especially in connection with
Mr. Heath"
Mr.. Cowherd replied: 81 think the gentleman
from Mississippi misunderstands the report in the
publications IN the newspapers. / understand the
report OF Messrs. Conrad and Bonaparte to be on
the action Of the postoftce the Tulloch charges.
where 1t was said there attempt to cover up
stand that report say that the report OF Fourth
Assistant Postmaster General Bristow, printed,
covering about four hundred pages, was in any way
an attempt to cover up anything about that gentle
man or anybody else My impression is, if the
gentleman will examine that report which is found
in the newspaper accounts, he will see that the
covering up referred to the act of the Post
master General IN refusing to investigate the Tul-
loch charges
The resolution offered by Mr. williams as a sub
stitute for the Wanger resolution was then agreed
to without division by practically a unanimous
vote thus dspacing the resolution authorizing the
Committee Expenditures in the PostOfhce De-
partment to request the information.
The House then adjourned until January 4.