Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-11
HOUSE WROUGHT UP
Discusses Publication of Bris-
tow Report.
MANY EXCITED TALKS
WILL VOTE ON HAY RESOLUTION
AT 4:3O.
It is Believed That the Matter VIII
Not Be Laid on Table - Debate
May Go on for Several Days.
Who killed cock robin ?"

| no killed cock robn?'
This is the question members of Congress
are asking in connection with the publica-
| tion of the Bristow report They want to
know who is responsible for the collection
of the so-called evidence" against con-
gressmen, who considered it necessary TO
| collate the correspondence and then formu-
| late 1t into virtual charges against the in
| tegnty of senators and representa- or
| at the mildest charges of violations of pro-
priety.
| Up TO date there has been no scramble TO
| acknowledge the deed. There is no doubt
| that Cock Robin is killed figuratively
speaking at least badly winged but
whose hand sped the shaft has not been
disclosed. All kinds of reports were in
circulation at the Capitol upon this SUBJ
| ject.
The Facts in the Case.
In the minds of members of the House,
the facts of the case in their last analysis,
make this showing:
| That Fourth Assistant Postmaster Cen
eral Bristow, in his report of last October.
said that members Of Congress had made
| contracts with Beaver for rent of post
offices; that longtime leasessof post offices
| had been Cancelled. and the rent increased
on the recommendation of influential mem
bers of Congress. and that Increases OF
| clerical hire had been granted. without
| relation to the merits of the case.
That resolution of inquiry was intro
duced in the House demanding the evil
dence in support of these statements.
That the resolution was referred to the
| post office committee. and the committee in
duty bound asked the department for the
| evidence.
That when the evidence was submitted it
was necessary to make it public or be liable
to the accusation of suppressing evidence.
| although the evidence was not of an IN
| eliminating character.
| Members of the House setting aside ques-
| tions of how the matter became public, go
| further back and ask why the evidence
was collected in the first place, and why Ii
| was considered necessary to refer to 1t in
| connection with evidence collected against
| men indicted for crime.
Indignation in the House
| When the House assembled today MEM
| bers on both sides of the chamber were
| wrought up to high state of indignation
and sense of outrage at the Bristow report.
| and were ready to boil over. Notwithstand-
| ing several days have elapsed since the re-
| port came in, during which it had been
| hoped that the tempest would quiet down,
| every day seems to make matters worse.
| AS members began to hear from their home
/ papers they realized that a serious con-
| struction was being put upon the report in
| the country districts.
4 Ssf a
| report, when Mr.. Hay (Va), promptly OBJ
| jected to its consideration.
The Speaker, in ruling on the point, said
| the Hay resolution a matter of the
| highest privilege and he recognized Mr.
| Overstreet Qnd.), who desired unanimous
! consent for order giving members ten
days leave to extend their remarks.
| Mr.. Cooper (Wis),s entered emphatic
| ~ object"
| Mr.. Tawney (Iinn.), entertained the
| view that every member named in the re-
| bal tla -;ol,+ 70 jn1a af;pffa al
| matter of privilege.
| Mr.. Overstreet then submitted two propo-
| sitons, first, that the discussion be ex-
| tended until Monday. at o'clock, and,
| second, until 4 o'clock tomorrow, to both
| of which Mr.. Hay objected.
| Chairman Overstreet of the House COM
| mittee on post offices desired further debate
on the pending matter and delay in voting.
| The republican leaders of the House, as
| stated in The Star yesterday, had decided
| upon a substitute for the Hay resolution,
| authorizing the appointment OF select
| committee to inquire into the correspond
ence set forth in the Bristow report
Some members on the republican side.
| however, were inclined to go against this
decision of the leaders and to side with
the democrats il the democratic propo-
stion for general investigation of the
| Post Office Department. This is what the
den ocrats have been f1ghtlng for all alongi
| they wanted to be bile to say that they
| forced the republicans to father a con-
| gressional investigation.
|
| jected to continuing the debate until Mon
| day, or even through tomorrow, asked that
members be given leave to print and ex-
| tend their remarks in the Record, as there
would not be time enough today to let
| everybody have time to talk.
| Leader Williams of the democrats OBJ
| Jected to this at first. stating that, in his
| opinion, all that was said upon the subject
| ought to be said in open debate. The scat
| ter:ng fire of hand-clapping on the republi-
can side showed where the insurgents were
| lurking, and encouraged the democrats to
continue their campaign for ordering a
sweeping investigation.
MI. Cowherd Defends the Committee.
| Mr.. Cowherd of Missouri took the floor
| to explain why the committee on post
| offices and post roads had brought in the
| Bristow report He insisted that the COM
mittee in the circumstances could do moth
ing else.
Tehre was no occasion, he said, to refer
| the matter to the committee, to see
whether the charges against members
| had been made. The report of Gen. Bris-
| tow had gone out with the approval of
| the President. Il say now" he vigorously
| declared, that If must answer
| whether the charge is true that Beavers
| members of Congress regardless of the
| merits of the case, the answer is that tho
| charge is true.
Continuing he said: is Beavers to
blamef Yes, sir. Are the members of the
| House to blame for it? No." If members
| had made unusual requests upon the de-
partment, he said, the proprety of their
conduct was question between them
| selves and their constituents 1T is not
| a violation of law" he insisted with en-
| phasis. The committee, he said, could not
| undertake to edit the departments report
nor could they discriminate between the
cases cited. If they had done so the COM
| mittee, he said. would have been dashed
| from the floor of the House.
Mr.. Burieson (Tex) vigorously asserted
| that the department had given the commit
| tee information not asked for, sand yet,"
/ he said you laid it before this blouse. I
| say 1t is an outrage.
| "And I say that the committee could do
| nothing else." hotly retorted Mr.. Cowherd.
| The members Of the House, he said, owed
| 1t to themselves that the truth be given.
Mr.. Smiths Query.
William Alden Smith (dich.) jumped UP.