Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-11

he said. examined the original papers, and
the words white House were not on
them. Il should like to know he asked
with considerable warmth. who had the
audacity to write the name White in that
report?'
THE committee on post offices and post
roads never added word,'' answered Mr..
Ccwherd. smartins under the imputation.
Somebody did," said Mr.. Smith, with
equal warmth.
Well. It was done In the department
then" Mr., Cowherd replied amid applause.
Mr.. Cowherd entered upon vigorous and
emphatic answer to the charges and cpl
thets which members had hurled at the de-
partment. Members. he said. had stated
the department had lied and published ma
llc!ous ISLANDERS against members OF the
House. They said the department did 1t
for a purpose, and that they say the menu
bership of the House win appoint a commit
tee before which members can go and have
the particular case investigated.
But" he said, his words being greeted
with applause, when you come to inves-
tigate the department It must be done by
yourselves"
Continuing, he inquired: Are you going
to say to the country that the department
that lies about you tells the truth about its
own actions7 Do you intend to go before
your constituency and the good people OF
the United States and say that this great
department which has published this re-
port. conceived in sin and born In tnfquity,
is the pureSt and the best and the most
ca pable to examine into its own tniquities?'
Loud applause followed this utterance.
lie was, he said. partisan and party
man. but he put the honor of the House
and the honor and welfare of the people of
the United States-"aye" he said, Il put
the honesty and honorable management OF
great department of the government
above the demands of any party that ever
lived"
The People Not Hysterical.
The American people are not hysterical,
he said, and members need not be afraid
of their censure because they go to the
department and demand their just rights
and the rights of their constituents. The
American press is not a press of the yell
low Journal" he continued In the first
flush and heat of this discussion, he de-
clared. and before the facts reach these
great papers. editorials may be published
that never ought to find place in the
press of the country, but when they have
an opportunity to examine the facts they
will exculpate every man who did only
his duty, but no man who did what was
not his duty ought to be exculpated. Il
say here and now" he continued, that
the sunlight of publicity never hurt an
honest man or an honest administration"
There was loud applause at this remark.
which was repeated when Mr.. Cowherd
said 'If there is an unwholesome and I'M
healthy growth the sunlight of publicity
Will kill It, If it Is an honest and whole
some growth that sunlight will only make
1t blossom into better fruition for the peo-
PIE of this country. He closed with the
suggestion that there Is but one path you
can tread with justice to yourselves and
honor to the country-and that is a full
examination of the entire postal affairs
both as to themselves and as to u.s.
Klutz Criticises the Department.
spoke vigorously for fifteen minutes. He
condemned the Post Office Department for
Juggling into the report the names of rep
resentatives who are no longer members
of the House, some of them dead. Mr.
Klutz said that the name of former Sem
ator Jeter C. Pritchard of North Carolina,
now member of the Supreme Court bench
of the District of Columbia, had been drag
ged into the report without any justifica-
ton whatsoever. Alth ugh Judge Pritch-
ard is of a different political belief, Mr..
Klutz warmly defended him. He stated,
further, that former representative from
North Carolina Mr.. Jas. n. Moody, now
dead, had been dragged into the report for
no other reason than that he had secured
an allowance of $40 for post office in his
district. Mr. Klutz declared that the hy-
ena Is the only animal that does not re-
spect the cerements of the dead. He de-
clared the Post Office Department has en-
deavored to malign and hold up to the
country members of Congress who went to
that department with requests from their
constituents, just as they go to every
other department of the government. He
demanded that there should be general
investigation of the Post Office Depart
ment.
Representative Walter Smith of Iowa was
recognized fort ten minutes. He condemned
the practice of the Post Office Department
in having a secret schedule of allowances
for the third and fourth-class post offices
He said that Congress had right to know
how every cent appropriated is spent Ihere
might be occasions at times for secret eX-
penditures in the Navy and War Depart
ments but he, did not see how the postal
officials could justify a secret schedule OF
allowances such as they now have. He de-
manded that this schedule be made public.
MT Babcock Will Print His Statement.
Representative ]. w. Babcock of Wis
consin chairman Of the House committee
on the District of Columbia, was recog-
nized for two minutes. He said his name
had been mentioned in the report and he
desired an opportunity to present a state
ment showing in detail his entire corre-
spondence with the Post Office Department
and the reasons for any recommendations
he may have made. His time too linn
tied to read the statement to the House. SO
he secured permission to print 1t in the
Record.
Had Circulated the Report.
Mr. Hepburn of Iowa said he had no
criticism to make the post office COM
1nittee and no criticism on the man who
prepared the Bristow report. All its ALE
cations relating to him were true, there
was nothing In it that he was ashamed OF.
and from first to last the report exhibited
only that he had been faithful to the inter
ests of his constituents. He said the report
had. in his case. cited only six or eight in
sta noes when there might have been many
mCre. The report covered period OF
little more than one year. He had been
serving his cons tituents for twenty-three
years, and in that time must have BEEN
guilty more than 10000 times of attending
TO their interests.
Mr.. Hepburn claimed that he had only
urged the officers of the department to eX-
eTcise the discretion lodged in them. He
said he had sent into his district all the
copies of the report he could get hold of.
and he would be willing to go before his
people the record there set out He
said the action of representatives in The
post office cases was no more violation of
law than their action in urging the con-